Real Estate Update: February 2021

Miscellaneous

1. UAB is planning to 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. At press time, a notice to proceed was expected in January.

2. The long-awaited redevelopment of the old Carraway Hospital site in Norwood took another step forward with a vote by the Birmingham City Council Dec. 29. Members voted to grant up to $13.2 million in incentives to the developer, Corporate Realty, which is doing the project as Northside Redevelopment LLC. There will be an initial cash incentive of $4.1 million for land acquisition and site improvements and up to $9.1 million in incentives based on future tax revenues generated by the project, according to the agenda item. The 41.5-acre project site includes the hospital complex and some adjoining parcels. The developer is planning a mixed-use development with residential, hotel, retail, office and entertainment uses at an estimated cost of $340 million. Robert Simon, CEO and president of Corporate Realty, said in a statement that demolition will begin in the spring, and that the project will involve “many Birmingham and minority-owned companies.”

3. The Birmingham City Council passed a resolution in December supporting the idea that Legion Field should be designated as a National Landmark and placed on the National Register of Historical Places maintained by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The stadium, once referred to as “The Football Capital of the South,” was built in 1927 and named to honor the American Legion. It has hosted hundreds of college football games, served as home for several professional football franchises and was the site of Olympic soccer matches, music concerts by artists like Pink Floyd and the Rolling Stones and revival meetings hosted by Billy Graham.

4. Pinky Cole, CEO and founder of Atlanta-based food purveyor Slutty Vegan, announced Dec. 23 she had bought a building on 55th Place North in Woodlawn that will serve as the first location for her restaurant outside of Georgia. Slutty Vegan will open in Woodlawn in 2021. Cole bought the building from REV Birmingham, a nonprofit economic development organization that owns commercial property in Woodlawn. “We specifically wanted to go into food deserts and locations right in the middle of economic and community revitalization,” Cole said, according to a REV Birmingham news release. It will be the fourth location for the restaurant, which makes plant-based comfort food and has attracted national attention for its vegan burgers.

5. Acclinate, a digital health company, announced recently it has moved its corporate headquarters from Huntsville to Birmingham. The company cited the Magic City’s focus on healthcare and technology, the success of minority-owned businesses here and, in part, due to the presence of UAB, according to a Birmingham Business Alliance news release. It will occupy 3,000 square feet in The Denham Building at 1143 First Ave. S. in Parkside. The company employs four full-time employees and seeks to grow that number soon.

6. An affiliate of local real estate firm Shannon Waltchack bought the 101 Parkside building at the corner of First Avenue and 12th Street South on Dec. 31 for $2.3 million, according to Birmingham Business Journal, citing public records. Graham & Co. represented the seller, Fun City North LLC, the BBJ reports.

7. The AT&T City Center, also known as the South Central Bell Building, at 600 19th St. N. downtown was named to the National Register of Historic Places in December, according to the Alabama Historical Commission. A 30-story, 390-foot office building, it was completed in 1971. The building was renamed the Bell South City Center after an $80 million renovation in 1988. AT&T bought BellSouth in 2006. The South Central Bell Building is historically significant because the company’s move to Birmingham helped the city emerge as a regional business hub after the Civil Rights turmoil of the 1960s, according to an AHC news release. The structure is also a significant example of an International Style skyscraper in Birmingham that reflected national trends. Developers, who purchased the building 2018, plan to turn it into a mixed-use facility.

New Construction

8. Demolition work was completed recently at the long-vacant Century Plaza, a regional mall at Crestwood Blvd. and Oporto-Madrid Blvd. that closed in 2009. The site will be redeveloped as an Amazon package delivery center. The demolition began in November, according to media reports.

Construction Update

9. Work continues on Mercantile on Morris, a mixed-use project downtown from Orchestra Partners, a real estate redevelopment firm. The project will feature 14,000 square feet of commercial space and 47 residential condo units. Located at 2212 Morris Avenue, the project will feature access from both First Avenue North and Morris Avenue, with a pedestrian plaza with storefronts connecting the two thoroughfares. Retail Specialists is currently pre-leasing the development.

10. Renovation work continues at the historic Carver Theatre, now known as the Carver Performing Arts Center, at 1631 Fourth Ave. N. downtown. The former movie house, built in 1935, is also home to the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, which manages the facility. Studio 2H Design is the architect and interior designer on the project, and Stone Building is the general contractor.

