tedo420

I don't know if anyone has reported this or not. Bayer properties is starting to work on plans for the Pizitz Building. The builder is bidding out work for it already. Plans call for two floors to be added to the top. The first 3 stories will be retail, then a couple of floors of office space, then residential occupying the top floors and the two added floors. Plans call for a cafe, also bayer is in talks with Publix about a mid sized urban market in the first floor. I've seen the design and I'm not impressed with the look of the added floors, they are very modern but seems they need some more thought in order to tie it in with the old.

In order for the entertainment district to be successful you need locals, can't just rely on conventioneers, I don't think locals will give up quaint historic areas for some fake, theme park like, main street district, and I know the independent chefs in Birmingham would agree. In my opinion the BJCC should have been developed around the Lakeview district back in the 70's, just imagine what that area would be like today if it had. Look at Atlanta there district around Georgia dome took years to finally attract development, not to mention all the money they poured into it, ie the Olympics, centennial park, a huge aquarium, we don't have those capabilities. The entertainment zone needs to be around one of our many historic districts to be able to thrive for years to come.

Pics of the new mixed use buildings going at Homewood gardens Apts.

The 16 story Marx/Brown tower will be renovated into 100 or so condos. A new 6 story parking deck will be added to the old tower. First two floors will be retail with coffee shop, cafe, market and deli, there will also be a bar on the 16th story of the building. An enclosed roof top pool, fitness center/spa will also be on site. Units will range from 75,000 for a studio too 1.2 million for a penthouse. Some units will have terraces and even fireplaces in them.

Colonial Properties are in talks with the city of Homewood about building a new 9 story office tower next to Parisian at Brookwood mall. The building will have retail on the ground floor and the top floors will house the offices for all the OTM/ Birmingham workers.

http://www.opuscorp.com/assets/img/project...gsabir_o_02.jpg http://www.opuscorp.com/assets/img/project...gsabir_o_03.jpg http://www.opuscorp.com/assets/img/project...gsabir_o_04.jpg http://www.opuscorp.com/assets/img/project...gsabir_o_03.jpg http://www.opuscorp.com/assets/img/project...gsabir_o_01.jpg http://www.opuscorp.com/assets/img/project...gsabir_o_01.jpg The new Social security building near the civil rights district of downtown Birmingham broke ground early January. Over a 100 million dollar investment, 570,000 sq ft is said to jump start that area of town, it will house over 2,000 employees. More projects nearby to be announced. SSB will be a GREEN/enviromental friendly building. I took out the images, but left the links to them. Those were entirely too large. When posting pictures, please make sure that they are an appropriate size. -Spartan

Several condo projects in hot locations have been announced. A seven story 60 unit condo tower will rise next to 280 between Mtn Brook and Hollywood, at the old PT's /Mexican Lindo/Coffee Shoppe site. Plans call for high dollar units to include doorman, fitness center, pool, grand Foyer, views of botanical gardens and the zoo. Will be some high end retail as well. Cobble stone drive with fountain and coverd retunda in the front will compliment this French/old Mtn Brook design this site will have. The site behind workplay, with an old 4 story building, will be converted to condos by adding a fifth story, to make way for 35 condos, will include roof top pool, fitness center , retaill on the 1st floor, and a new 2 story retail building next to the old one, really cool industrial design by Cohen.

Large 50 to 60 million condo/mixed use project is going to take the place of 3 old apartment complexes in Clairmont. The 3 complexes containg 180 or so units will be razed to make way for multiple midrise condo buildings and retail overlooking Highland Golfcourse. Unit prices 300 to 900's.

Birmingham Alabama has more miles of canals than Venice Italy.

Are these rumblings any kind of reliable source? Anything I post is something I read, or heard through somebody in the construction, development field.

No, VHHS 2003.

Is your name by chance Matt Bailey? The downtown tower will not be announced till they find a site. But like many projects around town that are new construction, they sell out quickly, so there is no need for early marketing. Also they don't want to create a bunch of hype if this thing falls through, they do all the time. If it is announced I bet about three others will be announced right behind the first. Some guy is just waiting for someone else to make the first move. As for the Homewood project it wouldn't suprise me if they make a newspaper announcement after all the units sell out. SoHo never even had a website, nothing. I'm interested in how much retail they will be putting in at University Village and its unit size.

Xmatt85, I grew up in Vestavia Hills. Did you graduate from VHHS?

Blazer couldn't find the past bham news article, it's too old I couldn't pull it up. I get most my info off al.com , but here is an old site that talks about brookwood. http://retailtrafficmag.com/mag/retail_tur...hams_brookwood/

Here is a link to the University Park project, Not much looks like a damn waiting list. After Soho these guys learned they don't have to do any marketing to sell these things, they sell themselves. www.thevillageatuniversitypark.com/register.html

It's been awhile, I think last year Daniel Corp, thats who owns the Mountain Brook Inn reached an agreement to share the property between the cities of homewood and Mountain Brook. . It passed rather quickly because the buyers of the condos would likely not have students in their school systems. I've found these development companies are very hush-hush about there properties, till thay put them on the market. A tower wll be built though, I think their trying to work out what else to put with it, also if they can cut an additional road though to homewood, without getting on 280. As for Brookwood mall, the expansion is speculative, although I see an them adding a department store, Nordstrom. The guys at Colonial said earlier this year to the bham news that they had big plans for the site, condos, hotel, office. Its really a no brainer. You have a hot, new, streetscape lifestyle center located in some of he highest income demographics in alabama. The old run-down Brunos is a waste of space and has way to big of a parking lot, not including all that crap behind it. The land is worth too much. Where there's money to be made somebody will make it.

Blazer I hope your source is accurate. This really is great news for Birmingham, It makes sense though. You have all this condo conversion, restoration going on, the demand for downtown living has been unbelievable. These units sell out before they even start construction. The new constructed buildings are just now starting to gain pace, combined with that kind of demand the sky is the limit. The next five years will be condos and hotels. All over Birmingham sites are being developed. Homewood's University Park, is an entire mixed use village right across form Samford. The old Mountain Brook Inn will be demolished and replaced with a 15 story + condo tower. Brookwood Mall will expand and take over the brunos strip center, Condo and office and hotel towers will be added. And for downtown with all the available land and buildings for sale this will growth will be even more evident downtown. After you get a base of people downtown tthe commercial and office space will follow. As for the hotels I know the one at The Summit will likely be very high-end and wil be at least 12 stories. Downtown's hotel sizes might depend more on the Dome.

The new building is being built on their parking lot. So yes the old building will be torn down making way for a new parking deck. The ole downtown flip flop.

I know there is a height limit on downtown buildings because of the flight path over downtown to a certain runway at the Bham airport. Is this the runway that is being extended?

Yes, I agree with you about the grid system. It will be helpful in the future, something that most all southern cities don't have. It goes hand in hand with my comment about Birmingham being a Northern type southern city. I'm not saying that Birmingham needs to tear down every old Building, but there are some structures that are not pleasing to the eye. These might be industrial buildings, or car lots, butler buildings, Birmingham has lots of these, mostly in Midtown. If your driving through Birmingham for these first time on I-65 what do you see? I've had out f town friends ask me where are all the trees. Birmingham needs to get a fast track plan to turn some of these into parks or better looking new buildings all in the DPZ design, I hate the Suburbs; office parks, strip centers, interstates; even though we all most likely lived there at one time.