City Council to take up ordinance on short-term rentals
BW Recommends is a rundown of stories you might have missed this week. It offers insight into issues important to our area and sometimes tickles your curiosity. Soon we’ll be offering Recommends via email. Sign up here to receive it. You can also sign up for The WeeklyWatch, the stories we’ve published over the previous seven days, and Monday Morning Watch, a roundup of public meetings scheduled for that week. Your support helps us grow and sustain a newsroom for the City Built to Change the South. Donate today to help Birmingham stay informed. Birmingham moves closer to regulating short-term rentals (WBHM) Birmingham is moving closer to regulating short-term rentals, such as Airbnb or Vrbo, but city leaders still have questions about where those properties should be allowed and how repeat violations would be handled. The City Council is scheduled to take up an ordinance on Oct. 27 that would create a permitting system for short-term rentals, but it does not address zoning for the rentals. Birmingham mayor says wife has no involvement in massive data center property sale (AL.com) Kendra Woodfin, the wife of Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and the founder and broker for Iron City Premier Realty, was named in a proposed subpoena for records in a lawsuit brought by residents trying to stop the Nebius data center. Woodfin says her company was not involved with the deal. A judge will hear objections to the proposed subpoenas Monday. The Summit sells for $508M to out of state firm (Bham Now) The Summit, Birmingham’s largest retail destination, has been acquired for $508 million by Maryland-based Federal Realty Investment Trust. Purchased from its original local owner Bayer Properties, the 100-acre, 870,000-square-foot open-air property is the most-visited retail destination in Alabama, drawing nearly 9 million visits annually. Gov. Kay Ivey dismisses five members of Alabama Public Television governing board (Alabama Reflector) Gov. Kay Ivey dismissed five of the Alabama