11. Work is underway on a project in Avondale from The Dobbins Group, a Birmingham real estate investment firm. The firm is investing $16.5 million in a 96-unit multifamily residential project at 4211 and 4241 Third Ave. S. The project will consist of two buildings containing 48 units each and should be completed by fall 2021. Arlington Construction Services will serve as general contractor.

12. Construction continues on Lakeview Green, a large mixed-use project located at 2901 Fourth Ave. S. in the Lakeview area. The development is at the site of the former Davis School, about a block away from Pepper Place. The project will include residential units, retail, restaurants and a large public green space.

13. Work continues on an 18-month expansion and renovation project at Legacy Arena. The facility was closed for construction beginning in April. Completion is expected in early November, according to a BJCC spokesperson. Demolition and infrastructure work are taking place inside the arena and a steel framework has been erected for the addition. Exterior renovations include modifications and alterations to the building envelope and loading docks as well as sitework, landscaping and hardscaping.

14. Construction is underway at Protective Stadium, an open-air facility at the BJCC. Recent developments include the construction of the press box and the steel structure for the scoreboard, and there has been substantial work on the suites, concessions and seating areas, according to a BJCC spokesperson. The facility should be finished in time for UAB Blazer football in fall 2021.

15. The new $19.2 million UAB Technology Innovation Center is under construction at 17th Street South and Ninth Avenue South. Construction is 95% complete. The center, measuring 40,000 square feet, will house campus internet connectivity and technology infrastructure and is set to open in March, according to UAB Media Relations.

16. Construction continues for a new $25 million arts campus for Red Mountain Theatre Company. The campus is located at 1600 Third Ave. S. adjacent to Regions Field. At press time, work underway included exterior painting, the pouring of sidewalks and carpet installation on the administration building, according to a TMTC spokesperson. 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.

17. Construction of Phase 1 of the new $60 million Residence Hall 2020 at UAB on 10th Avenue South between 16th and 17th Streets is nearly complete, according to UAB Media Relations. The dorm will accommodate 720 undergraduates.

18. Work continues on the city of Birmingham’s long-awaited construction job to ease flooding caused by heavy rains underneath the Sixth Avenue South CSX viaduct. The project involves the construction of about 4,000 linear feet of storm sewers of various sizes with connections to existing storm sewer systems. Estimated completion date of the entire project in February 2021. Updates are available at birminghamal.gov/sixth-ave-nue-south-drainage-project.

19. In the fall, UAB completed the interior renovation of the laboratories on the eighth and ninth floors in the McCallum Basic Science Building at 1918 University Blvd., as well as the installation of metal panels on the exterior of the eighth and ninth floors. Installation of metal panels on the exterior of floors two through seven is underway and is currently 75% complete, according to UAB Media Relations.

Openings/Closures

20. The UAB 1917 Clinic, the largest HIV health care unit in Alabama and one of the country’s preeminent HIV clinics, has relocated to the Dewberry Building at 3220 Fifth Ave. South in Lakeview. It opened its doors to the community and about 3,600 active patients Dec. 15, according to UAB News.

21. Cook Out, a fast-food chain based in North Carolina, was scheduled to open a new location in January at 301 24th St. S. near UAB. Items served include burgers, barbecue, hot dogs and chicken strips, as well as a wide variety of floats and milkshakes, according to the chain’s website. Cook Out also has a location at 281 Lakeshore Parkway.

22. El Centro/The Hub — an AIDS Alabama PrEP clinic and LGBTQ community center — opened in a renovated facility at 3522 7th Ave. South in Lakeview on Jan. 5, according to bhamnow.com. The facility “centers the experiences of young gay, bisexual and transpeople of color but is welcoming to all,” according to bhamhub.com.

23. Aviné, a wine bar and retail space, opened in December at 2225 Second Ave. N. downtown, according to the bar’s Facebook page. Aviné also serves food, including charcuterie boards.

24. The owners of Fancy’s on 5th in Avondale announced on social media in late December that the restaurant, located at 416 41st St. S., would close after New Year’s Eve, perhaps permanently. “While this may or may not be permanent, we will be closed for approximately three to four months,” owners Paget Pizitz and Harriet Reis said on Facebook. They also operate Avondale eatery MELT, which they said would remain open.

Coming Soon

25. On Dec. 29, the Birmingham City Council passed an amended version of a project agreement between the city and Dan’s Inc., under which the company will redevelop a portion of the Parkway East Shopping Center at 1125 Huffman Road in Roebuck for use as a new grocery store. To be known as Meat Depot by Fresh Value, the market will offer fresh meat and produce along with a selection of healthy foods, according to the agenda item. The city will provide an incentive of up to $1.6 million in support of the project.