By Nathan Prewett
HOOVER – At a meeting on Monday, Oct. 16th, the Hoover City Council hired the Waymaker Group from Texas to plan for a “reimagining” of Meadowbrook Corporate Park as an innovation district according to the city’s Comprehensive Plan.
Innovation districts are typically areas that group different businesses that often involve incubators, startups, established companies and others. The Hoover City Council approved paying $150,000 to Waymaker Group for their consultation services.
These services will include three phases: the Innovation District Feasibility and Strategic Vision, Innovation Asset Assessment and the Physical Redevelopment and Connectivity Plan.
The first phase will have the firm review existing strategic plans from the local, state and regional level to get an understanding of the “historical vision and geographical context” of the project. This also involves interviews with stakeholders for their ideas and then making narrative and value propositions.
In the second phase, Waymaker will analyze the city’s assets in order to find out what will make the project feasible to carry out and then make strategic recommendations. In the third phase, they will review the construction of buildings for an innovation district.
“This analysis will provide insight about the region’s absorption and lease rate trends and lay the groundwork for a comprehensive real estate strategy in future phases,” says an overview of the firm’s plans in the agenda packet.
Additionally, the council authorized a $40,400.00 professional service agreement with KPS Group to draw up architectural plans for the coming project. The group will hold a kickoff meeting to discuss goals before moving on to prospective areas to build in. They will look at Highway 31, Lorna Road and Bluff Park Districts as potential locations.
KPS will also hold three “focus group” meetings in January and February of 2024 to gain input from developers and property owners to share comments about the impact of the district.
More details about the firm’s plans can be found in the packet section of the Oct. 16 agenda online here.
In other business the council:
- Granted an alcohol license for Eagles Investments Hoover doing business as Chevron Hoover,
- Granted an alcohol license for Lal Maharaj Hoover doing business as Raceway,
- Granted an alcohol license for US Hospitality doing business as Saffron,
- Authorized a $13,000 service agreement with the Hoover Arts Foundation,
- Authorized a $5,000 service agreement with the Hoover Belles,
- Authorized a $30,000 service agreement with Hoover Helps,
- Authorized a $4,000 service agreement with the Hoover Historical Society,
- Authorized a $5,000 service agreement with the Hoover Service Club,
- Renewed an agreement with Knox Pest Control for pest control at various municipal properties,
- Authorized a $15,700 service agreement with the Miss Hoover Foundation,
- Authorized a $83,610 transit service agreement with Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority,
- Authorized an agreement with Pileum Corporation to implement the Fusus system,
- Authorized a health services agreement with QCHC, Inc. to provide inmate healthcare at the municipal jail,
- Authorized a $10,000 agreement with the Hoover City Schools Foundation,
- Authorized a $15,000 service agreement with the Robert O. Finley Character Foundation,
- Amended the Cahaba Pointe Planned Unit Development to delete Section 7.2 of Exhibit F,
- Approved repealing a section of the municipal city code on street-cutting and ROW disturbances,
- Declared properties on Tyler Lane and Greenville Road to be nuisances and ordered their abatements, and
- Annexed a property on Bridgewater Park Drive into the city.
Hoover City Council meets on the first and third Mondays of every month at City Hall on 100 Municipal Lane. Livestream recordings can be found on the city’s YouTube channel.
