Bluff Park, Alabama Forum

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General Category >> General Board >> A great vision for a community
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Message started by teeechur on 08/01/13 at 12:51pm

Title: A great vision for a community
Post by teeechur on 08/01/13 at 12:51pm

Wouldn't it be great if someone could put forth a vision like this for Bluff Park?

http://westhomewoodplan.com/

Title: Re: A great vision for a community
Post by ht2 on 08/01/13 at 1:18pm

teeechur wrote:

Wouldn't it be great if someone could put forth a vision like this for Bluff Park?

http://westhomewoodplan.com/

The implementation of my "plan" is much easier said than done, but I truly believe if they got rid of those apartments on Tyler and upgraded the selections in those 2 shopping centers, Bluff Park would start turning around. There is no reason in the world why people shouldn't be tripping over themselves to live in BP. Instead, I am seeing more and more "For Rent" signs. Not a good sign. Can you imagine replacing those apartments with a little park and maybe some other retail options to complement CVS and the little antique store? A decent Mexican restaurant built in the Dollar General parking lot or where the plant nursery used to be in the Piggly Wiggly shopping center?

The apartments speak for themselves.

I'd love to see a good, fun Mexican restaurant and a downhome Saw's Juke Joint or Moe's type BBQ place over in the Piggly Wiggly shopping center. Would love a place where we could eat and hear live music occasionally. Might even be an opportunity at the Mr P's shopping center or next to BP Hardware. I can totally see a hole in the wall BBQ restaurant in that old space by the hardware store. I think a Subway would do great in the Pig or BP shopping centers (yes I realize there's one right down the road). I like the idea of a little coffee & book shop but I don't know if it would do well. An ice cream shop would be cool. I love John's Auto but I'd love to see his parking lot looking a little more tidy. I'm sure there are other ideas that are better than mine.

I really think eliminating the apartments and upgrading the shopping experience would make BP seem a lot more desirable and stimulate growth and improvment.

Title: Re: A great vision for a community
Post by teeechur on 08/01/13 at 1:54pm

I agree with you that the apartments are a blight on the community. If one looks at the monthly police calls you can see that there is a real issue with crime. The problem as I see things is that Hoover has so many apartments; all with LOTS of police calls and crime. Homewood was able to purchase the apartments that was problematic for them and it was a great move for the residents there. I don't mean to be critical but it seems to me that Hoover has had an obsession with growth and has little if any focus on planning.

Bluff Park is a beautiful place; it could be so much more. The two shopping centers on the crest have real potential but if I'm not mistaken, the Mr. P's shopping center is in Birmingham. The Pig shopping center looks like a blighted parking lot with a blue roof. I'm not sure what could be done to turn things around. The landscaped area at I-65 and Alford look nice. More sidewalks, especially along Shades Crest Road would be great. Redevelopment or removal of existing commercial areas to make things more attractive would help.

The way I see it, there is no leadership or voice that will advocate for Bluff Park. The Hoover city council is elected at-large so there is really no one that will take a leadership role in making Bluff Park a better place to live for it's citizens.

Title: Re: A great vision for a community
Post by ht2 on 08/01/13 at 2:34pm

teeechur wrote:

"The way I see it, there is no leadership or voice that will advocate for Bluff Park. The Hoover city council is elected at-large so there is really no one that will take a leadership role in making Bluff Park a better place to live for it's citizens."

After 11 1/2 years of living in BP that is the conclusion I have come to as well. Not to sound "woe is me," but I just don't feel that BP is as much of a priority to Hoover as most of its residents would like. Yeah there have been a few things here and there, like the police station and the sidewalks. But for the most part it's the same neighborhood it was when I moved there in 2002, if not maybe a little worse. It's frustrating, and part of the reason we moved to Vestavia. But we are still fairly nearby, and I'd love to see Bluff Park approach its potential.

Title: Re: A great vision for a community
Post by overhere on 08/05/13 at 7:48am

I certainly do not know what it would encompass to encourage the landlords and tenants of these properties to consider moving on a plan of this nature but having lived in BP for 9 years, I can honestly say that if this were to happen, they could expect to see a huge following for those businesses that moved in, especially if there are upscale restaurants and shops. Also think about what it would do to your property value. Maybe someone in the local business community might know who to contact and pose the question

Title: Re: A great vision for a community
Post by overhere on 08/05/13 at 10:22am

I agree with your assessment but, don't be too harsh. I live in one of those houses and quite frankly, enjoy it very much. Not like most of the 30+ year old home in BP with old designs, small rooms, closets, outdated bathrooms and kitchens but, I digress. What's done is done, let's think about the future BP