Design Review Committee disapproves replacement "Sign"
Preserve Jazz Festival announces sabbatical for 2015
Last week I was sitting in the taproom at Good People Brewing Company talking to Madison Underwood of Weld for Birmingham about the bingo trial and the new ballpark currently underway across the street.
Let that sink in for a moment. It took a while for me to fully appreciate it.
I was sitting in a taproom that didn’t exist a year ago run by a brewery that came into existence in September 2007. Madison’s now writing for a hybrid news publication that came into being less than a year ago. The site for the ballpark is across the street from Railroad Park, a much different looking piece of land than it was four years ago as folks attending our first anniversary party saw from the top of the former Commerce/Protective Life headquarters located at the northern edge of “the News Bridge.” The ballpark itself has been in the making in some form or another for at least ten years now.
A lot has changed in five years here in Birmingham. Every once in a while taking a step back helps you appreciate it and not miss it. And yes, I realize just how cheesy that sounds – almost as cheesy as this does to some folks nowadays (not us though).
The end of The Terminal’s launch party in 2007 saw a bunch of us heading out the door to take a look at a rainbow to our east. As Bob Farley snapped the photo (the one at the beginning of this post), I remembered him and others talking about the symbolism. I laughed it off back then, but I appreciate it a great deal today.
This evening a few of us will gather at Good People, hoist a couple of pints, enjoy some pie and some coffee (courtesy of Finer Grind Coffee Roasters) and talk. Nothing too fancy (that’s the plan at least), just a chance to see and thank a bunch of people who’ve stumbled across this site over the last five years. PieCamp Birmingham has become the quintessential event for a site focused on driving conversations about what’s happening in Alabama’s Magic City. It’s a great chance to learn about the city’s newest rainbows. It’s less about pretense and more about getting a bunch of folks together talking about what keeps them working through their storms.
We’re always chasing rainbows, despite our efforts to say it’s not true. It’s amazing if you get a chance to see what’s on the other side and if you take the time and listen.
There are rainbows that still push Birminghamians to dream big dreams for their city. They give you hope that the citizens can recognize that they don’t have to always look down on themselves and their region.
There are also rainbows that have given this site more support that I thought possible at times. Businesses like The Bottletree, Urban Standard, and The Red Cat have made things easier. Folks who’ve chosen to contribute to the site in the past (and a few getting ready to start soon) are helpful as well.
So I’m hoping for some rain on Wednesday evening at #piecampbhm. A little sunshine too.
Why?
I’d like a reminder of what’s possible, what’s needed, and what it means to have started this digital space in the first place. That scene I described at the beginning of the post makes it worth while, as do all of you.
Cheers.
André Natta is the stationmaster for bhamterminal.com.
It’s a fun view for that split second – the one that you get to enjoy as you reach the crest of the road right after 
This evening (Monday, November 28) there will no doubt be those wondering if they should attend 
There have been 
The first time I met David Fleming, I was sitting across the table from him for about an hour on the tenth floor of 
A network to build a future of Birmingham on
UPDATE: The plan and its name – The Red Rock Ridge & Valley Trail System – was announced this evening – along with a website that allows you to see the entire plan.
It’s safe to assume that this evening (Tuesday) a large crowd will be gathered in the Steiner Auditorium at the Birmingham Museum of Art. They’ll be there to witness the unveiling of the Freshwater Land Trust’s “Our One Mile” plan. They’ll also be among the first to learn the name of the system – the result of a contest held at the end of last year. The level of excitement filling the space will undoubtedly be insane.
Well, this is where I bring up one more thing to keep in your mind as we get started – the under-construction Greenwood Park. Folks that normally travel along I-20/59 westbound that have wondered why all those bulldozers have been active just after you pass Tallapoosa St., here’s your reminder. This new green space could be viewed as a trail head for the 26-mile Village Creek Greenway, a project viewed by many as an integral part of the Our One Mile initiative.
You’re starting to connect the dots, aren’t you? These first two have been brought up before, courtesy of the Norwood Plan developed by Auburn University’s Urban Studio back in 2006.
The park would connect with the greenway, which could hypothetically have another touch point along Vanderbilt Road. That connection would just happen to be about ¼ of a mile from the easternmost edge of Norwood Blvd – and be right about where that photo I told you to pay attention to at the beginning of this piece was taken.
Assuming there’s access to the greenway at Vanderbilt, it’d only be a little over ½ a mile along the creek to get to the edge of Greenwood Park that touches Coosa Street. I’m not even focusing on the fact that this could potentially bring a whole new group of users over to Patton Park on the other side of the Interstate.
What does all of this mean?
It means more once you include the recent donation by Red Diamond – their former headquarters on Vanderbilt Road (valued at approximately $2 million in an online listing) to the Birmingham YMCA.
The distance from the edge of Norwood Blvd. to 1701 Vanderbilt Road is approximately half a mile. If you’re running, this means you’re probably no more than 5-7 minutes away.
It could be the jump start needed to encourage potential investors to take a look at the section of Norwood referred to by some in the neighborhood as “the bottoms” as an option for renovation projects. It’s safe to say there would be several young professionals that aren’t looking for a mortgage but instead for an inexpensive place that’s relatively close to downtown and some of those intangible quality of life benefits.
It might also lead to some changes in traffic flow in the area surrounding all of these things – changes that could influence whether or not we see significant development along 12th Avenue North, particularly the eastern end of the street. The western edge may already see some influence from a entertainment district that will soon go from dream to reality in the coming months.
It’s just an example of what happens when the dreams of a community are thought through and given the potential to be realized. It’s all out there – including pieces like Ruffner Mountain, Red Mountain Park, and the (soon-to-be-added-onto) Shades Creek Greenway. Now it’s simply time to see if folks want to connect those dots all the way.
Many of these thoughts about the northside are assuming that the YMCA decides that it can move ahead and make the additional improvements to their newest piece of property – suddenly the largest of the properties held by the organization. It also depends on how empowered and motivated the citizens of metro Birmingham get to make this greenway plan presented this evening a reality.
That last sentence is probably the most important one. As Wendy Jackson said in this morning’s Birmingham News piece by Thomas Spencer,
The days of people waiting for someone to take the lead need to end soon. As former UAB president Dr. Joseph Volker once stated, “We would do Birmingham a great disservice if we dreamed too-little dreams.”
This greenway – and many projects like it currently in the pipeline – are probably what Volker may have been thinking of as he spoke. It’s now up to the general public to lead the leaders to the city they want, rather than have a disjointed one given to them instead.
Maybe coming out to the event tonight’s a good first step.
André Natta is the stationmaster of bhamterminal.com.
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Posted in development
Tagged Birmingham, Commentary, editorial, greenway, Jefferson County, Our One Mile, Red Rock Ridge & Valley Trail System