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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Homewood Comprehensive Plan
Jody Brant, left, and Tray Ivey, present findings in a meeting seeking public input on Homewood's comprehensive plan on Jan. 28, 2026. Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Homewood Comprehensive Plan
Brian Wright in a meeting seeking public input on Homewood's comprehensive plan on Jan. 28, 2026. Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Homewood Comprehensive Plan
Matt Noonkester in a meeting seeking public input on Homewood's comprehensive plan on Jan. 28, 2026. Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Homewood Comprehensive Plan
Discussions in a meeting seeking public input on Homewood's comprehensive plan on Jan. 28, 2026. Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Homewood Comprehensive Plan
Homewood comprehensive plan project schedule presented in a meeting seeking public input on Homewood's comprehensive plan on Jan. 28, 2026. Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Homewood Comprehensive Plan
Melinda Williams in a meeting seeking public input on Homewood's comprehensive plan on Jan. 28, 2026. Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
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Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
Homewood Comprehensive Plan
A resident studies a map in a meeting seeking public input on Homewood's comprehensive plan on Jan. 28, 2026. Photo by Solomon Crenshaw Jr.
A room full of Homewood residents assembled in the council chamber of City Hall on the evening of Jan. 26 to connect the dots to their desired future for their city.
The dots — blue for places of opportunity, red where improvement is needed and green for places they love — were placed on maps of the 8-square-mile city. Organizers said this was a critical step in plotting a course for Homewood’s future through a new comprehensive plan.
The comprehensive plan is a long-term planning effort that will guide decisions across the city for the next 20 years and beyond. The plan will focus on Homewood’s neighborhoods, growth and priorities, helping shape short-, medium- and long-term projects and guide both public and private investment.
Brian Wright and Matt Noonkester led the discussion and are tasked with creating Homewood’s roadmap for the future. Wright is the founding principal of Town Planning & Urban Design Collaborative (TPUDC); Noonkester is principal of City Explained.
“Nothing has been decided,” Wright told the crowd. “You’re on the ground floor.”
“We start out our process by listening, starting with today and some of the meetings we've had leading up to today,” Noonkester said. “We really just want to have all the information come at us. And while I can conveniently collect data and documents, it's the stories around that (data) that's really important to me. That's what the engagement is all about, for me to catch up to what it's like to be living, working, visiting Homewood.”
Elliot Pike said he didn’t come to the work session with an agenda.
“I really came to kind of listen,” the Edgewood resident said. “I've never been part of something like this. I just came to listen, see how it works. If there's something that I feel strongly about, I'll certainly voice my opinion. But I didn't come with any specific agenda, just to be part of it and participate where I need to.”
Several themes emerged as 10 groups of residents presented the results of their roundtable discussions. Among them were the former Brookwood Mall, the relationship between the city and Samford University, the Board of Education property along Valley Avenue, underground utilities and redevelopment of the Rosedale Community.
“Rosedale is a nut we’ve been trying to crack for a long time,” Beverly LeBoeuf said.
Edgewood’s Jay Bagwell broached the idea of bringing back trolleys.
“I thought it would be cool,” he said. “It would be a revolving trolley, or a bus that looks like a trolley.”
Melinda Williams urged facilitators to gather broad input from residents, incorporate it into their draft and then “really listen to it before they make their recommendations.” She cited Homewood’s downtown rezoning project as an example of what not to do.
“When they came back with their downtown zoning plan, it was clear that they either ignored or hadn't read the content from the … plan because they, time and time again, suggested things that nobody wanted,” Williams said.
Wright said they will avoid that pitfall.
“Most of all, what we do here has to be the essence of Homewood,” Wright said. "It can’t be something we did somewhere else, even if we were working in the next town over.
Additional sessions are scheduled in the city’s four wards but any resident can attend any ward meetings.
