UPDATED: New and Upcoming Projects. (Birmingham, Montgomery: teaching, bookstore, therapy)

[magiccity3]

I absolutely love all of the density increase all these projects are bringing. It will keep building on itself as we go too. I'm surprised a few of the surface lots in the city center haven't sold yet, I'm sure it will happen in the next few years.

[bhamblazer]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

^from the article...

The forum would be located on Seventh Avenue North between 16th and 17th streets. A portion of the property is owned by the city of Birmingham, and a portion is owned by Alabama Power Co. It is located across from Kelly Ingram Park and across the street from the historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. It is located in an Opportunity Zone.

Part of the area they have listed as "future expansion" is currently the APCO Credit Union HQ. I know it would be multiple years out, but it seems like they could pick another underutilized block nearby rather than knocking down a fairly new building.

[bhamblazer]

Originally Posted by magiccity3

I absolutely love all of the density increase all these projects are bringing. It will keep building on itself as we go too. I'm surprised a few of the surface lots in the city center haven't sold yet, I'm sure it will happen in the next few years.

No doubt. All these projects keep snowballing the density effect. As much as downtown has changed in the last decade, I think the change from 2019 to 2029 will be even more dramatic. History would say we'll likely have to contend with a recession at some point in the decade which would slow things down. However, I think the biggest landmine we need to avoid is Regions getting acquired.

[bfmx1]

Originally Posted by bhamblazer

No doubt. All these projects keep snowballing the density effect. As much as downtown has changed in the last decade, I think the change from 2019 to 2029 will be even more dramatic. History would say we'll likely have to contend with a recession at some point in the decade which would slow things down. However, I think the biggest landmine we need to avoid is Regions getting acquired.

That's a topic for a new thread ha. If Regions is acquired, yes it will be bad but I think there's some good news there too. It would allow Birmingham to come into it's own so to speak (makes little sense probably). It would allow the organic parts of the city to do their thing. It would probably shrink, be less attractive to other economic activity, but the cool parts, IMO, would shine brighter.

Look at Ashville, NC. No big corporations there, yet it's a city content on being not HUGE and they do their thing very well. It's a lovely place to go.

Birmingham has enough home-grown-ness to be ok and might even allow itself to morph into its own.

Maybe then it will shed the comparisonitus problem to its more successful neighbors and grow an identity of its own. I feel like it's trying to do that now.

[bhamblazer]

I sort of get where you're coming from, but losing a Fortune 500 company in no way would be a positive in my opinion. Birmingham needs to grow, not shrink. In order for cool areas to thrive, it takes people with money to spend. If Regions went away you're talking about 6k well paying white collar jobs disappearing.

[cherokee48]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

^from the article...

The forum would be located on Seventh Avenue North between 16th and 17th streets. A portion of the property is owned by the city of Birmingham, and a portion is owned by Alabama Power Co. It is located across from Kelly Ingram Park and across the street from the historic Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. It is located in an Opportunity Zone.

That is a very good location, it puts it across the street diagonally from the BCRI as well. That would be some good infill for that area of downtown.

[magiccity3]

Surprise of the year might be Lakeview Green starting construction before Midtown III...

https://www.bizjournals.com/birmingh..._news_headline

"A major mixed-use project in Birmingham’s Southside neighborhood is expected to start coming out of the ground in the next few months.

Stewart/Perry Co. is beginning construction work on Lakeview Green, a project by Birmingham-based developer KRE Ventures, which recently secured funding though the Opportunity Zones program.

Located at the former Birmingham Board of Education’s Davis School property at 2901 Fourth Ave. S., it’s a mixed-use project that will come with 30 condos for sale, 73 apartments for rent and about 38,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space in addition to green space with a koi pond, river and waterfalls.

Foundation and site work are expected to last about two to three months."

[bhamblazer]

Here's the website of the Global Forum. It's advisory council is quite a who's who of people both from Birmingham and around the country.

https://www.freedomandjustice.com/

[TimCity2000]

wow. amazing list of people indeed.

i really hope this comes to fruition.

[TimCity2000]

this whole announcement seems a little odd... maybe being a birmingham resident has taught me to be cautiously optimistic haha.

for example: i looked at their instagram page, and if you scroll to the bottom, there is a post from April 27, 2018 with what appears to be the exact same rendering, but it mentions montgomery as the location, not birmingham:

@oasisofjustice

but the main page (and the renderings from the articles) clearly show birmingham.

maybe it was originally slated for montgomery, but they think it might get more financial support here? no clue...