Traffic Wins & the Road Ahead

From the President

Neighbors —

Two things this month.

First, the wins. Our Traffic Safety Committee delivered eight new stop signs with painted stripes, three new speed limit signs and a lowered speed limit. Plus, they built a formal application, and this Association authorized it — Hagood Street and Hoadley Drive, with the specific measures coming back to you for a vote before neighborhood funds are committed. Sherry-Lea Bloodworth has worked with BDOT on this since last fall, and Crosby Taylor built the Hagood measures package with data and renderings — all while welcoming a new baby. That's what a working committee looks like. The window closes October 31. We made it with time to spare. We also got a new crosswalk on Groover from the new Crestline Greenway Project, thanks to Councilor Hunter Williams.

Second, the park. I have renewed concerns about the maintenance of Crestline Park. The City has admitted Public Works can't keep the schedule, and the councilor's office has hired a private contractor to cut our park every two weeks — which we appreciate, and which also says everything. Recently a board member of our Foundation mowed it himself because it was ankle-high in hay after the previous mow failed to clean their clippings. A neighborhood park is a promise the City made to us. Keep reporting every miss through MyBHM311. We will have further updates at the September meeting.

One last thing: the website continues growing — new Traffic, Zoning, and Block Watch pages, a complete document archive, and now a proper home for committee reports. I'll have a fuller update on the site, and where it goes from here, at the meeting.

See you on the 24th,

Todd Russell, President, Crestline Neighborhood Association

Meeting Recap — August

It was a big one! Nearly two hours jam packed with important information and updates.

The official minutes of every meeting are in the Document Archive.

The Traffic Wins

Start with the scoreboard. At the August 27 meeting, this Association authorized the Traffic Safety Committee to submit our application to Birmingham DOT's Traffic Calming Program — covering Hagood Street and Hoadley Drive, with the specific measures and any neighborhood cost share coming back to the membership for a separate vote before anything is spent.

And the application is only the newest win. Working with the City's Forrest Johnson over the past six months, the neighborhood already has real changes on the ground:

• A brand-new crosswalk at the Groover trailhead — part of the Crestline Greenway project, with thanks to Councilor Hunter Williams
• New stop signs along Royal, at both ends
• Gladstone is now a three-way stop
• A new stop sign where Cresthill meets Gladstone
• A new stop sign at Dunston — with a three-way planned
• Striping and stop signs where Concord, Browning, and Regal meet Royal
• Three new 20 mph speed-limit signs on Monarch — one at the Hagood end, one just west of Montevallo, and one a block east of Montevallo (the third went up the first week of September)

Still in the works: a three-way at Dunston and Royal, a four-way at Hoadley and Gladstone, and a three-way at Strathmore and Gladstone.

The clock matters: applications for the Fall 2026 cycle close October 31. Neighborhoods may submit up to two projects, scored on traffic data, crash history, equity, and proximity to schools and parks — jointly funded by the City and the association. The committee's full report to the membership is on our Traffic page, with the original document.

605 Hagood: What We Asked, and What We Got

At the August meeting, the Zoning & Land Use Committee delivered its first report — a preliminary report on the church project at 605 Hagood Street, and specifically on the street improvements the City's own Subdivision Regulations put on one required list: sidewalk, curb and gutter, and storm sewer. The full report, with every source quoted, is on our Zoning page. Here is the short version, dated, because dates are the whole story.

What the City's engineer confirmed in writing on August 4: the approved plan "does not include curb and gutter and storm drainage along Hagood." It includes the sidewalk. The regulations allow exactly two ways to leave the other two out — a written waiver, or a deferral agreement with a bond. So the committee asked one question, of everyone who could answer it: which one is it?

What we got, in order. The City's watershed engineer: no answer, asked twice. The church's Senior Warden, who wrote on August 18 that the church has "complied with all regulations and measures from the city": asked the same day to produce the waiver — no reply, then or since. The City's subdivision planner, on August 24, in one sentence: "You will need to submit a public records request to have these questions answered." We already had. Fifteen requests, hand-filed and date-stamped August 5 and 6. On August 26, the day answers were due, we were told at the counter that they had been denied — no written notice, no list of which ones, no grounds. Alabama law requires that notice. We requested it on August 27. As of this writing, it has not arrived.

Then, on September 3, the City answered — sort of. The Office of Public Information forwarded a note "from our team." It says curb and gutter are "not required in this case" because that side of Hagood never had them, that the traffic engineer and stormwater team approved the design without them, and that the County's sanitary sewer line runs where a curb would go. The note carries no author's name, no title, and no date. It does not name a waiver. It does not name a deferral agreement. It does not mention the storm sewer at all. And it closes by saying that if the neighborhood still wants a copy of the plans, the church will have to give written permission first.

