
Photo by Matthew Allen.
Vestavia Hills Motor Lodge demolition
Another Waffle House may soon be coming to lower U.S. 31 in Vestavia Hills.
According to a recent planning and zoning commission agenda, Waffle House is seeking to build a new restaurant on the old Motor Lodge property owned by Larry Maddox, but an agreement to forgive half of a lien placed on the property must first be approved this coming Monday night.
Maddox has reached a tentative agreement with the city regarding the property, which has recently been used for temporary businesses, including food trucks. In exchange for waiving half of the $75,000 lien placed on the property, incurred when the Motor Lodge was razed, Maddox agreed verbally at a recent work session to not allow temporary businesses to be at the other lot. Only brick-and-motor businesses may be located there. The waiving of the lien is expected to help Maddox sell the property to Waffle House.
The existing Waffle House on Columbiana Road will remain open, giving the city two of the restaurants in a one-mile radius. The Waffle House just past Interstate 65 in Hoover has closed.
The Vestavia Hills City Council is expected to vote on the agreement with Maddox at the January 13 meeting. The deal between Maddox and Waffle House has not been finalized.