UPDATED: New and Upcoming Projects. (Birmingham, Montgomery: salaries, rapes, liberal)

[mcalumni01]

I have tried to tell you guys for years now. It's been that way.

[GotLuv4Bham]

Originally Posted by mcalumni01

I have tried to tell you guys for years now. It's been that way.

Lol! Some things don't even deserve to be responded to! Smh!
The cultural amenities, liveliness, dense urbanity, so on and so forth of our city center is unmatched anywhere in the State of Alabama! Not even close! One would only have to spend 15 minutes in both city's cores to quickly realize how much of a non-competition this is!

[mcalumni01]

Originally Posted by GotLuv4Bham

Lol! Some things don't even deserve to be responded to! Smh!
The cultural amenities, liveliness, dense urbanity, so on and so forth of our city center is unmatched anywhere in the State of Alabama! Not even close! One would only have to spend 15 minutes in both city's cores to quickly realize how much of a non-competition this is!

It's not a competition on this end, more so on that end. It's always been the attitude there. And now that the U.S. census has designated them "largest in the state", it's making that attitudes 10X worse.

Didn't mean to derail the thread....BACK TO ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING...

[TimCity2000]

another distribution/logistics facility (although speculative - no tenant). this will be near the giant Amazon fulfillment center in Bessemer:

Graham & Co. plans $30 million industrial development in Bessemer


A Birmingham company has plans to bring a 311,900 square foot development to Bessemer.

Graham & Company will construct a large cross-load industrial facility off of Powder Plant Road. The project is in the design and permitting phase with a projected completion in the fourth quarter of 2022. The company anticipates a tenant size of 80,000 square feet or more.

The Academy Logistics Center will be a distribution center built on about 36 acres offering cross-dock loading, ample trailer storage capability and high ceiling clearances to maximize racking ability. According to Jack Brown, senior vice president of the industrial group for the developers, this logistics center is one of the first speculative and possibly first multi-tenant development to have ceiling clearances of 36 feet.

The new facility will also feature concrete tilt wall construction, 66 dock doors, two drive-in doors and two 60-foot speed bays.

The building is a speculative project, which means it will be built before a tenant is secured. In this case, Graham & Company is building it to accommodate the need for more industrial space in the Jefferson County area.

“We feel like this type of product is underserved right now and is certainly a catalyst for job creation, and we've seen that take place up at the speculative buildings that we built at Daniel Payne,” said Henry Graham, vice president of development at Graham and Company. “So, we are optimistic that we can replicate that success in investment and ultimately, we want to be a creator and an economic force for jobs all across Alabama.”

The development is a 1031 exchange, which uses a law under the Alabama Tax Code to defer taxes on the sale of a different property if the profits are reinvested into the new project.

Academy Logistics Center will be in close proximity to the Amazon Distribution Center, Mercedes Benz U.S. International, and Jefferson Metropolitan Park. The building site is located near two access points to Interstate 20/59 at Exit 108 and Exit 110.

“We’re working with Jefferson County Department of Transportation on a new drive that would be signalized with a stoplight,” said Graham.

The stoplight would be located at the intersection of Splash Adventure Parkway, Powder Plant Road, and the facility’s new drive.

For this project, Graham & Company has partnered with CCI civil engineering company and Arco Design/Build of Atlanta, who is also a collaborator on the TSF Sportswear distribution center being built off Lakeshore Parkway. Bradley Arant has also assisted with the legal work on the project.

“We work well as a team and are working well with Jefferson County and the folks with the city of Bessemer that are going to all have to be instrumental in helping us meet this timeline that we think is achievable and will really help this building be available when we think some deals that are going to be coming into the market later this year,” said Graham.

The developers broke ground on another speculative industrial project in 2021, the Crossroads Commerce Center, located off Daniel Payne Drive near Hooper City.

Henry Graham is leading the development team and Jack Brown and Sonny Culp will handle leasing for Academy Logistics Center. The company hopes to have the facility fully leased by January 2023.

[OldBankhead]

That's a lot of speculation on their part. What ever data they are looking at most bode very well for their expected ROI. This is exactly the news we like to hear in light of 22's existence and Birmingham's position as a hub along the 20 corridor. Amazon and Smuckers and Publix will help draw others.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by OldBankhead

That's a lot of speculation on their part. What ever data they are looking at most bode very well for their expected ROI. This is exactly the news we like to hear in light of 22's existence and Birmingham's position as a hub along the 20 corridor. Amazon and Smuckers and Publix will help draw others.

Lots of reshoring industry going on right now. A huge amount. The next ten years will be the most rapid industrialization in the history of the country since World War II.


