25 New Homes to Help Revive Birmingham’s Fountain Heights Community

The Birmingham Times Bonderia Lyons, President, Fountain Heights Neighborhood Association, knows what new housing can mean for a community. That’s why she was excited when Birmingham Land Bank on Friday broke ground on the first of 25 new homes in her neighborhood. at 1138 12th Ct N, the future location of one of the homes. “This is an opportunity to reimagine Fountain Heights and rebuild it into the historic community that it once was,” Lyons said. “This is an opportunity to get sidewalks repaved; to have new lighting in our community; to have safer neighborhoods and a diverse community.” The Land Bank acquires vacant and abandoned properties and hopes to turn it over to responsible owners. The city routinely goes through legal procedures to mow grass on overgrown, vacant and abandoned lots that are not maintained. “We want to go vertical on these lots with more single-family homes, affordable, market-rate, insert whatever term you want,” said Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin. “The residents who live here deserve better. For community, we want it to be better. The best thing we can do is build more housing.” Bonderia Lyons and Darlena Battle are President and Vice President, respectively, of the Fountain Heights...