Birmingham City Council has approved a zoning change clearing the way for a new Boys & Girls Club at 1259 Huffman Road, a 4.5-acre vacant lot that will be rezoned from single-family residential to neighborhood commercial. The vote caps weeks of debate over a site some neighbors say sat empty for decades for good reason, while supporters cast it as a long-overdue investment for East Birmingham kids.
The council's decision, reported by WBMA, allows the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Alabama, which owns the property, to move forward with a center designed to serve about 50 young people. Tosh Design LLC filed the rezoning application on the club's behalf, and the property shifts from D-3 single-family residential to C-1 neighborhood commercial zoning to accommodate the project.
Plans call for roughly 7,500 square feet of indoor space along with outdoor basketball and pickleball courts and a separate drop-off area near the entrance, according to al.com. The facility would run Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., hosting after-school, weekend and summer programming rather than operating as a standard daytime center.
Programming Aims at Academics and Job Skills
Organizers have outlined a broad slate of offerings, including academic enrichment, financial literacy, GED preparation, life skills, goal setting and youth leadership, per the same account. The club also plans workforce development programming for young adults, with potential offerings such as CDL training through a partnership with Jefferson State, along with STEAM activities, esports and podcasting.
District representative Clinton Woods said students could travel directly from school to the center and keep learning while their parents are still at work. Woods also acknowledged that the project's timeline remains uncertain even with the zoning hurdle cleared, the report notes.
Split Decisions From Local Boards
Support for the project has not been unanimous among the panels that reviewed it. The Spring Lake Neighborhood Association backed the zoning change by a 7-0 vote at an Aug. 13 meeting, and the Planning and Zoning Committee ultimately recommended approval unanimously. But the Zoning Advisory Committee had voted 3-1 against the rezoning request on Sept. 1, with just one member in favor.
Three adjacent property owners raised concerns about noise and traffic tied to the new facility. One neighbor said the property may have previously been used as a landfill and natural gas pumping station, though the same neighbor said they were unsure whether the pumping station was still active. That neighbor also questioned whether children should be playing on the ground there, and raised separate concerns about lighting and home values, arguing the site had sat vacant for 70 or more years for a reason.
Developer Points to Buffering and Site Conditions
Jeff Tosh described the property as a perfect location for the club, saying its acreage would give the project room to buffer noise from surrounding homes. Tosh said he was unaware of any environmental concerns tied to the site, and added that the project team would complete whatever due diligence is needed to ensure the site is safe.
City zoning staff outlined a list of conditions the project must meet before construction can proceed. The proposed building could be moved farther back from the street, with parking and recreation areas placed behind it, and the site plan must show the dumpster moved and screened and the property consolidated into a single lot. Staff also said the project needs landscape buffers and screening, additional street trees along Huffman Road, and a resolution for parking currently shown in the front yard.
Front-yard fencing is capped at 8 feet and cannot be chain link under the conditions, and new construction on the site will require stormwater permits. City officials characterized the rezoning approval as clearing just one step in a longer process, with design and permitting work still ahead.
The Boys & Girls Club hopes to be positioned to break ground in four to five months, though Woods cautioned that the overall timeline is still uncertain. The project remains in an early design phase, and a construction budget has not yet been established.
