Real Estate Update: April 2020

Bought/Sold/Leased

1. UAB announced recently that it will build a new Science and Engineering Complex costing $78.5 million. There will be 145,784 square feet of space for teaching, laboratories and offices, according to UAB Media Relations. The new complex will replace the current Education Building on 14th Street South between University Boulevard and 10th Avenue South.

2. Retailer Warby Parker and co-working facility Forge plan to enlarge their facilities at The Pizitz mixed-use redevelopment downtown in 2020, according to a Bayer Properties news release. Warby Parker, a national chain that offers designer eyewear, opened its first Alabama location at The Pizitz in 2017. The retailer plans to expand its retail space by the fall. Forge opened on the mezzanine above The Pizitz Food Hall in 2017 and has expanded several times. With its upcoming final expansion, Forge will have four open seating areas, an event space, 17 private offices, three team offices, 25 dedicated desks, three conference rooms and one podcast/conference room, according to founder and CEO Kim Lee.

3. Community Care Development Network recently moved to a new location at 508 82nd St. N. in East Lake, according to the nonprofit’s newsletter. A faith-based organization, CCDN offers family and life services, mentoring, education and community outreach, according to its website.

4. Thanks to a budget surplus for Fiscal Year 2019, the City of Birmingham will be able to carry out some important capital projects. The City Council, at its regular meeting for Feb. 10, voted to spend an additional $2.6 million for the construction of a new cell at the Eastern Area Landfill at 2787 Alton Road, another $900,000 toward the renovation of the Carver Theatre and the Jazz Hall of Fame downtown and an additional $1.2 million for drainage improvements at the Sixth Avenue Viaduct. Flooding along Sixth Avenue South has been a serious issue for years, said Councilor Crystal Smitherman. “I’m glad that the surplus money in our budget can be used to fix an issue like this, one that impacts nearly every single person who lives on this side of town,” Smitherman said in a City Council news release. The city will also give its employees a cost-of-living pay raise.

5. The Birmingham Barons will open their 2020 season at Regions Field on April 9 with a five-game homestand against the Rocket City Trash Pandas. Fans will see some recent improvements to the stadium. As part of a marketing partnership with Dread River Distilling Co. in Birmingham, the Barons have changed the name of the Regions Field Club Lounge to the Dread River Lounge. The 3,500-square-foot facility offers concessions, a bar, televisions and comfortable new AirFlow Mesh balcony seating. The breathable seats allow air to flow through the individual strands of an elastomeric mesh, thereby reducing the temperature of the seat surface by up to 65 degrees. The cushioned seat pan and back distributes weight evenly, making fans more comfortable. The seats dry quickly after a rain. The Barons have also extended the protective netting at Regions Field further down the first- and third-base lines. 2020 will be the eighth season for the Barons at Regions Field.

6. The building housing Five Points Paint & Hardware, located at 1000 20th St. S. in Five Points South, was approved recently for historic tax credits by the National Park Service, according to Birmingham Business Journal. Owner Wayne Cleage plans to add a new roof and some air conditioning.

New Construction

7. Legacy Arena will close on April 2 for an 18-month expansion and renovation project, according to a news release from the BJCC. Interior renovations will include structural and non-structural work and, in some cases, the complete replacement of components. Exterior renovations will include modifications and alterations to the building envelope and loading docks as well as sitework, landscaping and hardscaping.

Construction Update

8. Construction continues on Ascend Five Points South, a 17-story apartment building on the former site of The Break pool hall at the corner of 20th Street and 10th Avenue South. The developer is The Opus Group, based in Minnesota, in a joint venture with The McKinney Fund. Construction, which began in January, is slated for completion prior to the fall semester in 2020, according to an Opus Group spokesperson. The apartment building, which will be marketed primarily to UAB students, will include 199 units accommodating 522 residents, according to the developer’s website. Myefski Architects and Auburn-based Rabren General Contractors are working on the project. Creative License International is the interior designer.

9. Renovation work continues at Shipt Tower — formerly the Wells Fargo building — at 1901 Sixth Ave. N. downtown. Birmingham tech firm Shipt announced in January 2019 it would become the building’s anchor tenant. Some Shipt employees have already moved into the building, according to a company spokesperson. Phase 2 of construction — the renovation of 17,000 square feet of space on the eighth floor for use as offices, a training area, work stations and conference rooms — began in December and is scheduled for completion in mid-April, said a spokesperson for the general contractor, Wiggins Building Corporation. Phase 3, consisting of the renovations of 17,000 square feet on the ninth floor for Shipt, should begin soon and be completed by May. Demolition of existing offices on the floor has been completed. In Phase 4, the first floor in the former Wells Fargo Bank area will be renovated. Demolition has already begun in this area and construction is scheduled for completion this summer.

