Overview
- A backyard pool gathering on Westchester Way surged into a crowd police estimated at a couple hundred people, with neighbors reporting blocked driveways, heavy parking and public intoxication during the June 13 weekend event.
- Birmingham officers responded several times between midafternoon and evening, dispersed the crowd by about 9:30 p.m., issued parking and noise citations to the host and homeowner, and arrested one out‑of‑town visitor for driving with a suspended license.
- The city opened an investigation and concluded that renting a private residential pool to a third party violates single‑family zoning, and officials said multiple citations are being issued to the property owner and the party host.
- The homeowner says the party was hosted by a friend, denies it was booked through Swimply or another rental app, and says the gathering ended as planned while also reporting online harassment and doxxing of his family.
- Residents and leaders raised the incident at a joint city commission and planning board meeting where the event was linked to an April Airbnb shooting, and policymakers said the episode could push Birmingham toward tighter short‑term rental enforcement and new rules.