Council schedules public hearing on petition to vacate part of unnamed alley near 200 Virginia Drive

Staff presented a petition from owners abutting a portion of an unnamed alley between 200 and 198 Virginia Drive and properties on Oxmoor seeking to vacate a defined triangular 1,925-square-foot portion of a 15-foot-wide alley right-of-way. Staff explained that the request does not affect the entire alley and that the section proposed for vacation is not used for travel but does contain city drainage infrastructure that could complicate future inspection and maintenance if ownership changes.

Staff also said Alabama Power submitted a letter of objection but will retain its easement and access rights; staff emphasized that utility easements remain in place even if the surface ownership changes. The state law valuation method for alley vacations (based on assessed values and square-footage averages) was described as the mechanism to determine maximum city compensation in any sale or vacation process. The committee set a public hearing and directed staff to include maps and valuation calculations for council consideration; the hearing is scheduled to be set at the full council on June 22.