Council hears update on downtown master plan public feedback

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The Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham presented feedback they have received from Homewood residents so far, as part of the "Heart of Homewood" master planning process for the downtown area, at tonight's city council planning and development committee meeting.

Lindsay Puckett of the RPCGB said there have been more than 3,000 unique visitors on the Heart of Homewood website since the master planning began in September 2017. Additionally, there were 460 respondents to their visioning survey in the fall, 225 people who submitted comments via their online interactive map and two public forums.

There is also a visual preferences survey open through the end of the month on the Heart of Homewood website, which you can take here. The survey asks residents to rate the types of developments they would like to see, such as multi-use or townhomes, and choose between sample pictures of what those types of developments would look like. The pictures are not associated with definite plans for the area, but rather are representations that will help the committee gauge what residents do and do not want to see.

The downtown area being studied for the master plan includes businesses from Rosedale Drive and Vulcan Park on the north side to Oxmoor Road on the south, with U.S. 31 and Central Avenue as the eastern and western borders, respectively.

Puckett said she found the following results from public feedback so far:

  • Green Space: From a pocket park to landscaping on 18th Street and in front of Rosewood Hall, Puckett said residents want to see more trees and greenery around downtown and the main travel corridors. Residents also mentioned improvements along Griffin Creek, including the possibility of a sidewalk or greenway connecting Central Park and Spring Park.
  • Facade improvements: Puckett said she has talked with business owners along 18th Street, many of whom would be interested in partnering with the city to make improvements to the appearance of their storefronts.
  • Mixed Use: Live/work developments on Linden Avenue and Central Avenue and other mixed-use developments on 18th Street near Rosedale were a popular item on the wishlist for survey and public forum participants.
  • Pedestrian and bike access: Additional bike lanes and sidewalks were popular among residents who responded to Heart of Homewood questions, as well as turning Reese Street into a one-way road and improvements to the tunnel under U.S. 31 near Oxmoor Road for safety and lighting.
  • Parking and additional signs directing visitors throughout the downtown area, including to encourage use of the underground parking deck, which a summer 2017 parking study showed was underutilized.

Puckett said the survey that is currently open will be the first of three to "get a little bit deeper feedback” on what residents want to see. About 350 people have already taken the visual preferences survey, she said. More public meetings will also be organized.

The Heart of Homewood committee intends to draft an initial master plan from March to June, with adoption of the final plan and beginning of the zoning update process by September. The timeline projects drafting the zoning update by November, with public adoption and approval in December.

While making Reese Street a one-way road came up in the Heart of Homewood process, the city council has also been considering it. At tonight's city council meeting, council members voted to fund up to $4,000 for Skipper Consulting to study how traffic would be affected by making Reese Street one-way from Central Avenue to Linden Avenue, especially after recent traffic pattern changes on Central.

There were concerns about the possibility of cars cutting through the parking lot that serves Little Donkey in order to get around the one-way restriction, as well as afternoon traffic flow. However, turning the road into a one-way would potentially increase pedestrian access and add a small amount of parking.

Council members noted several important upcoming dates:

  • Jan. 29: The planning and development committee will hear the results of a study on pedestrian traffic on the Hollywood Boulevard Bridge. An agenda with the time of the meeting, which will be on the second story of Rosewood Hall, will be posted online at homewoodal.net.
  • Feb. 1, 6:30 p.m.: There will be a public meeting at the Lee Center to present plans for improvements in Spring Park.
  • Feb. 12: 5 p.m.: The council will hold a work session regarding sidewalk priorities for 2018 and upcoming years, as well as the possibility of using some funds from the city's $110 million bond issue to pay for sidewalk projects.
  • Feb. 28: Applications are due in the city clerk's office for anyone interested in filling the Ward 1 Library Board seat or the Ward 5 Homewood Environmental Commission seat.

The council also:

  • Continued a hearing for condemning 2516 17th St. S. until Feb. 12. City inspections official Wyatt Pugh said the homeowner has done extensive demolition and is "actively moving forward" with addressing the problems that had made the council consider condemnation. He has been given additional time to continue improvements.
  • Continued another home condemnation hearing, this one for 1613 25th Court S., until Jan. 29. The homeowners had previously said they were waiting on a judge's ruling about the home, which was part of an inheritance, before making improvements, but Pugh said he has not heard from them recently and the house appears "virtually untouched."
  • Approved a six-foot wood privacy front yard fence and a row of tea olive hedges at 1012 Melrose Place, with Ward 4 Representative Barry Smith voting against the measure. The homeowners have agreed that the hedges will be planted far enough away from their property line that the hedges will not encroach on their neighbors even at full maturity.
  • Approved a beer and wine license for Caveat Coffee – pending approval from the fire and police departments. Caveat is the project of Real and Rosemary owner Jennifer Mims.
  • Approved contracts with Prescott House, West Homewood Neighborhood Association and the Assistance League's Operation Schoolbell for the fiscal year.
  • Set Feb. 12 sign variance public hearings for 1831 28th Street S. and 209 Lakeshore Parkway.
  • Announced that Shades Creek Greenway is now listed as an Alabama Birding Trail.
  • Asked the finance committee to reconsider a three-year WAN contract for the city, which would provide phone and fiber internet services for 12 city buildings, including fire stations. The $11,999/month price tag caused concern among some council members.
  • Dropped a proposal from Volatile Analysis for ongoing monitoring of odor issues in West Homewood, which would cost about $2,000 per month. Since the area has not had an odor issue since November and the businesses that were at the root of the issue have agreed to more rigorous inspection and maintenance, the council did not feel this expenditure was necessary.
  • Dropped a public hearing to consider condemning 2531 18th Place S., as the agenda item was not publicly noticed for the legally-required amount of time. A new hearing date will be chosen and new notices issued.
  • Dropped a request from ServisFirst for $8,200 for landscaping.