Modern Design Clashes With Historic District In Alabama

It took two votes, a month apart, for the owners of a proposed sushi restaurant in Tuscaloosa, Ala., to get the go-ahead from City Hall for the design of their new building.

Back in August, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission gave its nod for the design of Jinsei Sushi, an almost $1.5 million project situated in a historic-district buffer zone across from the University Club. Residents of nearby historic districts appealed the decision to the City Council, upset that the proposed building has a modern look and design that does not reflect the nature of structures in nearby, nationally registered historic districts.

Buffer zones were created to give the commission some say over the design and appearance of the buildings in these areas. Now that the City Council has approved the design, construction can begin on the region’s third Jinsei Sushi. The flagship unit opened in Birmingham in 2006; store No. 2 opened last year in Oxford, Miss.