I want to raise serious concerns about the inadequate stormwater controls in the Altadena Creek area, especially in light of continued overdevelopment. The detention ponds currently in place are not doing enough—they simply hold water temporarily and then release it downstream, where it continues to cause flooding, erosion, and pollution.
We need a better approach:
- More detention ponds in high-growth areas, or even better, retention ponds that hold water long-term and provide habitat for wildlife and plants. These systems could turn a liability into an ecological benefit.
- Stronger enforcement against developers who cut corners. The fines currently in place are far too small—developers treat them as a cost of doing business. We need penalties that actually hurt their pocketbooks and deter future violations.
- No more unchecked overdevelopment that sacrifices our neighborhoods for profit.
Altadena Creek, like many other local streams, cannot sustain this pressure. It is time for Vestavia Hills to partner with experts such as Cahaba Riverkeeper and other ecological organizations to create a stormwater management plan that is guided by science, not by developer influence.
Please stop letting our neighborhoods be taken advantage of. Protect our creeks, protect our homes, and protect the long-term health of our community.
I am writing as a deeply concerned resident about the immense strain on Altadena Creek, particularly in the Patchwork Farms/Altadena neighborhood. The situation has worsened most recently due to the Five Oaks Trail development, which has repeatedly put the creek, nearby properties, and residents at risk.
Neighbors have observed this developer exploiting loopholes to bypass rules, openly polluting the creek in violation of the Clean Water Act, and even harassing citizens when they raised legitimate concerns. This behavior is unacceptable and has left residents feeling unprotected by the city’s oversight.
I strongly urge the City of Vestavia Hills to:
Hold developers accountable – levy fines that are significant enough to change behavior, not token amounts developers see as a cost of doing business.
Issue more frequent stop-work orders when violations occur, to prevent ongoing damage while issues are being addressed.
Disqualify problematic developers from future projects if they demonstrate repeated disregard for environmental protection and community well-being.
This is not just an Altadena Creek issue. Our neighbors across Vestavia Hills are reporting similar problems—erosion, flooding, sedimentation, and loss of natural stream buffers due to aggressive and careless development. We have been vigilant in reporting these violations, but too often we see acknowledgment without decisive enforcement action.
In addition to accountability, I would like to see Vestavia take a stronger stand in saying NO to overdevelopment and YES to ecologically beneficial initiatives, such as:
Expanding invasive species removal programs.
Providing residents with incentives (like gift cards) to purchase native trees and plants.
Preserving and creating wild spaces that soak up stormwater naturally.
Offering citywide programs to collect leaves for free compost instead of letting them clog storm drains and waterways.
These kinds of initiatives would not only improve water quality but also strengthen our community’s resilience to flooding and erosion.
Altadena Creek—and all of Vestavia’s waterways—deserve stronger protection. Please act boldly to ensure developers are no longer allowed to damage our streams and neighborhoods for profit.
Plant trees. Think green infrastructure, not gray. Swales. Rain gardens. A mature tree canopy will intercept a lot of storm water before it has a chance to reach the ground.
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I would like to see the City of Vestavia take stronger measures to protect our waterways and neighborhoods. As a long time resident of the Patchwork Farms area, I have seen the detrimental impact continued overdevelopment has on Altadena Creek. The constituents of this area have reported multiple violations to the city, specifically in regards to the residential development at Five Oaks, with little recourse. Some residents have even been threatened or harassed when recording violations to report. This is unacceptable. I would like to see the city impose higher fines on developers who ignore the rules, issue more stop work orders when violations occur, and for the sake of the community who is BEGGING you - STOP allowing these repeat offender developers to continue murdering our natural resources in the name of revenue!