Mobile Board of Adjustment Meeting - May 4, 2026
Mobile Board of Adjustment Meeting - May 4, 2026
The Mobile Board of Adjustment met on May 4, 2026, at 7:00 PM to hear and decide on thirteen applications, including variance requests, special exceptions, and extension requests. The meeting included public comments, deliberations, and votes on each item. One application was withdrawn, two were held over, and the remainder were approved with or without conditions.
Consent Calendar
- No consent calendar was presented; each item was considered individually.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Application 9 (1028/1032 Newman Lane): Rhonda James questioned whether Newman Lane would be affected by the proposed driveway; after clarification, she expressed support for the project.
- Application 10 (103 North Warren Street): Wanda Cochrane, a downtown resident, expressed concerns about the variance request for a forecourt area, citing a lack of detail on building plans, potential noise impacts from outdoor music, and the importance of maintaining downtown zoning standards. She did not take a fixed position but urged the board to impose conditions.
- Application 8 (6051 Old Shell Road): No public comments were made.
- Other applications: No public comments were offered.
Discussion Items
- Application 1 (67-44-67-00): Held over from the previous meeting; postponed to next month’s executive session due to the city attorney’s absence.
- Applications 2 & 3 (250 St. Louis Street): Douglas Thomas requested six-month extensions for previously approved variances. No changes were reported. Both extensions were approved unanimously.
- Application 4 (1408 Cody Road North): The applicant was not present. The board voted to hold the application over for 30 days.
- Application 5 (3244 Dauphin Street): Jason Toole, engineer for Chick-fil-A, requested variances for a front yard setback, tree planning, dumpster location, and a canopy within 25 feet. The project involves demolishing and rebuilding the restaurant. The board approved the variances unanimously.
- Application 7 (6368 Cottage Hill Road): Jarrett McCraw requested a use variance for an indoor recreational facility (Winnie’s Play Cafe) in a B-2 district. He explained it serves children ages 6 months to 6 years with parent engagement, not drop-off daycare. The board approved the variance with findings of fact and conditions.
- Application 8 (6051 Old Shell Road): George Coles requested a special exception for two pickleball courts at the Catholic Student Association. Discussion focused on noise and light impacts; hours were reduced from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m., and a green space buffer was required on the south side. The special exception was approved with those conditions.
- Application 9 (1028/1032 Newman Lane): Jared White of the Africatown Redevelopment Corporation requested a waiver of driveway length (12 feet instead of 24 feet) for a cottage court with five historic structures. Parking was reduced from 10 to 5 spaces. The waiver was approved unanimously.
- Application 10 (103 North Warren Street): Jerry Gray Arnold requested a variance for a forecourt area exceeding 600 square feet for a proposed brew pub. The board discussed whether the applicant could comply with the code, with public comment raising concerns about detail and future uses. The board approved the variance by a 5-1 vote (Chair opposed) with findings of fact A, B, and C.
- Application 11 (235 Park Avenue South): Katie Parker requested a variance to construct an accessory structure on an adjacent lot. The board approved the variance unanimously.
- Application 12 (3201 Airport Boulevard): Brandon Black requested an amendment to previously approved sign variances to add the Target logo to seven pickup signs. The board approved the amendment unanimously.
- Application 13 (1645 Dawes Road): Jared Oates requested a variance for a front porch addition (3.5 feet extension into the setback) to improve accessibility. The board approved the variance unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Applications 2 & 3: Six-month extensions approved unanimously.
- Application 5: Variances for Chick-fil-A approved unanimously.
- Application 7: Use variance for Winnie’s Play Cafe approved with conditions.
- Application 8: Special exception for pickleball courts approved with conditions (hours limited to 8 p.m., green space buffer).
- Application 9: Waiver of driveway length approved unanimously.
- Application 10: Forecourt variance approved 5-1; Chair voted no.
- Application 11: Accessory structure variance approved unanimously.
- Application 12: Sign variance amendment approved unanimously.
- Application 13: Porch addition variance approved unanimously.
- Application 1: Held over to next month.
- Application 4: Held over for 30 days.
- Board Update: A permanent injunction was granted for an illegal car lot on Government Boulevard; the operator has 30 days to remove vehicles.
Meeting Transcript
All right. Good afternoon, everyone. We're gonna call the May 4th 2026 Board of Adjustment to order. First, let me go through a series of announcements and kind of just basic rules, and then we'll we'll go ahead and get started. Uh first of all, we have to uh we'll call a roll call and then we'll do a review and approval of the agenda, and then as we go through the agenda, we'll call for the applicant to come to the podium. If you'll give your name and address for the record, uh four individuals can speak in favor of an application for an opposition. The applicant and each of those uh individuals gets five-minute time period, there'll be a warning at four minutes saying you got a minute, you got to summarize your statement or comments, and then the applicant will have an opportunity for a two-minute uh time period for rebuttal. If you will direct your comments and statements to us as the board, not to others in the audience or to the staff. And if I feel that because we've interrupted somebody or we've had questions, we can extend that time period. It's at my discretion. If you've got questions regarding the board's decision, you call the planning department at two five one two oh eight fifty-eight ninety-five. And at the end of those statements and the rebuttal, then we'll call for um deliberation of the of the board and for a motion, either in support or in opposition to the application request. It takes five to affirm a motion. We have six individuals here, so it takes at least five to uh approve a motion. And I will ask before I forget if you got cell phones and including the board members, turn them on silent or off so we don't have a disturbance. If you've got any handouts that the board should look at, if you'll give them to staff now so that we don't have to stop the meeting to distribute, I'd appreciate it. Okay, with that we'll start with roll call and then we'll get busy with the agenda. Starting with uh Mr. Williams? Mr. Acheson? Here Ms. Rarrell? Here, Mr. Morris? Mr. Petway? Absent. Mr. Milling? Absent? Mr. Golden? Mr. Metcalf? And I'm William Guest Chair. We have a quorum, so we can proceed with the meeting as scheduled. And uh we'll start with the application, which was uh held over from last meeting, I believe. Sixty seven forty-four sixty-seven hundred. This one was at the request of our or at our guidance of our attorney. Uh and my law partner, Ricardo Woods, who's the city attorney, will be here momentarily, and we're gonna go into executive session after this meeting to discuss this litigation. Okay. Did we have anyone here? It was in interest with this application. Okay. So we're gonna hold that one over for uh discussion at the end of the meeting. All right, application two, which is sixty-seven oh two, sixty-seven oh three, sixty-six fifty-three regarding two fifty Saint St. Louis Street. Is the applicant here today? Good afternoon.
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