Photo by Madoline Markham.
18th Street Downtown Shops
Downtown Homewood could soon be under a new master plan.
When it rains on some 18th Street South business owners, it pours.
Due to leaves and other debris from nearby trees, several businesses have experienced flooding and leaks after their roof drains have been clogged in storms. Chip Watts of Watts Realty, along with business owners from Savage's Bakery and a.k.a. Girl Stuff, came to the special issues committee to request a solution regarding trees lining the 18th Street South sidewalks downtown.
Trimming back the trees has not been effective, they said, especially given the number of recent storms. Four Seasons Gallery was recently flooded, and Dee Tipps of a.k.a. recalled an electrical fire due to flooding two years ago, which could have spread to neighboring stores.
Besides the danger, there's also the expense of repeated repairs. Business owners said one possible solution could be to remove the trees and replace them with smaller species, such as crepe myrtles.
“[Flooding] happens almost every storm that we have now in Homewood,” Watts said.
The committee questioned both the cost and potential aesthetic effect of removing the trees, as well as whether it would be possible to replant in the same spots.
Watts said some building tenants have installed secondary drains to help counteract the problem. Ward 2 Representative Vance Moody also suggested wider drains.
The council asked Berkeley Squires of the Parks and Recreation Department to trim the trees again as a temporary solution while they consider long-term fixes. The Homewood Environmental Commission is also going to look into the situation.