Homewood council votes Oct. 26 on Samford housing, The Woods

The Homewood City Council expects to take final votes Monday, Oct. 26, on two of the largest projects before the city this fall. One is student housing on Samford University’s land south of Lakeshore Drive. The other is The Woods, a golf and restaurant venue in West Homewood.

The council held public hearings on both Oct. 12 and carried them over, according to the city’s meeting summary. The Oct. 12 agenda lists both as final development plans presented by Chief Building Official Wyatt Pugh.

Samford’s South Campus student housing

The city’s summary describes the plan this way:

• about 27 acres south of Lakeshore Drive
• two residential buildings
• about 9,000 square feet of retail space that could also serve the public
• buildings owned independently, on land Samford owns
• run under Samford’s student housing policies

Council members raised building height, long-term maintenance, drainage and possible tax implications, the city said. They also discussed continuing talks with ALDOT about a safer way for pedestrians to cross Lakeshore Drive.

The housing request follows a record year for the university. Samford opened the fall semester with 6,522 students, the largest enrollment in its 185-year history, according to Samford’s Sept. 9 announcement. Its first-year class of 1,270 full-time students was up 9.8% from 1,156 in 2025. The university said it built four new residence halls in the past three years.

The Woods in West Homewood

The Woods is a proposed restaurant and outdoor golf entertainment venue at 504 and 508 Scott Street, in West Homewood. The city said it would include an outdoor putting green and food service.

The proposal meets city zoning and engineering requirements, according to the summary. Final approval would require two conditions:

• the two properties combined into one lot
• part of the land set aside as public right of way along Scott Street

What the council already decided Oct. 12

The same meeting settled several smaller items:

• Speed cushions were approved for Hambaugh Avenue between Columbiana Road and Dixon Avenue, and for Dixon Avenue between Broadway Street and Hambaugh Avenue. The city’s earlier notice said there will be two on each street, designed so fire trucks can pass through the middle.
• The Homewood Chamber of Commerce will move to the third floor of City Hall under a lease the council approved. The city said the move is still several months away.
• New financial software from OpenGov was approved, at an estimated $221,000 for setup and the first year. The city said the money was already in the budget.
• Three properties at 1625 26th Ave. S., 316 Carr Ave. and 1616 Berry Ave. face public nuisance hearings for overgrown vegetation at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23.
• City Manager Cale Smith received a majority finding of satisfactory performance in his first six-month review.

What it means for you

Both final votes are scheduled for the council meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, in the second-floor council chambers at City Hall, 2850 19th St. S. The public hearings are closed, so the council is not required to take more comment. You can still contact your council members before the vote. Our who to call at City Hall page lists how.

Three other items are due back the same night:

• a proposal to limit where electric vehicle charging stations can go in Homewood
• removing a weekday parking limit on 55 feet of the 2800 block of 18th Street, in front of Oak Hill Grill
• a 10-year extension of the Level 3 telecommunications franchise

Separately, a proposed Dutch Bros at 832 Green Springs Highway is headed to the council for a final decision on full left-turn access onto Raleigh Avenue. The Planning Commission voted 4-2 against that change on Oct. 6, according to the city’s Planning Commission summary. No council date has been posted yet.

For how rezonings and development plans move through the city, see our guide to building permits and zoning. Upcoming hearings are on our public notices page.