A proposed restaurant and outdoor golf entertainment venue planned for 504 and 508 Scott Street in West Homewood drew a wave of community support at a public hearing this week, with the Homewood City Council now set to decide its fate later this month. The Woods Golf & Social would bring an 18-hole putting course, a full-service bar, kitchen and entertainment area to the growing commercial strip, and backers packed the room to back the project ahead of the vote.
The hearing took place Monday, as the Homewood City Council considered the development, according to the City of Homewood. A final vote on the proposal is expected Oct. 26, and approval would still require the two properties to be combined into a single lot and a portion of the site set aside as public right of way, per the city's meeting materials. The city's own summary states plainly that the proposal meets city zoning and engineering requirements.
The venue is the brainchild of three Homewood natives, Jack Dorough, Tommy Donaldson and Owen Ferguson, who pitched it as a locally rooted project rather than a chain operation, according to AL.com. Ferguson has said the project was designed specifically for the West Homewood community and has been discussed for a long time. The Homewood Planning Commission already voted 7-0 in August to recommend approval, with commissioners reviewing plans for an outdoor putting course, clubhouse, covered patio, bar, event lawn and parking.
What the Site Would Look Like
The roughly one-acre property would house a putting course covering more than 14,000 square feet, alongside a 2,700-square-foot building, a 1,500-square-foot patio and bar area, and a 320-square-foot cabana area. Outdoor seating would accommodate about 125 people, with 22 on-site parking spaces, according to AL.com's earlier reporting on the project. Proposed hours would run 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, stretching to midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Homewood City Zoning Administrator Conrad Garrison has said the venue fits into West Homewood's expanding commercial, restaurant and retail corridor, and that the city is satisfied with the application from an engineering and zoning standpoint. Developers have described the concept as a walkable entertainment destination built around leagues, birthday parties, corporate events and family activities, and they intend for it to be a safe and fun place for families with children of all ages.
Neighbors Raise Noise and Traffic Concerns
Not every voice at the meetings has been uniformly positive. Residents raised concerns in August about possible noise, lighting, traffic and environmental impacts tied to the development, concerns the developers have said they intend to address by following the city's noise ordinance, including quiet-hour requirements after 10 p.m. Several people spoke in favor of the proposal at the council meeting, according to Alabama's 42, even as the project has continued to draw both support and scrutiny through the approval process.
Longtime Homewood Ties Behind the Project
Supporters who spoke up for the venue included people who have watched the three developers grow up. Doug Gann, a retired teacher, coach and athletic director at Homewood High School, coached all three developers when they were children and has expressed confidence in their preparedness and ability, saying he expects the project to benefit West Homewood and Homewood residents generally. John Dorough, Jack Dorough's father, said he has watched the three young men grow up and described them as fine young men who would bring the community another family-oriented activity.
Josh Wright, who has known Ferguson for a decade, pointed to Ferguson's leadership skills, staying power and relationships with banks and financial institutions as reasons for his confidence in the project moving forward. Lee Pantazis, who owns Gus's Hot Dogs in downtown Birmingham, is working with the developers and helping shape the venue's food program, saying the group hopes to serve the community through the project.
A Neighboring Development Weighs In
Support has also come from next door. Tom Walker, a member of the ownership group behind the adjacent West Row development project, has backed the venue and said he believes it would benefit the neighborhood. If the council approves the proposal, construction would begin in November and wrap up by May 2027, per the final development plan, though that timeline remains contingent on the outcome of the Oct. 26 vote.