10. Demolition and excavation are underway at the site of a new $25 million arts campus for Red Mountain Theatre Company, according to a spokesperson for the nonprofit. The campus is located at 1600 Third Ave. S. adjacent to Regions Field. LIVE Design Group are the architects. Brasfield & Gorrie is the general contractor. Harbert Realty Services will manage the project. Construction should be complete in summer 2021.

11. Repair work continues on the 36th Street Bridge in Wylam. The city of Birmingham began the project in January with completion expected in June. The road must be fully closed to allow for a full demolition and rebuild, according to a city news release. To see suggested detour routes, go to birminghamal.gov/wylambridge.

12. Construction is underway at the Dewberry Building, located at 3201 Fourth Ave. S. in the Lakeview district. The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s 1917 Clinic, the state’s largest HIV health care unit, will occupy 50,664 square feet and expects to move in late 2020 or early 2021. Birmingham AIDS Outreach will also move into the building. Brasfield & Gorrie is the general contractor, Farris Properties is the developer and KPS Group is the architect.

13. Construction continues on the Avenue A townhomes, a project with 28 two- and three-bedroom townhomes along The Rotary Trail in the 2300 block of First Avenue South. The project is being developed by H2 Real Estate and The Dobbins Group.

14. Work continues on the renovation of the historic former New Ideal department store downtown for use as The New Ideal Lofts, consisting of 44 micro, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units and 3,500 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor. H2 Real Estate is the listing company for the project.

15. Construction is more than 20 percent complete on a renovation of the former Business Engineering Complex at UAB, according to UAB Media Relations. Interior framing and the rough-in are to follow demolition. Projected completion is August 2020. The facility will house the School of Education.

16. UAB expects to complete construction of the new $60 million Residence Hall 2020 on 10th Avenue South between 16th and 17th Streets by June or July, according to UAB Media Relations. The dorm will accommodate 720 undergraduates. At press time, construction was more than 60 percent complete, and work was in progress on the concrete structure; exterior framing, sheathing and brick; and interior partitions.

17. Construction is underway for the new $19.2 million UAB Technology Innovation Center, to be located at 17th Street South and Ninth Avenue South, according to UAB Media Relations. At press time, steel installation was underway. Set to open in early 2021, the center, measuring 40,000 square feet, will house campus internet connectivity and technology infrastructure.

18. A renovation of the old Snoozy’s Bookstore on campus to house the UAB Honors College should be completed by May 2020, according to UAB Media Relations. The cost to renovate the two-story, 11,000-square-foot building is about $2.7 million. The exterior grounds will be landscaped as a courtyard. At press time, construction was more than 50 percent complete.

19. Site work is underway on the new program services campus for United Way of Central Alabama, which is located at 3600 Eighth Ave. S. in Avondale. The renovation of the former Overlook Building at 3620 Eighth Ave. S. adjacent to the UWCA headquarters is expected to take about nine months, said a spokesperson for the nonprofit. The UWCA purchased the 35,000-squarefoot building, formerly the offices of Ram Tool, in 2018. The organization has selected Stewart/Perry as its general contractor.

Openings/Closures

20. Seasick Records, an independent record store, moved from Crestwood to a new location in Avondale in early March. The new store is located in a retail strip on Fourth Avenue South adjacent to Continental Gin that also contains such local businesses as Ore Mercantile, Sheppard’s Pet Supply, Sanctum Tattoos and Comics and the restaurant Troplcaleo.

21. Real & Rosemary restaurant opened at The Summit in February in a space measuring 1,970 square feet. This is the second location for the eatery. The original location is in Homewood. Bayer Properties also announced in February that the North Italia restaurant chain will open its first Alabama location at The Summit this fall.

Coming Soon

22. Battle Republic, a boxing-inspired fitness studio located at 2800 18th St. S. in downtown Homewood, announced in February that it will open a second location at The Summit retail center. The gym said it hopes to open the new facility by May 2020. The Homewood location opened in early 2019. The new Battle Republic Summit will be located next to the new REI Co-Op.