Residents argue over multifamily housing in master plan draft Some residents have pushed back against a recommendation from the Birmingham Planning Board that multifamily housing developments be added to the 2040 master plan. Photo by Tiffany Esshaki Advertisement BIRMINGHAM During a virtual meeting Feb. 10, the Birmingham Planning Board reviewed elements of the first draft of the city’s new proposed master plan. While several items were mentioned, including a new neighborhood organization system and a revisit of some speed limits on residential streets, there was really one aspect of the plan community members focused on: multifamily housing. Included in the board’s recommendations is a zhuzh to future land use designations downtown, in the Triangle District and at the edge of some neighborhoods that would allow, potentially, for more multifamily housing developments.