Master planning committee presents draft of goals for downtown
At the first of two open houses Thursday, the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham and Heart of Homewood master planning committee presented a draft of their goals and plans for the downtown area. Residents also had the chance to vote on specifics of everything from green space to crosswalk styles.
The Heart of Homewood committee has been gathering public input in meetings and surveys since September 2016. The results presented Thursday included a draft map of the downtown area, showing locations of bike lanes, sidewalks, green space and both mixed-use and retail development.
There was also a "Top 10 Community Desires" list that included:
- Improved walkability/pedestrian safety
- Extend the bicycle network
- Address traffic issues downtown
- Streetscape beautification
- Additional shade/landscaping downtown
- Street amenities and gathering places
- Improve parking availability
- Create a greener downtown
- Encourage a mix of uses downtown
- Establish design standards and guidelines unique to Homewood
RPC Principal Planner Lindsay Puckett said this draft map was heavily informed by the feedback from Homewood residents. That feedback included a preference for mixed use development, improvements to storefront facades and streetscapes on 18th Street South, bike lanes and crosswalks on Oxmoor Road, live/work development around Reese Street and improvements to the congested intersection of 18th Street South and 28th Street South.
She also described what residents don't want.
"People are saying they don't want to see anything higher than four stories," Puckett said.
She added that the proposed idea of making Reese Street a one-way road was unpopular with residents.
Greenery has been a major part of the downtown master planning process since its inception. Puckett noted strong citizen support for landscaping to "soften" the plaza in front of City Hall, a pocket park and a greenway connecting Central Park and Spring Park near Griffin Creek.
Betsy McGuire, who has been one of the leaders of the Greenspace Initiative, said she liked the clarity that the draft map provides, and public feedback shows a clear interest in creating a pocket park at the current police headquarters site once the new headquarters is built.
McGuire also said she likes the idea of creating branding for Homewood to distinguish it from other cities in the Birmingham metro and market its commercial and residential qualities.
"I think if we can get a plan and live by it, it will make a better community," McGuire said.
Branding and new signs are part of the Heart of Homewood's goals, Puckett said, both as a way to market the city and to draw attention to underutilized sites like the parking deck under City Hall.
The town hall included the chance for residents to "vote" – via stickers – on their preferred types of sidewalks, crosswalks, signs, trees and more. Attendees could also choose between several action steps for each of the major goals, such as establishing design guidelines versus establishing an architectural review board or requiring street-facing designs for any new development.
There is a second open house Thursday night, 5:30 - 7 p.m. on the second floor of Rosewood Hall.
Puckett said the next step for the Heart of Homewood committee will be drafting the final downtown master plan, which she hopes to present to the public in June at the Homewood Chamber of Commerce luncheon. After that, the committee will gather more public input to refine the final version of the master plan, Puckett said, to present it to the City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission for approval.
Once the master plan is approved, Puckett said the city will then begin the process of updating its zoning ordinance and signs to match the guidelines of the master plan.
Track the progress of the master plan and see community feedback at heartofhomewoodplan.com.