Why this matters beyond one lot. The number one traffic complaint in Crestline is speeding on Hagood. Any marked crossing on that street needs ADA ramps on both sides, and ramps need a curb. Along this frontage, the curb is what the approved plan leaves out. That is a question of concrete, not of anyone's application. And it is bigger than one project: whatever the City requires here, or excuses here, becomes the standard for every future development along Hagood. If the required improvements can be left out of this plan without a document saying why, the next developer will expect the same.

So here is where things stand as of September 6. We asked a yes-or-no question for a month and got a one-sentence referral, a verbal denial, and an unsigned note. The committee will keep asking, keep filing, and keep posting every document as it lands. Neither the City nor the builder has yet named the piece of paper that makes this lawful. If it exists, producing it ends the inquiry. That is all we have ever asked.

September Meeting Preview

Thursday, September 24 • 6:00 PM • Hope Community Church, 4445 Montevallo Rd.

Two items are already set: the membership's vote on the specific traffic-calming measures for the City application, and an update on the neighborhood website. The full agenda will be posted on the Facebook group the week of the meeting.

All residents welcome.

New on the Website: The Otter of Shades Creek

Yes, we have otters. This one was filmed swimming Shades Creek right along the Crestline Greenway, and the footage now runs at the top of the Crestline Wildlife page — alongside a new white-tailed deer photographed near the Shades Creek Bird Sanctuary, and the herons, owls, turtles, and turkeys that were already there. Every picture on that page was taken in and around the neighborhood. Walk the greenway early, walk it quietly, and you may meet the neighbors who were here first.

The Neighborhood Block Watch Has a Home

Neighbors looking out for neighbors — the Crestline Park Block Watch now has its own page on the website: crestlinena.org/block-watch. It's not a patrol and it's not a substitute for 911; it's knowing who lives on your street, noticing when something's off, and getting good information to the police quickly instead of passing rumors around.

Foundation Corner

The Crestline Park Community Foundation reported a record month: the August 15 Yoga in the Park drew 26 neighbors — the biggest turnout yet. The next session is Saturday, September 19, 9:00 AM, with an October date in the works.

The Foundation also has a new vice president — welcome, Maggie Gann! And looking further out, the board is sketching ideas for spring 2027 — a neighborhood 5K fun run/walk, a movie night, and even a mahjong day in the park have all been floated.

To donate, sponsor, volunteer, or pitch an idea, visit the Foundation at crestlineparkcommunityfoundation.com — or catch President Tanner Parsons at the monthly meeting.

Featured Local Business: TrainSmarter

New month, new neighbor to brag on. TrainSmarter — fitness and physical therapy under one roof — is one of our own Local Favorites, and the rare gym where the people helping you get strong are the same ones who can help you heal right. Whether you're chasing a 5K, working back from an injury, or just want to keep up with the grandkids on the new greenway, they've got you. Details at wetrainsmarter.com, and when you go, tell them their neighbors sent you.

Own or love a local business that should be featured next month? Email todd.russell.2002@gmail.com.

Community Calendar

• Saturday, September 19, 9:00 AM — Yoga in the Park. Hosted by the Crestline Park Community Foundation in the Hidden Park. Bring a mat.
• Thursday, September 24, 6:00 PM — CNA Monthly Meeting. Hope Community Church, 4445 Montevallo Rd. All residents welcome.
• Friday, October 31 — BDOT Traffic Calming application deadline (see above).

Fun Around Town

• Birmingham Art Walk, September 11–12 — more than 100 local artists, makers, and musicians across downtown. (StyleBlueprint Birmingham, September 2026)
• Fit Fest Birmingham, September 13 — interactive workouts and wellness experiences at the BJCC. A good warm-up before you visit this month's featured business.
• Fall Plant Sale, September 18–19 — natives, perennials, and tropicals at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
• Hamilton, September 22–27 — the Broadway musical at the BJCC Concert Hall.
• Ballet in the Sky, September 26 — the Alabama Ballet performs against the skyline at Vulcan Park.
• Fiesta, September 26 — Birmingham's celebration of Hispanic culture, with live Latin music and food, at Linn Park. (All from StyleBlueprint Birmingham, September 2026)

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The Crestline Park Newsletter is published by the Crestline Neighborhood Association — Est. 1972, Birmingham, Alabama, District 2. Meetings: 4th Thursday, 6:00 PM, Hope Community Church, 4445 Montevallo Rd. Meeting minutes are in the Document Archive.