The Birmingham News will have to wait another two weeks to find out if their plan to tear down their old building for parking will be approved by the design review board.
The person representing the News was extremely detailed in his description of the planned parking lot, focusing on details such as the type of brick to be used along the sidewalk and the 10 feet of grass between the road and the 120 something parking spots. He acknowledged that it was a very sensitive issue and that the News hoped to lessen the loss of the old building with the grandeur of the new building (which is dead sexy in my opinion).
There was a good bit of vocal opposition for the demolition of the old building by a few members of the board, with one of them stating that the News wanted to replace a “landmark with a parking lot”.
Ultimately the vote was tabled until the next meeting (the second Wednesday of next month I believe) because two of the key members of the design review committee were absent (the head of the committee, and the head of the Auburn Urban Design department).
edit: Dre’s on top of the details.
August 23rd, 2006 at 10:56 am
[…] This morning’s Design Review Committee meeting was heavily attended and had a fairly long agenda. 3choBoomer attended the meeting due to a request before the committee concerning a residence. His account of the meeting is available by clicking here. […]
August 23rd, 2006 at 11:14 am
Thanks for the report. I have written to Sam Frazier (the chair) and will write to Cheryl Morgan (from AU:CAUS) to make the case that, insofar as the public has any voice in this decision, the public interest is to preserve and re-use the existing building. I do not know the extent to which that interest is to be heard under the rules and laws guiding the issuance of demolition permits. Certainly the demolition of the Otto Marx Mansion on Highland Avenue is a frightening precedent. But the fact that the City has insisted on preserving Quinlan Castle (built 10 years after the News’ building) is encouraging.
August 23rd, 2006 at 12:19 pm
Could I get the addresses for Frazier and Morgan? I might send them a note too. I’m at cpb at hiwaay dot net. Thanks!
August 23rd, 2006 at 4:37 pm
I’ve started to gather some background on the Design Review Committee for BhamWiki.com. Here’s my first draft. Those with better knowledge or references are invited to correct and expound:
http://www.bhamwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Birmingham_Design_Review_Committee
August 31st, 2006 at 1:37 pm
Although this is not in response to your post, I figured I’d have better luck reaching you here than having you return to my own site to read my response to your most recent comment.
Yes, indeed, Rainier drives a Subaru. There are only so many Rainiers that drive purple/blue cars, after all.
Thanks for your comment and your interest; I hope you’ll come back and keep reading. I’ve added you to my Bloglines and will be keeping up
Cheers,
Glynnis