Neighbors describe chaotic illegal pool party; city says tickets issued and pledges tighter enforcement

At a June 15 joint meeting, dozens of Birmingham residents described a large paid pool event in a single-family neighborhood that, they said, left streets blocked, parents afraid to let children play outside and at least one vehicle struck in a hit-and-run.

Mayor (addressing the meeting) said the administration and public safety staff had investigated the incident, and City Manager Jenna Ecker told the commission that multiple tickets had been issued and that the pool use was illegal under Birmingham’s zoning ordinance because private pools may not be rented for public events in single-family districts. She introduced Captain Simpson of the Birmingham Police Department and Building Official Jeff Zilke to describe the violations and next steps.

“For those who don’t know me, I’m Captain Simpson,” the investigations captain said, summarizing the police response: officers received noise and traffic complaints beginning about 4 p.m.; later in the evening decibel readings exceeded the limits and the party was shut down. Simpson said police issued misdemeanor citations to the homeowner and to the event host for permitting a disorderly gathering, breach of the peace and public-nuisance violations, and that mutual-aid partners and traffic enforcement produced at least one arrest.

Building Official Jeff Zilke said the property had three open building permits (pool, deck and a detached garage) and that citations had been issued to clear outstanding permit violations. He said the event had been advertised as a commercial use and thus violated zoning rules for single-family residential streets.

Several residents said police response was hampered by competing calls. “They were getting called to accidents on Woodward and other issues,” said Brian Homer, a neighbor, adding that while mutual aid can help, residents want the city to prevent repeat incidents. Multiple speakers said officers did speak with event security and that in at least one instance officers contacted the host by phone.

Neighbors described specific harms: Sam Elnajar, who said he lives two houses from the property, told the commission the street was blocked, that more than 200 people attended and that cars were driven over lawns; James McCarthy and others reported a hit-and-run that damaged a resident’s vehicle. Several speakers described public lewdness, public intoxication and ATVs riding on sidewalks where children play.

Residents repeatedly asked what enforcement steps the city could take to prevent similar events. The mayor said the city would pursue changes to short-term-rental and zoning enforcement over the coming months and described efforts to coordinate police and code enforcement. Officials also said some parts of the enforcement matter (criminal violations) fall to police, while zoning and permitting violations will be handled by the city’s building and zoning staff.

The commission encouraged residents to document incidents and file reports so code and police records can be consolidated. Captain Simpson said police had compiled a crash report and that the investigation was ongoing.

The public-comment period produced numerous requests for swifter action, stronger cross-department data-sharing and, from some speakers, suggestions about requiring platform controls, minimum-night limits or additional permit conditions for any rental-based events. Officials urged patience while planning staff and legal counsel finish drafting ordinance language and enforcement options.

The action taken at the meeting was not a formal change in law: commissioners directed the planning board and staff to finish their research and to work with the city attorney on enforceable ordinance language. The mayor said existing licensed short-term rentals remain subject to current licenses and that immediate emergency changes were limited by prior procedural steps (a moratorium and pending legal review).