Courtney Jones said he was surprised when the Birmingham City Council voted on Tuesday to deny a zoning change as part of his plans to create an events center in the East Lake community.

“I was floored, to put it in layman’s terms,” he said in an interview after the meeting.

Jones owns the building at 6900 Second Ave. S., where he hopes to establish Atlas 360, a business hosting weddings, corporate events and private parties.

The project received a unanimous vote from 24 members of the East Lake Neighborhood Association in May 2022.

Jones’ project has been through a series of committee and subcommittee meetings over several months, which have required multiple caveats to Jones’ business plans. For example, to address the concerns of one community member, Jones agreed to limit the types of businesses that could operate at the property if he were to sell it.  He also agreed to change the proposed operating hours and secured use of a neighboring business’ parking lot so that Atlas 360 would have adequate parking spaces.

Jones said he feels like he’s gone above and beyond to address any potential concerns from the community — especially for a building that sat dilapidated for 10 years.

“I’ve been in these meetings off and on for a whole year,” he said. “People come in there with way worse — way more stuff on their plate and they approve it.”

Councilor Valerie Abbott, who chairs the planning and zoning committee, said the main issue concerned public parking spaces at the residential homes neighboring Jones’ property.

“The residents have no defense if people come and park in front of their homes and take up their parking spots,” she said.

Jones said he would have staff at the events center to direct patrons to the nearby parking lot with which he has an agreement and away from the homes. He also said there is public parking along 69th Street.

Abbott said Jones was kind for agreeing to take that extra step but, “Legally, you can’t stop a member of the public from parking on public street parking.”

According to City Planner Tim Gambrel, current zoning ordinances require Jones’ business to have 60 parking spots. Currently the property has 12 and the neighboring parking lot has about 30 spots.

The measure to approve the zoning change from a Contingency Neighborhood Business District designation to Qualified General Commercial District failed by a 5-4 vote. Abbott and councilors Carol Clarke, J.T. Moore, LaTonya Tate and Crystal Smitherman voted no while councilors Hunter Williams, Wardine Alexander, Darrell O’Quinn and Clinton Woods voted yes.

Woods said the vote was disheartening, especially considering the amount of community support Jones has.

“Personally, I put a lot of thought and consideration into how we can build black businesses and how we can work to close the wealth gap and that was very disappointing to see,” he said.

Jones, who is Black, said he will continue to work on the project.

More Business

During Tuesday’s meeting, the council also:

• Approved a contract renewal for E.C. America Inc. to provide project management software for the city’s capital projects department for one to three years at the cost of $142,140.
• Expressed condolences over the recent death of Jill Madajczyk, Birmingham’s chief compliance officer.
• Announced that the city will keep its warming station at the Jimmie Hale Mission open through Thursday night.
• Announced Coffee with a Code Enforcement Officer will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 11 at Don A. Hawkins Recreation Center.
• Heard about the vacancy on the Birmingham Water Works Board. Anyone interested in the position should email Director of Operations and Engagement Kimberly Phillips at kimberly.phillips@bimrnghamal.gov by Jan. 12.