Although ODWA doesn't take sides in elections, we do make our voice heard when issues involving zoning, historical preservation, and our neighborhood come before government bodies..
If you get wind of an issue or wish to respond to one you see it here, let us know.
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Councilman Carroll promises revisions in proposal (June 6)
At the May 5 MHDC meeting, Councilman Carroll announced he would not bring up his changes
to the Architectural Review Board up to the City Council for four weeks.
Carroll's plan would replace the six at large members appointed by the Mobile Historic
Development Commission with members appointed by individual City Council members
- a move which alarmed many in the historic districts.
At the May 8 ODWA board meeting, Mr. Carroll complained that his proposal was unconnected to the 805 Church Street incident as suggested by the Mobile Register,but was his effort to bring Mobile's ARB more in line with other large cities such as Charleston.in order to refer appeals to judges instead of the City Council. Mr. Carroll promised language in his proposal which would authorize neighborhood organizations to nominate ARB members to the council members.
Read Councilman Carroll's proposal. (First version) As soon as we receive his promised revision, it will be posted.
Related: From the Mobile Register
By DAN MURTAUGH Staff Reporter
Mobile City Council members on Tuesday said they would oust six of the 11 members of their Architectural Review Board and adopt new rules to give council members more discretion when choosing the replacements.
The reorganization of the review board, which regulates the thousands of buildings in the city's historic districts, comes after a handful of high-profile complaints about its rulings in recent months.
Full article at:
The Church Street East Incident - Diary of an Eyesore
In November of 2007, Mobile's Architectural Review Board
found that the work done on on this building was "not done
in accordance" with the approved plans submitted to the
board and found the owner in violation.
At the March 19 ARB meeting,, Flo Kessler, Mobile's Chief Assistant
City Attourney, presented a "compromise" that she initiated in
concert with Councilman Carroll who warned that the City Council
would not back the board's position and that overturning their ruling
would result in "a long-term negative impact on the ARB."
At the March 25, City Council Meeting, Mr. Carroll made a motion to
ignore the ARB ruling and grant the appeal with the following conditions:
(1) that the color of the metal building be painted dark brown; (2) that the trees be planted in correlation to the existing ordinance; (3) that the curb cut be removed out front and landscaping be in correlation with the ordinance; (4) that they comply with the landscape ordinances when it comes to the parking lot surface; and (5) that the balcony be painted the color of the building that is there..
According to its web site, a John Peebles, is a corporate sponsor of the Historic Mobile Preservation Society.
Sources:
An Open Letter From Our President Tom Andrews
Dear Members and Residents of Old Dauphin Way,
The temperature is rising and the kids are out of school which means that the 6th Annual ODWA Summertime Wine Tasting and Silent Auction is just around the corner! This popular event will be held on Thursday, July 24th, 2008 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. As in years past, we want to thank all of those who support us in producing this fun event, especially Janine Stebbins who opens her wonderful home, Blacksher Hall, to us; Glenn Toney of The Wine Source, who is providing the wines we will we sampling; and Taste! Wine Shoppes for their strong support of our programs. Tickets will be on sale by the time this newsletter reaches you and w ill be again priced at $15.00 per ticket with a discounted price of 2 for $25.00 until the day of the event.
Have you paid your 2008 Membership dues? Has your neighbor? Currently we have fewer than 100 paid members on our rolls for 2008! There are approximately 15,000 structures
in the District, the majority of which are residential. Membership dues help to defray the cost of our mailings such as this newsletter and General Meeting not ices, among other things. ODWA membership dues are an incredibly affordable $10.00 for an indiv idual or Family and $25.00 for a business! ODWA is the District’s voice in Mobile… a voice that becomes stronger with every individual and business that j oins us! Help us, YOUR organization of the Old Dauphinway Historic District, to become stronger. With the many and rapid changes occurring in our growing city the strength and vitality of your Historic Association becomes all the more important to help ensure that the quality of life and integrity of the district are preserved du ing this exciting time for our city. Currently, the City of Mobile is looking for stories about what makes Mobile a special place to live, particularly the area east of Houston Street. If you have stories about what makes growing up and living in Mobile special they want to hear from you! To submit a story, go to www.odwa.org and click the link on our home page. Stories are limited to 500 words or less and should be related to the area from the waterfront to around Houston Street. This is in conjunction with the ‘New Plan for Mobile’ project.
We will currently have a limited number of our new ODWA T-shirts available for sale. If you need an extra large or a small, we have you covered right now. Additional sizes are on order
and will be in stock in time for the wine tasting! Shirts are $10.00 for small through extra-large, extended sizes are $12.00. It’s what the well-dressed Mid-town resident will be wearing this summer, so be sure to get yours while they are available!
Other events being planned for this year include our Christmas Tour of Homes and our first Old Dauphin Way Fall Festival, a street fair which will bring together local artists and
other entertainment for a day in a hidden corner of our district.
We are able to bring you these great opportunities to come together for an enjoyable time with others in your community only through the hard work and efforts of the Board and volunteers of the Old Dauphin Way Association. We are always looking for individuals who would like to join with us and assist us with our various endeavors. One areas
of greatest need right now are in publicity and fundraising. If you have experience in developing and maintaining a network of media through which we can disseminate information about
events in our District please use the link under the contact information on our home page at www.odwa.org or join us at our next General Meeting. We look for ward to hearing from you!
- Tom Andrews
ODWA President
