OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Mobile City Council Meeting - July 21, 2026

City Council Meetings — Tuesday, July 21, 2026
BodyMobile, Alabama
SessionCity Council Meetings
DateTuesday, July 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 26:04

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Mr.

0:00

President.

0:01

Yes.

0:03

As far as this request, I'm having a hard time a little bit on this.

0:08

Obviously, heard a lot from the neighbors on about three neighborhoods right around there.

0:14

At this point in time, I from my understanding of what's occurring here is there's no real plan or you know, no real need to take this to a B1 at this point in time.

0:23

Um, I kind of consider this a little bit of speculative zoning.

0:27

So um I'm just want to note that I'm I'm not in favor of this one.

0:32

Still the public hearing, so we just still have to plumb hearing and vote next week.

0:36

Okay.

0:36

Madam Clerk.

0:38

Presentation of petitions and other communications to the council, Sue Saviac, um, tourism in mobile, apostle valuing agreement, request revocation of cotton state barns business license due to consumer fraud.

0:50

Ordinance is held over 64028, consider the proposed rezoning of the property located at 2609 2026 51 Spring Hill Avenue, 152, 157, 159, Mobile Street, and 144 Highland Avenue from R1 and B3 to B1.

1:08

Ms.

1:08

President.

1:08

Yes, Mr.

1:09

Perry.

1:09

Yeah, this is this uh property they're owned by uh Covenant Presbyterian Church.

1:13

Um they provide a lot of services to the city.

1:15

They're gonna be establishing a parking lot um to their their growing church, growing ministry in district one.

1:21

Um so um and then they're gonna be um also uh renovating on their building.

1:25

Thank you, Mr.

1:25

President.

1:26

Okay.

1:27

640 come back to the um at the bottom in my district on Moffat Road.

1:35

Sorry, what?

1:36

She haven't read them yet.

1:37

Oh, I thought you went through more.

1:38

Okay, never mind.

1:40

Getting ahead of things.

1:41

64029 considered a rezoning of property located at 4630, 4749, 60 Dauphin Island Parkway from B3 to B3 to remove previous conditional rezoning.

1:52

That's fine.

1:53

64030 and 031 are the applications for rezoning property located at 5101 Moffat Road from B2 to B3 and 5361 Myffort Road from R1 to B3.

2:06

Vice versa.

2:06

These are these are mine.

2:08

Um, on both of these, the first one is um going from a B2 to a B3.

2:15

Um, it's on a fairly short piece of land there.

2:19

If you're familiar at all with that, it in between Moffat Road and Overlook.

2:25

And there will be no buffers on this, and there is a residential area to the south.

2:29

There are some residents back in there who I've spoken with, and they are not in favor of going from a B2 to a B3.

2:36

The whole idea of a B3 is just really something that bothers them.

2:40

I do understand that the um property owner is cleaning up the lot, which is good news.

2:46

However, taking it to a B3 is something that is just not appropriate for that area.

2:53

On the second one, um, going from a R1 to a B3 is even less appropriate.

3:00

Um, this particular parcel sits right in the middle of single family homes.

3:05

There's a new subdivision that has been approved right next door.

3:10

And while a different zoning might be more appropriate, like a B1, we can't make that change.

3:16

If that's something that the applicant wants to do, she has to start over with this whole process.

3:21

Um, going forward, and I've talked to Shayla a little bit about some of these things.

3:26

We need to better explain to people when they come to the city looking for answers as to what they need to do for a zoning change.

3:35

Um, when she came to the city and told them what it was she needed, what she wanted to do on her property, which is to allow moving trucks and build a almost 1,300 square foot storage building, you know, behind her business.

3:52

The appropriate zoning would be a B3.

3:54

But there's got to be somewhere in between there that we're able to speak with these applicants and help them understand that if you're going from an R1 to a B3, you may get a little pushback from the neighbors, you know, and just walk them through the process a little bit and maybe guide them to you know a different direction.

4:14

But that's that's for another day.

4:16

Both of these, I'm going to ask you all to uh join me in denying both of these requests.

4:21

Okay.

4:22

All right, Madame Clark.

4:25

Resolution is held over.

4:26

25752 grant a permanent easement to Albion Power to provide new underground service for fire station 19.

4:34

25753, grant a permanent easement to Alabama Power to provide new underground service to Japanese gardens.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters█████████████████████████████████33%
Parks and Recreation█████████████████17%
Public Safety███████████████15%
Zoning And Land Use██████████████14%
Procedural████████8%
Public Engagement███████7%
Community Engagement██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Mobile City Council Meeting - July 21, 2026

The Mobile City Council met on July 21, 2026, to discuss multiple rezoning requests, resolutions, and contracts. Key points included opposition to speculative rezoning, support for a church's expansion, concerns over commercial zoning in residential areas, and a unanimous decision to revoke a business license for consumer fraud.

Discussion Items

  • Rezoning Request (unspecified location): One council member expressed opposition, arguing the request lacked a concrete plan and was speculative. The public hearing and vote were scheduled for the following week.

