City receives easements to build sidewalks for Cahaba Heights project

The city of Vestavia Hills will receive easements from various property owners in the Heights Village area, allowing them to construct sidewalks connecting Heights Village to the back of The Fig Tree restaurant.

The sidewalks are part of a larger project to improve both pedestrian access and landscaping in the area in advance of two new restaurants coming to town. In October 2021, the council approved $47,000 in tax incentives for Miss Astrid’s Tavern, which will be located behind The Fig Tree. The business will receive 50% of sales tax revenues generated from their business for up to six years, or until that amount reaches $47,000.

The tavern will serve alcoholic beverages while using The Fig Tree’s kitchen. In exchange for the rebate, the property owner, Richard Edge, will improve the on-site stormwater structures and improve parking, which will serve not only that property but the entire area. 

Another restaurant and outdoor venue concept is being planned next door, and is being developed by Jared Lewis at Bluwater Properties. Lewis did not return a message and call seeking comment on what that restaurant is, but previously told the Vestavia Voice it was a “fast-casual” concept. Parking and stormwater improvements will also be made at that property.

Those property owners, along with adjacent property owners whose right of way access the city needed, have granted easements to the city, approved at the June 27 City Council meeting. Now, the city can go forward to secure bids for the sidewalk construction, City Manager Jeff Downes told the council.

Edge told the Vestavia Voice now that all of the owners have signed off on easements, he hopes the restaurant will be open by September.

Also at the meeting, the council postponed deciding on whether a homeowner could keep a wall he constructed without a permit on his property on Sunset Drive. While a land disturbance permit was filled out, he constructed the wall without city approval, and water is now being diverted to an adjacent property. The issue was tabled to give the homeowner and an engineer time to come up with a plan to alleviate the problem.

In his report to the council, Downes said the new Civic Center is now set to open between Aug. 1 and 15. While it won’t be fully operational from the start, it won’t take long for city staff to make it so, he said.

In other business, the council approved the repealing and replacing of the city’s zoning code, which mainly updated language.

The council also annexed the following properties into the city: 2644 Yorkmont Drive, 2632 Rillwood Road, 3524 Ridgedale Drive and 3516 Ridgedale Drive. The council also continued the annexation process for 2245 and 2249 Blue Ridge Boulevard into the city, where Taylor Burton’s company is building 25 new townhomes. A final public hearing is set for September.

The meeting was the council’s first since the deadly shooting at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on June 16. Mayor Ashley Curry gave a brief statement at the beginning of the meeting.

“As a community, we’re broken hearted over the recent tragic event at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church,” Curry said. “I know there are many people struggling to recover from that. … As we cope with this tragedy, it’s comforting to see the outpouring of love from our Vestavia Hills residents and people throughout the metro area and the entire state.”

Curry said the hearts of city leaders go out to everyone involved and thanked first responders and medical personnel who responded to the scene.