Gardendale council amends zoning laws to handle outdoor merchandise displays

Published 12:15 pm Tuesday, October 21, 2014

An ordinance passed by the Gardendale City Council will fix a problem that wasn’t considered when the city’s new zoning ordinances were enacted last year.

The amendment to the zoning laws, which was approved unanimously in Monday’s regular council session, regulates how long a business may place merchandise for sale in an outdoor area that isn’t fenced off as a storage area.

The change was specifically aimed at the new Tractor Supply Company store that’s proposed for Decatur Highway in north Gardendale. TSC, which caters to rural customers, frequently has outdoor sales promotions and also has an area outside its stores for outdoor equipment.

That aspect of the store is one that neighbors along Vann Drive, which runs behind the store site parallel to Decatur Highway, have complained about.

The amended ordinance prevents businesses from outdoor displays of merchandise, such as sidewalk sales, that last longer than 48 consecutive hours. Existing stores are grandfathered into the previous regulations.

Councilman Alvin Currington said that these types of outdoor displays simply “slipped through” when the zoning regulations were completely overhauled.

“The regulations came from many, many years ago when no stores did that,” Currington said. “We’ve had two or three things that we’ve overlooked. It’s [the zoning laws] a living document.”

The council also approved a contract with Employment Screening Services to conduct background checks on coaches and volunteers for Gardendale’s youth sports programs. The need for such screenings had been discussed over several previous council work sessions.

Catherine Davis also told the council that a search was underway for a new chamber of commerce director. Amee Donald left that post to become the new executive administrative assistant for the Gardendale City Schools.

Davis also said that the city’s annual veterans’ remembrance will be held Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Park next to Captain D’s.