On Nov. 3, the Homewood Planning Commission voted 6-1 in favor of Samford University’s proposal to expand parking along Shelburne Lane, advancing the project to the Homewood City Council for final approval.
The proposed development will be located behind Greek Village on the north side of campus, and would extend the existing Shelburne Lane roadway to add a parking area containing approximately 280 spaces.
According to Samford President Dr. Beck Taylor, the expansion would address growing parking demands as university enrollment continues to increase.
“These additional parking spaces will significantly increase Samford’s parking capacity for residents, thus freeing up more spaces for commuter students and visitors,” Taylor said.
However, the proposal has raised concerns among Homewood residents living along Saulter Road and Colony Circle, which are adjacent to the proposed project.
During the commission’s public hearing, residents expressed concerns about stormwater runoff, light and noise pollution, traffic and the removal of mature trees separating the neighborhood from campus.
Daniel Carter, a Colony Circle resident whose home sits downhill from the proposed development, emphasized the permanent impact the project could have on surrounding properties.
“New growth that’s planted is lovely, but it doesn’t replace high canopy mature growth,” Carter said. “We’ve lived in this house long enough to have been there longer than most of the people who planned Samford’s campus. They come and go, but this is a permanent structure. This is going to affect us and our house, but also affect whoever buys our house afterwards, and whoever buys it after that.”
Representatives from Samford and the project’s engineering team went over several different solutions intended to address these concerns, including retaining walls, additional landscaping, directional lighting and an underground stormwater detention system designed to reduce runoff rates.
The university also confirmed that the rear campus entrance connecting to Saulter Road would remain restricted to emergency access, with construction and student traffic directed through Lakeshore Drive.
Samford junior Miriam Tate attended the meeting and questioned whether the construction project would affect student tuition.
“I just asked if this would impact tuition at all, because construction usually does,” Tate said.
During the commission’s discussion, university representatives stated that the project would fit within Samford’s existing financial plans and would not increase tuition.
Tate said she appreciated the university’s willingness to address questions from residents and students.
“It was really cool because they were kind of addressing all of the issues that everybody ended up bringing up,” Tate said.
Construction on the new parking lot is anticipated to begin in early spring 2027 and conclude before January 2028.
The proposal now awaits consideration by the Homewood City Council before construction can proceed.
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