Challenging city issues

The recent bombshell announcement from The Community House (TCH) is the loudest wake-up call imaginable. The venerable Community House, center of Birmingham for over 100 years, is going to close and the organization morphed into a fundraiser-foundation for good causes. This follows the catastrophic era of the current board and former director William Seklar. But the collapse of TCH is just one of several issues barreling down on Birmingham like freight trains. The newly elected commissioners and the vets all have some very big decisions to make and not a lot of time.

ONE: NEXT and the YMCA. Birmingham City bought the YMCA building and property on Lincoln St., intending to provide a senior center. Currently all plans appear at a standstill, following the failure to provide an agenda that could justify a millage. Last report has the YMCA leaving. NEXT has a hard deadline to be out of Midvale Elementary in early 2027. The Birmingham Public Schools needs the space and has been more than generous with the senior group. Where does NEXT go and how? Think fast.

TWO: The Community House. This issue just slipped from backburner challenge to boiled over and the fire alarm buzzing. The TCH building is an iconic piece of Birmingham and an extremely valuable piece of real estate. Whatever happens to that parcel will affect downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods, and the entire character of the city core. TCH says it’s closing the building in 2026. It’s privately owned, but does the city have any plan? Or a plan not to have a plan?

THREE: South Old Woodward. This is a “problem” that most cities would kill to have. When the Restoration Hardware store opens, that whole area will bloom. Currently it’s an afterthought, but development is racing down from the center. As SOWO (I’ll name it) becomes a “place” and keeps growing, the big challenge here is parking. Walking down from the Peabody or Pierce Street structures are non-starters, especially in winter. This is a challenge of success, but a challenge nonetheless.

It’s tempting to accuse the TCH leadership of abysmal failure, but it’s also possible that after 100 years, there was no good path forward in its current form. While Grosse Pointe’s War Memorial is a community center that works, maybe the fundraising talent at TCH has already considered this option. Equally, the YMCA building was looking tired in the mid ‘80s. It may be that these two institutions have just run their course.

But the lesson for Birmingham is clear: time is marching on. Cities are dynamic, they constantly change, rise and fall. Much of our residential stock has been rebuilt and radically upgraded. B’ham has been riding a wave of success and energy since 1995—'96’s “2016 Plan” set the course forward. That was 30 years ago; that positive inertia can only last so long. Perhaps it’s time for a new vision to carry us forward another 30 years. The issues with NEXT, The Community House and SOWO are coming at us fast, and we can ride the wave forward or not—as we choose. Blue Ribbon committee for a 2046 Plan?

Chuck Moss

Birmingham

(Chuck Moss is a former city commissioner, former county commissioner, former state House member)