UPDATED: New and Upcoming Projects. (Valley, Centre: walkable, renovations, resident)

[cherokee48]

Originally Posted by jero23

https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingh...ntives-to.html



The City of Birmingham has set the trend regionally and nationally on incentives for tech start-ups to rapidly grow while reinvesting into their local area. This is a major game changer for the region on economic development standpoint. This is how Birmingham will stimulate economic development and more job creation will occur. Unlike its regional peers it is not so much poaching HQs from other places instead stimulating and growing local companies into major HQs in place. This will bring the City back to where it was back in the 90s and pre-recession 2000s as home to several major corporate HQs but almost all of them were homegrown companies.

Birmingham is definitely trending into the direction it needs to be position the market back toward 90%+ office space absorption thus opening the landscape for new office and mixed use developments with major office components in the next 5 years. Ultimately, in the direction of steady population growth for the City and metro area.

This is the part that has piqued my interest the most and has turned the old model of doing business on its head, even locally suburbs poaching business from others has been a barrier to a more efficient regional government and economy. I hope to see more economic development of this caliber continue for the city and metro as this would certainly put us back on the path of a very strong economy and healthy population growth. Rather than raiding other cities for their HQ's we are developing our own and as you pointed out traditionally many of our major corporate HQ's were homegrown, I don't think that is coincidence. I hope this trend continues as Birmingham has quietly become a trendsetter in the tech start up world for incentive packages for growing companies.

[cherokee48]

3rd phase of 20 Midtown finally getting started
http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/in...etail_spa.html

[jero23]

Originally Posted by cherokee48

3rd phase of 20 Midtown finally getting started
http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/in...etail_spa.html

I'm just surprised it basically only 4-5 stories in height. If I were a developer I would be aiming more towards 10+ stories in height at this point since that's not within the FAA require flight path for the northern part of the City Center. I would definitely recommend future developments add to street life with ground-level active uses and add skyline with a little more height for the Midtown area.

[jero23]

Originally Posted by cherokee48

This is the part that has piqued my interest the most and has turned the old model of doing business on its head, even locally suburbs poaching business from others has been a barrier to a more efficient regional government and economy. I hope to see more economic development of this caliber continue for the city and metro as this would certainly put us back on the path of a very strong economy and healthy population growth. Rather than raiding other cities for their HQ's we are developing our own and as you pointed out traditionally many of our major corporate HQ's were homegrown, I don't think that is coincidence. I hope this trend continues as Birmingham has quietly become a trendsetter in the tech start up world for incentive packages for growing companies.

Yeah, Birmingham needs to be positioning itself for more of that homegrown HQs. The difference with this time of around it will be a sector that recruits more outsiders than the first time around. Birmingham needs more new inward migration from other parts of the nation and world to help solidify its reputation as a world-class, and globalized city.

[TimCity2000]

Originally Posted by cherokee48

3rd phase of 20 Midtown finally getting started
http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/in...etail_spa.html

interesting note from the article: the first two buildings are 100% leased.

[cherokee48]

Originally Posted by jero23

I'm just surprised it basically only 4-5 stories in height. If I were a developer I would be aiming more towards 10+ stories in height at this point since that's not within the FAA require flight path for the northern part of the City Center. I would definitely recommend future developments add to street life with ground-level active uses and add skyline with a little more height for the Midtown area.

I was hopeful for more stories as well but I guess we have to settle for the infill for now, I would have loved to see something similar to what is going up in 5 Points South down there, 17 would look good in that spot.

[MinivanDriver]

Speaking of Midtown, anybody know what's up with the old Liberty National building? I noticed scaffolding up there recently.



Personally, I think it would take one helluva imaginative architect to make that thing look good.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHb11cPt-jg

[cherokee48]

Originally Posted by jero23

Yeah, Birmingham needs to be positioning itself for more of that homegrown HQs. The difference with this time of around it will be a sector that recruits more outsiders than the first time around. Birmingham needs more new inward migration from other parts of the nation and world to help solidify its reputation as a world-class, and globalized city.

That's right, recruiting educated workers from other parts of the country will be a much needed boost to the population figures and help balance out the brain drain the area has been dealing with for the last few years. Getting more eyes opened to the city and what it has to offer on a national and international level to skilled workers and their families is an understated benefit to recruiting outside of the area.

[Birmingslammed]

Originally Posted by MinivanDriver

Speaking of Midtown, anybody know what's up with the old Liberty National building? I noticed scaffolding up there recently.



Personally, I think it would take one helluva imaginative architect to make that thing look good.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHb11cPt-jg

Everything has been dead in the water on that project since it last exchanged hands. There were legitimate plans for demo at one point but it changed when it was bought back out of foreclosure from the previous party who had lost it. It was a pretty complicated deal to follow, lots of speculation, asbestos removal, etc., but I would imagine it'll be some time before any significant news will come out again.

[jero23]

https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingh...southtown.html

The first option includes densified residential space, retail space, two hotels – including one extended stay option – and professional services office space. The second option included many of the same components but also added medical office space, since the property is near St. Vincent’s as well as the Birmingham VA Annex. The third option moved the retail space into the interior of the community near the residential space.

Brasher said there are no plans for standalone retail space, but that it will all be integrated into other buildings.

Most of the concepts created a buffer of sorts between University Boulevard and the actual residential housing so the redevelopment has a community feel. All of the concepts also included green spaces and plazas to encourage interaction. Ponds and water features are also included to retain rain water on the property.

From a streetscape perspective, preliminary plans include ways to slow traffic on 24th Street South so people won’t use it as a cut-through, and for extending Magnolia Avenue into the community as a better connection to Five Points South.

The preliminary Southtown redevelopment has been announced. The mixed use development appears to have at least two large hotels proposed, residential, commercial, and a large office component. The project is set for groundbreaking and construction in late 2019. One thing that stands out is the addition of more hotel rooms which is need for incoming conferences and conventions for the BJCC. Another thing is making the core of Birmingham more into a major 24/7 activity center.