Hoover needs affordable housing, public transportation and revitalization, residents say

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Shopping, safety, schools and beautiful scenery are some of the positive aspects of living in Hoover, but the city needs more public amenities on the eastern side of town, more attractive affordable housing, better public transportation and revitalization of older areas, residents said tonight.

Those were some of the sentiments shared at the first of three public input meetings planned to help draft a new comprehensive plan for the city. About 20 people showed up for the meeting at Greystone Elementary School, and about half of those were city or school system employees or officials.

Jason Fondren of the KPS Group consulting firm led most of the meeting, sharing statistics about the city’s makeup and layout and asking residents what they think of the city now and where they want to see it go in the next 20 years.

'Best bargain'

Lynne Meeks said she has lived in the 35242 zip code for a long time and been in Greystone the past 12 years. She moved to Hoover because it was the best bargain for her dollar and has become a loyal resident of the U.S. 280 area despite the drive into downtown Birmingham to work every day, she said.

There is just something comfortable and family-oriented about the atmosphere in that part of town, Meeks said. It has all the infrastructure she needs, particularly now that Grandview Medical Center has opened along U.S. 280, she said.

Other residents cited schools, beautiful neighborhoods, parks, lower taxes, shopping, police and fire services, well-maintained roads, a strong library and proximity to interstates as positive traits of Hoover.

Public amenities in eastern Hoover

However, several people said the eastern part of the city needs more public amenities like parks, meeting places and a library branch.

Greystone resident Mary Sue Ludwig said Greystone has a walking trail on Oak Mountain, but it’s too hilly for older people. Residents in that part of Hoover need a good public park where they can walk, she said, and the closest one is Veterans Park.

Lori Salter-Schommer, the city’s public information officer (who lives in Brook Highland), said a park for outdoor concerts or a dog park would be nice in the Greystone area.

Greystone resident Tim Harris said he thinks the city lost a great opportunity for a large public space where the Tattersall Park development is beginning to take shape just north of U.S. 280 along Alabama 119.

However, Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato has said city officials are still talking with the Tattersall Park developers, and he believes there is still a chance for a good development with some public amenities there.

Greystone resident David Salter said he is concerned about the hodgepodge business development along U.S. 31.

“It just doesn’t look very attractive,” Salter said. “It’s showing its age. I just don’t want it to become the next Center Point Parkway.”

“Bite your tongue,” another resident responded.

Public transportation, affordable housing

Meeks and Riverchase resident Arnold Singer said Hoover is sorely lacking in public transportation options. That includes everything from a streetcar down the middle of U.S. 280 to bicycle lanes and more sidewalks, Meeks said. The city also needs better lighting on major thoroughfares, including U.S. 280, she said.

Hoover schools Superintendent Kathy Murphy said she would like to see more townhomes for people who don’t need a large house but want to invest in a home and not pay a hefty price for apartment rent.

Ludwig said people who are aging want affordable, smaller homes where they can downsize.

On the other end of the age spectrum, Hoover Councilman John Lyda said the city needs more affordable housing options for young college graduates. When he graduated from college, those existed in Hoover, but the quality of some of those multi-family developments is not what it was in the mid-1990s, he said. The properties are aging and not as attractive to young college graduates, he said.

Regional cooperation

One man said there are too many government entities in the area, making it difficult to find solutions for things such as the traffic on U.S. 280.

Ludwig said she thinks the current city administration is doing a better job of communicating with leaders from other cities and Jefferson and Shelby counties.

Meeks said there needs to be more focus put on regional cooperation because each community is affected by the other. Hoover, as the sixth largest city in the state, has the clout to accomplish that type of cooperation and needs to use it to achieve progress, she said.

Fondren and City Planner Mac Martin encouraged residents and Hoover business owners to fill out a survey at futurehoover.com that will be used to help develop the comprehensive plan.

As of tonight, about 300 people have filled out the survey since it became active about 2 ½ weeks ago, Fondren said.

About 91 percent of the respondents so far rated the quality of life in Hoover as either good or excellent, he said. About 53 percent indicated the quality of life has stayed the same over the past 10 years, while 28 percent said it has improved, he said. Almost two-thirds of respondents said traffic is reducing the quality of life, Fondren.

The survey asks people to rank city services. People so far seem to think the city is doing fine with schools and parks and recreation, but needs some work on the water system, traffic flow, drainage and planning and zoning, Fondren said. The areas that need the most work (according to survey respondents so far) are bicycle and pedestrian paths, public transportation and the sanitary sewer systems, he said.

Two more public input meetings are planned for Jan. 30 at Shades Crest Baptist Church at 452 Park Ave. and Feb. 6 at the Hoover Municipal Center at 100 Municipal Lane. Both of those meetings are scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

A planning team then will take input from the three public meetings and survey to create a draft version of the plan, Fondren said. The draft will be submitted to the public for community review in June, tweaked in July and sent to the Hoover Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council for review and adoption in August and September, he said.