The Birmingham City Council has approved a zoning change that will allow real estate mogul George Barber to build an 80 ft. condominium complex on top of Red Mountain. Councilor Valerie Abbott cast the only vote against the proposal. Councilors Roderick Royal, Maxine Parker, Miriam Witherspoon, Carole Smitherman, Carol Duncan and William Bell voted for it.

The Redmont neighborhood fiercely opposed the rezoning, with more than two dozen opponents attending the meeting, many speaking against the proposal.

The council rejected a nearly identical proposal, named “the Crest”, from the Barber Companies last year. Since then, the developer has removed a gated entrance and created a turnaround on the site, which will be private. However, neighborhood leaders argued the changes were not enough.

“An architect has not touched these plans in more than two years,” Don Long, a Redmont resident, said.

The change of heart from the city council follows intense support for the Crest project from the Citizens Advisory Board. In a failed campaign for the state legislature last year, CAB President Emanuel Ford received substantial contributions from George Barber, Barber Companies employees and political action committees affiliated with Barber Companies.