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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Jay Grinney speaks to the Mountain Brook City Council on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, about a house that has been under construction on Overhill Road for more than five years.
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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Mountain Brook City Manager Sam Gaston at the Mountain Brook City Council meeting on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023.
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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Mountain Brook Council President Virginia Smith at a council meeting on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023.
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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Mountain Brook Councilman Billy Pritchard at the Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, council meeting.
Residents near a multimillion-dollar Mountain Brook residence made it very clear Monday night they are not happy with construction that has dragged on for more than five years.
“I'm here today is to get an answer to a question, which is, ‘What is the City of Mountain Brook going to do to compel the completion of this project?’” Jay Grinney asked. “Simple question.”
Grinney lives across the street from 3180 Overhill Road, a property valued at more than $6 million in what is called old Mountain Brook.
“There are some very nice homes with a lot of character,” City Manager Sam Gaston said of the area. “They've been frustrated about it not being completed over this long period of time. The house is pretty well dried in, but there's a lot of work yet still to be done inside. However, they are making progress, and right now (under) our current regulations, they're operating within their legal rights.”
Grinney and others from the area said the owner of the property is taking advantage of the city, which should revoke the building license for inactivity. Council President Virginia Smith cited a list of conditions – including the lack of dilapidation or deterioration, the mechanical HVAC and roughed-in plumbing being in place and having all bonds secured – that demonstrate that the owner of the property is acting in a legal manner.
“Work is being done in accordance with all city ordinances,” she said. “To actually answer your first question – Can we force him, can we compel him to complete this project in a timely manner? – we cannot. He's acting in accordance with our laws. If you think he is teasing us, the city … "
“He’s playing you,” Grinney interrupted.
“Then perhaps he is,” Smith said. “But he is still acting in accordance with the law.”
Councilman Billy Pritchard volunteered to step in.
“I would like to follow through on that question,” he said. “I'm happy to get involved with and look at what we have and see if there's something that can done.”
Grinney said it is “disappointing” that it has taken this long to find a receptive ear. “But I'm grateful, Billy, I'm really grateful. I hope that you will, I hope, look beyond just Mountain Brook and say, OK, what do other cities do? What are other communities that want to protect the integrity and the quality of life, what are they going to do?”
In other action Monday, the council:
- Presented a proclamation to Charles Robinson and Dany Hollingsworth of the Hollingsworth Colorectal Awareness Foundation in recognition of Colorectal Cancer Awareness.
- Hired Organizational Architecture to do a comprehensive study of O’Neal Library
- Ratified a third change order concerning the Caldwell Mill Road Bridge project
- Amended its retainer structure for the law firm of Bishop Colvin.
- Agreed to hire Enviro Management Co. to upgrade buildings and on-site sanitary sewer at Mountain Brook High School.
- Authorized the sale or disposal of certain surplus property
- Agreed to buy a Ford F250 from Sunny King Ford for use by the Mountain Brook Fire Department
- Agreed to pay the Mountain Brook Board of Education $70,000 for the construction of pickleball courts
- Granted the right of way and sewer easement for a Crestline Elementary gymnasium project
- Set a public hearing for 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 30, on a request to rezone property from a Residence B district to a Planned Unit Development district at 2305 Montevallo Road
The next regular meeting of the City Council will be 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13.
