Residents revive West Homewood Neighborhood Association

A group of Homewood residents has banded together in an effort to bring back the dormant West Homewood Neighborhood Association.

Justin Limbaugh, one of the organizers, said once the neighborhood association is back up and running, he hopes it will help steer West Homewood in the right direction.

“Good things can happen when residents have a say in the process,” said Limbaugh. 

Although the official plans for the group are still in their infancy, Limbaugh said its workings will be more formal than just a group of neighbors meeting together sporadically. The plan is to hold an initial meeting before the end of the year, a public meeting that will serve as an opportunity to discuss the group’s goals, he said. 

Efforts to revive the West Homewood Neighborhood Association come after months of the neighborhood making local headlines. 

In March, Homewood residents initially succeeded when advertising company New Point Outdoor agreed to take down its hotly debated electronic billboard at the intersection of Green Springs Highway and Lakeshore Drive. The excitement, however, didn’t last long — at least not for all of Homewood’s residents. 

Eventually, New Point came to an agreement with the city and the Jefferson County Planning Commission to relocate the sign, but its new home would be in West Homewood.

The neighborhood, nearly as a whole, felt slighted. 

On the cusp of the billboard debate, West Homewood made headlines again when residents and advocates began shining a light on the dark world of prostitution that exists behind the closed doors of Oxmoor Road hotels. 

Cobb Street resident Erik Henninger was part of the initial group of residents who spoke out on the need for change in West Homewood.  

“We need to be proactive about the issues that are affecting our neighborhood,” said Henninger. “Those who are interested in helping to bring about change are encouraged to take part in the association and in its planning.”

To bring about any change, Henninger said the community must be organized in some way. Right now, he said, there are about eight to 10 West Homewood residents who have expressed serious interest in being part of the leadership structure of the association. 

When the group finally meets, Henninger said the first meeting will be about finding its identity.

“We have to define what we want to be about,” he said. “What will our priorities be? How will we accomplish our goals?”

The answers to those questions will be crucial, he said, if the group hopes to be effective. 

“It’s important for the community to have a legitimate voice in the decisions made by our city leaders. We want West Homewood’s reputation to be that we stand up for ourselves.”

Henninger said the group will not be the equivalent of a homeowners’ association. 

“We won’t be marching around measuring people’s grass,” he said. 

As soon as organizing members set a meeting date, Henninger and Limbaugh said they will spread the news and encourage attendance. 

“Our goal will be to build a stronger community, together,” said Henninger.