Hoover survey: schools, public safety, economic development are top priorities

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Hoover residents and business people see schools, public safety and economic development as the top issues the city needs to address for its future, according to survey results released tonight.

Since late January, the city has been conducting an online survey to gauge people’s opinions about what’s right with the city and what’s wrong and what should be done to improve the quality of life.

More than 1,150 people responded, said Jason Fondren of the KPS consulting firm, who shared the results tonight with about 25 people at a planning workshop at the Hoover Municipal Center.

The issue that people said the city’s comprehensive plan needs to address most by far and away was the school system, Fondren said.

“There’s only so much that the city through its comprehensive plan can do to address the schools. The school board controls that domain,” he said. “However, the city can contribute to that success of the schools by managing growth so that you don’t have overstressed schools.”

When asked how the city should assist the school system with regard to funding, the top answer was to collaborate with school officials to share costs and work efficiently to reduce costs, Fondren said. Other top answers were to increase direct funding of the school system or find alternate ways to fund the schools, he said. Very few thought a reduction in funds was in order, he said.

Quality of life reviews

People gave overwhelmingly positive reviews about the current quality of life in Hoover, saying particularly that they enjoy their access to goods and services, school system, parks and recreation and the sense of community in Hoover, Fondren said. They also like the cost of living, health care amenities and natural environment in Hoover, he said.

The most negative things people cited about living in Hoover were the traffic, limited access to arts and culture, taxes and — ironically — the cost of living and lack of a sense of community, he said. Apparently, some people feel connected to the community, but others don’t, he said.

People rated the school system, library, public safety, garbage and recycling services, water system and road conditions favorably, but gave unfavorable ratings regarding bicycle and pedestrian paths and public transportation.

Survey respondents said they’re proud to show visitors places such as the Moss Rock Preserve, Aldridge Gardens, Bluff Park and the view off Shades Mountain, Veterans Park and the Riverchase Galleria. But the Riverchase Galleria also was one of the top places people didn’t want to show visitors, along with Lorna Road, U.S. 31, U.S. 280 and traffic-congested areas.

About 60 percent of survey respondents indicated support for opening a library facility in eastern Hoover and building an arts facility of some type, Fondren said.

Survey respondents also were asked if there were cities from which Hoover could learn, and many people indicated they want Hoover to do its own thing, Fondren said. However, some people listed neighboring cities such as Homewood, Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills, with Homewood being the top answer.

People said they liked the sense of community and schools in those cities, as well as the quality, accessibility and local nature of shopping there.

Regarding investments in transportation, people most favored the idea of adding travel lanes to existing roads and adding sidewalks. They also liked the idea of adding more bicycle and pedestrian trails away from streets and bike lanes along streets, Fondren said.

The project survey respondents most wanted the city to fund is an arts center, he said. Other top responses included a town center, sidewalks and trails, more parks and park improvements and a third high school.

Creating a town center

There was much discussion tonight about development of a town center or multiple town centers in the city. Most people indicated the area around the Riverchase Galleria as the center of Hoover, while others identified the U.S. 31 corridor as the center, Fondren said. Still others felt like there was no town center.

Fondren reviewed several redevelopment projects that have taken place in other suburban areas in the United States in the past 20 years that were efforts to create town centers. Typically, developers and/or cities target dead or declining shopping malls or strip shopping centers, he said.

They also try to create mixed-use centers that include things such as offices, retail shops, hotels, restaurants, public spaces, cultural amenities and residential components, such as apartments, condos and townhomes, he said.

Sometimes, they leave the original development there and add amenities around it, and other times, they wipe the slate clean and start over with a brand new development, Fondren said. Other times, they use undeveloped land.

One example he cited was the Rockville Town Square in Rockville, Maryland — a $370 million public-private development that in the early 2000s replaced a mall built in 1972. It included a library, arts center, a lot of retail and office space and 680 residential units, he said.

Another example was the City Centre, which opened in Houston in 2010, replacing a 1983 mall. It included 400,000 square feet of retail, restaurants and entertainment, 425,000 square feet of Class A office space, a 150,000-square-foot fitness center and 836 housing units, he said.

Fondren asked tonight’s crowd what they would want to see in a town center. Janet Turner, executive director of the Hoover City Schools Foundation, said she’d like to see something that helps create a sense of community — a place where people can gather on a Friday or Saturday night instead of going into Birmingham or another city for social activities.

Other ideas shared tonight included entrepreneurial businesses, a food hall, green space, access to public transit and pedestrian walkways, a place for a parade, food truck area, amphitheater, farmers market and public restrooms.

Areas for redevelopment

Potential areas for redevelopment mentioned by residents tonight included: the Riverchase Galleria: area around Lorna Road, Rocky Ridge Road and Rocky Ridge Ranch Road; Meadow Brook, Hoover Commons, Hoover Country Club, Patton Creek; Paradise Lake, the vacant land along Interstate 459 between Patton Creek and Preserve Parkway, and the commercial area along U.S. 31 near Green Valley.

The planning team working to develop Hoover’s comprehensive plan is having another meeting Thursday night from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Hoover Municipal Center. The team plans to share some maps of areas the city is considering for redevelopment and illustrations of redevelopment ideas. It’s a come-and-go type meeting with no formal presentation, but residents and business people will have a chance to talk with the planning team about the concepts and share thoughts, City Planner Mac Martin said.

After Thursday’s meeting, the planning team will begin developing a first draft of the comprehensive plan, Fondren said. The goal is to have that ready for public review and comment by June, then tweak it as necessary before submitting it to city officials for review and adoption in August or September, he said.