A proposed rezoning that would allow the historic Renfro-Andrus House to become a bed and breakfast has been disapproved by the council, but there is another potential path for the plans to move forward.
At Tuesday’s city council meeting, the council unanimously voted against an ordinance that would rezone the property that the Renfro House sits on from a low-density residential district to an institutional district. The council’s decision to vote against that ordinance came in part because there is a text amendment currently working through the Opelika Planning Commission that would allow bed and breakfasts in residential districts through a conditional use approval process.
The council voted 4-0, Councilwoman and President Pro-Tempore Erica Baker Norris was not present.
People are also reading…
The ordinance that the council voted against on Tuesday was for the rezoning of the zoning ordinance and map of 1.24 acres at 414 North 10th Street from an R-2 district(Low-Density Residential District) to a I-1 district (Institutional District). If approved, it would have made way for plans by Allison and Aaron Kovak and Johnathan Wilmarth to turn the Renfro House into a bed and breakfast.
“If we’ve got a text amendment for an R-2, then common sense would be we would turn this down to keep it an R-2,” Ward 5 Councilman Todd Rauch said. “Changing this to institutional would then also open up that other can of worms we’ve been worried about.”
The item had been on the table since a March 5 meeting, after a public hearing saw several citizens voice their opposition to a bed and breakfast. Additionally, some citizens were worried that rezoning to an institutional district would allow for different businesses to take over the property if the bed and breakfast failed, which Rauch referred to as a can of worms.
Ward 3 Councilman Tim Aja said on Tuesday that there was a meeting to discuss the potential text amendment. Aja explained that the meeting was held to discuss the possibility of amending the zoning ordinance for certain R zone to allow for bed and breakfasts through a conditional use approval process. Aja said it would not be an automatic use as the amendment would still require some approval.
Aja provided an example to explain the process if implemented. He said if someone was looking to turn a farmhouse in the R-1 district into a bed and breakfast, they would need a conditional use approved by the Opelika Planning Commission before being able to move forward .
Aja said that the meeting also saw discussions on putting an age restriction so the houses have to be a certain number of years old, limiting the event aspect of bed and breakfasts and more.
“The people at the meeting did not want to have events hosted for the most part, and that was definitely a majority. I’m personally still unconvinced that hosting events are an issue,” Aja said. “I think that bed and breakfasts currently in town do a great job hosting events.”
Aja said there were around 34 people at the meeting, and of those, about 30 were against the amendment and did not want a bed and breakfast allowed anywhere outside its currently allowed commercial, zoning and institutional districts.
What is next for the Renfro House
Aja said that as his understanding of the situation was that the text amendment will go through the Opelika Planning Commission.
The item is on the planning commission’s April 23 agenda for a public hearing to consider a recommendation to the council on proposed text amendments to the zoning ordinance regarding bed and breakfast uses. According to the planning commission’s March 26 agenda packet, the amendment is to amend section 2.2 definitions, amend section 7.3 use categories and add section 8.28.4, bed and breakfast. The item was tabled at the March 26 planning commission meeting.
The meeting is set for Tuesday at 3 p.m. in the council chambers at 300 Martin Luther King Blvd.
Other city council business
The council approved a special appropriation of $5,000 to the American Cancer Society ahead of this year’s Lee County Relay for Life. The event is set for May 3 at 6 p.m. in the Courthouse Square in downtown Opelika. Donations can be made directly to the Lee County Relay for Life website.
Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller was not present at the meeting so Ward 4 Councilman and President Eddie Smith took over for the mayor’s communications. Smith, on behalf of Fuller, proclaimed week of April 22 to April 26, 2024, as “Decades of Hope” Week in the City of Opelika and encouraged citizens to show their support for Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society by placing purple bows on their doors. May 3 was also declared Lee County Relay for Life Day.
According to the proclamation, the American Cancer Society has invested more than $3.1 billion in cancer research since 1991. That research has contributed to the 3.5 million fewer cancer deaths. The Lee County Relay for Life is looking to raise $100,000 for the American Cancer Society.
April 2024 was proclaimed Sexual Assault Awareness Month for the City of Opelika. According to the proclamation, over 53% of women and over 29% of men reported experiencing contact sexual violence in their lifetime.
Jay and Ginger Stern, the founders of the Art Haus, were named the Opelika Character Council Citizens of Excellent Character for the month of April.
“After they both left town and attended college and had careers, they chose to come home and get involved in our community. Involvement has materialized in many ways. Probably the most obvious is the construction, opening and ongoing operations of the Art Haus,” Smith said.
The Art Haus is located at 500 N Railroad Ave. in Opelika.
The council approved a special appropriation of $2,500 to Keep Opelika Beautiful for the organization’s Garden in the Park event.
The council approved an agreement with Sain Associates, Inc. for the professional engineering services regarding the intersection improvements planned at Gateway Drive and Frederick Road. The services include right-of-way survey, environmental document and project engineering recording, roadway construction plans, traffic signal plans and utility coordination and more. Sain will receive $306,000 from the City of Opelika for the work.
The council approved the following funding agreements:
- $300,000 for East Alabama Healthcare Authority for the new mental health facility
- $100,000 for Mercy Medical Ministry for a new clinic in Opelika
- $100,000 for the Food Bank of East Alabama for the new community market that will be built on 1st Avenue
The council approved the following downtown street closures:
- Opelika Songwriters Festival on May 17
- Heritage House event on June 8
- A USA Cycling social event on June 15
