By William C. Singleton III
Journal contributor
The city of Homewood has moved a step closer to revamping its West Homewood community.
The Homewood City Council recently voted to add the West Homewood Neighborhood Plan into the city’s Master Plan and at the same Aug. 26 meeting adopted zoning changes to facilitate the types of developments needed to revitalize West Homewood.
The focus of the West Homewood Neighborhood Plan is to create a walkable community with neighborhood-friendly shops, restaurants and businesses.
As outlined by the West Homewood Neighborhood Plan, the city plans to upgrade its sidewalks, outdoor benches, roads and overall landscape, making West Homewood an attractive place for residents to hang out and move about.
The city also hopes to lure businesses that attract residents. The concept of mixing walkable communities with neighborhood-friendly businesses has worked well for Homewood’s Edgewood community. Any given day or night, Edgewood has its share of residents walking or jogging through the community or enjoying a meal at one of the many restaurants that offer patio dining, city officials said.
The city of Homewood last year paid the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham $20,000 to conduct a study and develop a neighborhood plan for West Homewood. The state picked up the rest of the tab for the study, about $80,000. The city and commission held meetings with residents who told officials what they desired for their community.
“They said they wanted something like Edgewood, but something intrinsically different,” said Mikhail Alert, community planner for the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham.
The city of Homewood has already begun investing in West Homewood. Last year, it renovated Patriot Park by building a walking track, a playground, pavilions and restrooms.
“We consider the anchor to this development Patriot Park because we needed something that could be built around,” said Mayor Scott McBrayer.
The city has set aside $1 million in matching funds for road improvements on Oxmoor Boulevard/Oxmoor Road from Green Springs Highway to Barber Court. The project, which will cost about $5 million and will be funded mostly by the Alabama Department of Transportation, ultimately will shape traffic flow into West Homewood.
That will allow the city to develop West Homewood according to the neighborhood plan, McBrayer said.
The city also has purchased for about $135,000 property near Patriot Park. The property was the former home of a gas station. City officials hope the property can be used for the type of business it wants for West Homewood.
“This is a huge opportunity for us, and there’s a ton of potential over there,” the mayor said. “I’m extremely happy that we’ve got a council on board that supports what West Homewood can look like in the next few years.”
To read all of the West Homewood Neighborhood Plan, visit www.westhomewoodplan.com.