Globalization is coming to an end. This guy does a better job explaining it than anyone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMGSz5ntWLI Probably the most worthwhile hour you'll spend this week.

[Zachadoo92]

Originally Posted by mcalumni01

It's not a competition on this end, more so on that end. It's always been the attitude there. And now that the U.S. census has designated them "largest in the state", it's making that attitudes 10X worse.

Didn't mean to derail the thread....BACK TO ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING...

Certainly doesn’t help that the whole freaking state has been doing everything in its power to cheer on and subsidize Huntsville at every opportunity. Huntsville is the love child of Montgomery and the federal government agencies.

Just imagine what Birmingham COULD be with half the support that Montgomery receives?

[BamaDave]

I never have really understood a rivalry between Birmingham and Huntsville, as they are such different cities with different histories and occupying different niches. I was at a work retreat last summer, and a member of the Huntsville Chamber spoke (I work in the Decatur-Huntsville area). Lots and lots of comparisons between the two cities with the emphasis on why Huntsville is so much better. I like both cities and don't really see them as peers in competition.

[TimCity2000]

Originally Posted by BamaDave

I never have really understood a rivalry between Birmingham and Huntsville, as they are such different cities with different histories and occupying different niches. I was at a work retreat last summer, and a member of the Huntsville Chamber spoke (I work in the Decatur-Huntsville area). Lots and lots of comparisons between the two cities with the emphasis on why Huntsville is so much better. I like both cities and don't really see them as peers in competition.

Frankly, it sounds like insecurity on BOTH sides, in my opinion. And I hesitate even responding to it because now I feel like I'm just contributing to it.

If you're a Huntsvillian, of course there's a sense of pride that accompanies being declared the largest city in the state. Especially when even 10-20 years ago there was such a large population gap between the two cities. Admit it, it's a cool title to have. I think every one of us on here would love to reclaim it, even if it is a somewhat meaningless metric. Combine that with several big economic wins of late and impressive growth, and it's not hard to understand why there's so much excitement. Plus they've gotten several nice amenities that often signify a certain stature among cities which make it easy to compare to us (Cheesecake Factory, Trader Joe's, etc). But I agree, when you read a Huntsville poster say something like "It does seem wasted there" (referring to Birmingham getting an Alamo Draft House and not them) there's a smack of entitlement that doesn't seem warranted or earned. But still, why let it get to you? How is your life significantly impacted by it?

For some Birminghamsters (what are we called, anyways?), I sense an inferiority complex and even a hint of resentment. Yes, Birmingham is still the largest metro in the state, but Huntsville has had success in some areas that we would love to see here (I'd take that amphitheater (if it were downtown), or an AC Hotel, or Cabela's, etc any day). It feels like a lot of you are looking over your shoulder in fear because Huntsville is gaining speed quickly, and you feel the need to "put them in their place". Especially when we're not performing as well (in terms of population/job growth) among our own peers. Just remember... if/when the Huntsville metro passes Birmingham in a few decades, you'll need a different excuse. I think there is also resentment that a lot of the success is federally driven (NASA, FBI, Redstone) so it feels a little like a handout, whereas Birmingham's successes, while smaller, are more rooted in our entrepreneurs and the foresight of those who turned UAB into what it has become (and yes, obviously Huntsville has plenty of successful startup stories and UAH). Huntsville is the "it" city of Alabama at the moment, and that positive PR goes a long way. Meanwhile we still have to deal with stereotypes from the '60s and a general negative image based on socioeconomics. But for those of us who have lived here for a while, it's hard to be anything but optimistic based on where we were 10-15 years ago. I would love for our population growth to turn around and be on the level of Huntsville, but I still think we have a bright future ahead of us. Let's focus on those things that make us unique in the state (our Downtown, UAB, banking / healthcare) and keep developing those things that are showing promise (logistics / transportation / tech startups).

[OldBankhead]

It's a little deeper than that to me. We can have "fun" adding up who got what first, and how many high end grocery stores one has versus the other but the bottom line is a lot of people like to throw stones at Birmingham because it's liberal, or democratic, or a majority black run city and that somehow makes it bad to begin with. You can never really pin (some of) them down on it, they just lace their comments with dog whistles and pretend their comments are too air tight to argue with or decipher because that's not what they really meant.

So when someone says something ignorant like "It's wasted there" are they really that dumb to think there aren't enough people here to support it? or that the Alamo people didn't do their research, or are they really saying "those people" aren't worthy enough to have it over their sparkling metropolis of perfection full of superiority chock full of their preferred demographic?