Everyone should attend the meetings and get involved! The group is having presentations about the project on the following dates at St. Elias Church (the one across the street from Giuseppe's):
November 24 (Monday)
December 8 &15
January 12
I believe these are scheduled for 7 p.m., but could not confirm that.
February 2, 2009 - They will be at the Neighborhood Meeting at St. Elias Church at 7:00 pm and will be asking for the neighborhood association's blessings so they can secure the land with the city. This is the most important one! We need to get as many folks as possible to this one to vote against the project!!! The group needs the neighborhood's support to secure the land with the City.
It's my understanding that the areas outlined in red on the map below are roughly the parcels they want to use to build the 3-story Asian Cultural Center and gardens, etc. at George Ward Park! You can see a larger map here.
Here's the group's web site: http://www.bhmasianfound.org. Their plans are MASSIVE and would bring a huge amount of traffic into the neighborhood and the park, not to mention completely destroy a large chunk of the golf course. In addition, they expected to have 50 full-time employees and 20-30 part-time employees!
Make no mistake...this project is NOT about cultural diversity, it is about commercial development. If Mr. Davis says that he won't need any money from the City of Birmingham after two years of operation, he is talking about a BIG commercial development. And, that commercial development comes with a 6-8 foot wall around it so that the owners of the property on the 400 block of Green Springs Ave., and those people using the park, will have only a wall for a view, and that you as a citizen of the City of Birmingham, will have to pay to enter what is now free.
Mr. Davis does not talk about the amount of additional traffic on an already heavily used street. The original proposal encompassed "only" the portions of GWP on the south side of "new" Green Springs Ave, with "lovely" gardens and pathways....now it has grown, and will continue to do so as ideas grow to encompass all "available" space.
Mr. Davis wants all of this property - YOUR DEDICATED PARK - given to him, free for at least 75 years. Much of it will be used for parking --- which means asphalt or concrete over what is now ground that can absorb water (when it actually rains). That concrete or asphalt will have a runoff that will flood and/or pollute the streams and springs for which the park and the streets are named.
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