  • Rezoning at 2609-2026 51 Spring Hill Avenue, Mobile Street, and Highland Avenue (from R1 and B3 to B1): Council member Perry supported the rezoning, noting the property is owned by Covenant Presbyterian Church. The church plans to build a parking lot and renovate its building to support a growing ministry.

  • Rezoning at 4630-4749-60 Dauphin Island Parkway (B3 to B3 to remove conditions): No opposition was noted.

  • Rezoning at 5101 Moffat Road (B2 to B3) and 5361 Moffat Road (R1 to B3): A council member opposed both, citing opposition from nearby neighborhoods and the inappropriateness of B3 zoning in residential areas. The member suggested the applicant could reapply for B1 zoning and asked colleagues to join in denying both requests.

  • Revocation of Cotton State Barns business license for consumer fraud: The company sent a letter of intent to surrender the license, but the license had not been physically returned. Council members unanimously agreed to proceed with revocation to demonstrate seriousness and support victims.

  • Police and Fire Retirees Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA): The Chief reported that the police and fire pension plan is city-controlled. A resolution set for the next day would request a 2.5% COLA for certain groups, the first since 2008, as the unfunded liability nears payoff.

  • Africa Town Welcome Center Funding: A resolution to transfer $100,000 for consultant services was presented. Ms. Smith explained the funds will finalize a contract with Watermark for interior design and AV work. The center may open around late December or early January.

  • Lavretta Park Playground Equipment: A $449,000 contract with ICA Construction for new playground equipment was discussed. The council member noted community input in the design and timing to avoid summer disruption.

  • Governance Review Consulting Contract: A $90,000 contract with Minnequin Resources Inc. for governance review was introduced. One council member requested more details on evaluation criteria and past recommendations; the Chief agreed to provide additional information.

  • Post-Disaster Support Services Contract: A three-year renewable contract for first responder support services was introduced. Staff explained it is pre-positioned to meet FEMA standards for reimbursement.

Key Outcomes

  • The rezoning requests at 5101 and 5361 Moffat Road were proposed for denial; a vote is expected the following week.
  • The council moved forward with revoking Cotton State Barns' business license.
  • Several resolutions were placed on the consent calendar, including purchase orders for electric vehicle charger maintenance, law enforcement upfits, cruise terminal equipment, drainage vegetation removal, fire equipment, paramedic courses, and defibrillator maintenance.
  • Funds for the Africa Town Welcome Center design contract were authorized.
  • A one-time lump sum payment of $2 per month of service for eligible Mobile Transit Authority retirees was authorized under state legislation.

Meeting Transcript

Mr. President. Yes. As far as this request, I'm having a hard time a little bit on this. Obviously, heard a lot from the neighbors on about three neighborhoods right around there. At this point in time, I from my understanding of what's occurring here is there's no real plan or you know, no real need to take this to a B1 at this point in time. Um, I kind of consider this a little bit of speculative zoning. So um I'm just want to note that I'm I'm not in favor of this one. Still the public hearing, so we just still have to plumb hearing and vote next week. Okay. Madam Clerk. Presentation of petitions and other communications to the council, Sue Saviac, um, tourism in mobile, apostle valuing agreement, request revocation of cotton state barns business license due to consumer fraud. Ordinance is held over 64028, consider the proposed rezoning of the property located at 2609 2026 51 Spring Hill Avenue, 152, 157, 159, Mobile Street, and 144 Highland Avenue from R1 and B3 to B1. Ms. President. Yes, Mr. Perry. Yeah, this is this uh property they're owned by uh Covenant Presbyterian Church. Um they provide a lot of services to the city. They're gonna be establishing a parking lot um to their their growing church, growing ministry in district one. Um so um and then they're gonna be um also uh renovating on their building. Thank you, Mr. President. Okay. 640 come back to the um at the bottom in my district on Moffat Road. Sorry, what? She haven't read them yet. Oh, I thought you went through more. Okay, never mind. Getting ahead of things. 64029 considered a rezoning of property located at 4630, 4749, 60 Dauphin Island Parkway from B3 to B3 to remove previous conditional rezoning. That's fine. 64030 and 031 are the applications for rezoning property located at 5101 Moffat Road from B2 to B3 and 5361 Myffort Road from R1 to B3. Vice versa. These are these are mine. Um, on both of these, the first one is um going from a B2 to a B3. Um, it's on a fairly short piece of land there. If you're familiar at all with that, it in between Moffat Road and Overlook. And there will be no buffers on this, and there is a residential area to the south. There are some residents back in there who I've spoken with, and they are not in favor of going from a B2 to a B3. The whole idea of a B3 is just really something that bothers them. I do understand that the um property owner is cleaning up the lot, which is good news. However, taking it to a B3 is something that is just not appropriate for that area. On the second one, um, going from a R1 to a B3 is even less appropriate. Um, this particular parcel sits right in the middle of single family homes. There's a new subdivision that has been approved right next door. And while a different zoning might be more appropriate, like a B1, we can't make that change. If that's something that the applicant wants to do, she has to start over with this whole process. Um, going forward, and I've talked to Shayla a little bit about some of these things. We need to better explain to people when they come to the city looking for answers as to what they need to do for a zoning change.

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