Hours before the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission was scheduled to consider an application for a zoning change that would allow the Islamic Academy of Alabama to relocate to the Meadowbrook Corporate Park, word began to spread of a delay due to the applicant formally requesting a continuance.
Residents of the Meadowbrook neighborhood and surrounding areas have opposed the zoning change due to concerns about traffic and infrastructure, as well as the precedent it would set for future changes in the area.
As recently as November 2024, the city was still exploring options to make the area a tech hub. The city commissioned a $150,000 study from the Waymaker Group, a technology-based economic development specialist, to examine the revitalization of Meadow Brook.
Greg Knighton, the economic development manager for Hoover, who serves on the Planning and Zoning Commission, told The Hoover Sun, "If we want to build on this innovation, there's a real opportunity to take that park to the next level." Nowhere in multiple stories related to the future of Meadow Brook did anyone ever suggest a school as a viable option for what Knighton described as a future "technology ecosystem."
The Change.org petition, which asks the City to deny the Islamic Academy of Alabama's request to relocate from Homewood to Meadowbrook Corporate Park, has gathered almost 1,200 signatures.
The original zoning application submitted in May, which requested the city grant a zoning variance to "convert the existing office building into a school and community center with a playground," was withdrawn only to be resubmitted last month.
SEE: Residents concerned about zoning changes to allow Islamic Academy of Alabama to relocate to Hoover
RELATED: Islamic Academy of Alabama pulls zoning application to relocate to Hoover
Board members for the P&Z Commission include:
- Mike Wood, Chair
- Jennifer Peace, Vice-Chair
- Khristi Driver, Council Liaison
- Greg Knighton
- Jason Lovoy
- Nathan Reed
- Ben Wieseman
- Becky White
- Mike White
The item is now scheduled to come before the commission at their November 3 meeting, which coincides with the night the new city council and mayor are set to be sworn in.
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