Homewood City residents flag Brookwood Mall, Rosedale, sidewalks and stormwater as top planning priorities
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Residents at a Homewood City community mapping workshop presented a consistent set of priorities across more than a dozen table presentations: redevelop Brookwood Mall, revitalize Rosedale, finish sidewalks to schools, and address chronic stormwater and road-safety problems.
The session began with a facilitator explaining a dot-mapping exercise and asking each table to pick three big ideas to present. Speakers from multiple tables highlighted parks and schools as places they love — Central Park, Lakeshore Trail and the city’s athletic fields — while naming Brookwood Mall and Board of Education–owned parcels as key opportunities.
Participants raised several recurring concerns about infrastructure and public safety. “That stretch of road [toward the mega field and baseball park] is incredibly dangerous,” said Speaker 9, noting high speeds, faded lane markings and frequent family traffic near youth fields. Several tables urged collaboration with Jefferson County where road jurisdiction crosses municipal lines.
Stormwater management and walkability were frequent themes. One participant recommended a comprehensive stormwater plan mapping drainage and considering regional detention basins, while others pressed for completing sidewalks to schools and improving pedestrian crossings on Lakeshore and Green Springs.
Tables proposed a range of solutions. Speaker 3 suggested a trolley-style circulator — “What if we had just a revolving trolley?” — as a way to reduce parking pressure and add charm; others advocated undergrounding utilities to improve sidewalks and reduce storm damage. Several speakers called for targeted streetscape and lighting improvements downtown and in Edgewood to encourage foot traffic and improve safety.
Rosedale Community Center and downtown corridors drew repeated attention. Multiple tables characterized Rosedale as underused and in need of revitalization, and one table proposed exploring sale or reuse of Board of Education property as part of longer-range capital planning. Participants also recommended using form-based codes to preserve the “front porch” character of some neighborhoods and limit garage-forward redevelopment.
The meeting surfaced some sharply worded remarks and strong local feeling. In describing an unused building he wanted removed, Speaker 2 said, “If y'all won't call anybody, I'll burn it down.” That remark drew no formal response in the workshop record. Another exchange centered on higher-education tax status: a participant asked whether “Sanford” pays taxes; a table member responded that nonprofit institutions (501(c)(3)) generally do not, highlighting confusion about property and tax relationships that residents want the city to clarify.
No formal votes or city decisions were recorded at the session. The exercise focused on gathering resident priorities and ideas for planners to consolidate into a single map and next steps. Workshop organizers said table results would be collected and consolidated for future planning work.
The session began with a facilitator explaining a dot-mapping exercise and asking each table to pick three big ideas to present. Speakers from multiple tables highlighted parks and schools as places they love — Central Park, Lakeshore Trail and the city’s athletic fields — while naming Brookwood Mall and Board of Education–owned parcels as key opportunities.
Participants raised several recurring concerns about infrastructure and public safety. “That stretch of road [toward the mega field and baseball park] is incredibly dangerous,” said Speaker 9, noting high speeds, faded lane markings and frequent family traffic near youth fields. Several tables urged collaboration with Jefferson County where road jurisdiction crosses municipal lines.
Stormwater management and walkability were frequent themes. One participant recommended a comprehensive stormwater plan mapping drainage and considering regional detention basins, while others pressed for completing sidewalks to schools and improving pedestrian crossings on Lakeshore and Green Springs.
Tables proposed a range of solutions. Speaker 3 suggested a trolley-style circulator — “What if we had just a revolving trolley?” — as a way to reduce parking pressure and add charm; others advocated undergrounding utilities to improve sidewalks and reduce storm damage. Several speakers called for targeted streetscape and lighting improvements downtown and in Edgewood to encourage foot traffic and improve safety.
Rosedale Community Center and downtown corridors drew repeated attention. Multiple tables characterized Rosedale as underused and in need of revitalization, and one table proposed exploring sale or reuse of Board of Education property as part of longer-range capital planning. Participants also recommended using form-based codes to preserve the “front porch” character of some neighborhoods and limit garage-forward redevelopment.
The meeting surfaced some sharply worded remarks and strong local feeling. In describing an unused building he wanted removed, Speaker 2 said, “If y'all won't call anybody, I'll burn it down.” That remark drew no formal response in the workshop record. Another exchange centered on higher-education tax status: a participant asked whether “Sanford” pays taxes; a table member responded that nonprofit institutions (501(c)(3)) generally do not, highlighting confusion about property and tax relationships that residents want the city to clarify.
No formal votes or city decisions were recorded at the session. The exercise focused on gathering resident priorities and ideas for planners to consolidate into a single map and next steps. Workshop organizers said table results would be collected and consolidated for future planning work.
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