City to Study Little San Francisco Neighborhood After Apartment Project is Denied

If a vacant lot in Birmingham's Little San Francisco neighborhood isn't right for apartments, then what kind of development should happen there?

And how should Birmingham treat development projects for properties that aren't quite residential, but they're not quite right for business, either?

Those are the questions the city is looking to answer as part of a new study approved by the Birmingham City Commission.

On Monday night, commissioners voted to amend Birmingham's current contract with LSL Planning, the firm that's currently working to create a South Woodward Corridor Master Plan. 

For an additional $5,500, LSL will now study the neighborhood known to residents as "Little San Francisco," the area wedged between Woodward and Old Woodward and north of Oakland Avenue. Planners will look at what kind of developments are appropriate for the area, particularly the neighborhood's "edge properties," many of which are located across the street from office buildings but only a stone's throw away from private homes.

The issue was first brought to the city's attention when developers from Burton-Katzman sought permission to rezone 404 Park St. — a property located at the corner of Park, Oakland Avenue and Woodward — from residential to general business. 

The firm wanted to redevelop the lot, which has stood vacant since 1989, into six, two-story townhomes facing Oakland Avenue.

However, the project faced stiff opposition from the very beginning, with neighbors worried that the development could change the makeup of their neighborhood. 

In the end, the Birmingham City Commission denied the request to rezone the lot without prejudice in late February. Commissioners were most concerned with the issue of conditional rezoning.

"I think we're jumping ahead with a development that happened to come forward before we're able to to develop what our standards are in this particular area," Commissioner Stuart Sherman said at the time. "(Conditional rezoning) is legal under state law, but that doesn't mean it's right for Birmingham."

Commissioners also directed the Planning Department to study the issue in the short- and long-term, specifically looking at proper zoning for "edge properties," like 404 Park St. 

"Instead of being reactive to a developr's proposal, we want to be proactive and see what the city wants on this property," Planning Director Jana Ecker said. 

What do you think should happen to 404 Park St.? How should Birmingham treat areas that fall between business districts and residential neighborhoods?