Real Estate Update: November 2020

October 29, 2020 4:17 PM

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. Bids were opened in September, and a notice to proceed is expected by Nov. 30.

2. Honors Hall, the new home of the UAB Honors College at 1321 10th Ave. S., recently became one of the latest buildings on campus to earn the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — or LEED — certification given by the U.S. Green Building Council. The two-story building, the result of an extensive renovation of the old Snoozy’s Bookstore, features indoor spaces that generate less waste and lower the use of energy, water and other resources, according to UAB Media Relations. The cost to renovate the building, which measures 11,000 square feet, was about $2.7 million.

3. The Community Development Department of the city of Birmingham has launched a pilot incentive program to improve the facades of buildings in nine priority redevelopment areas. These areas include the commercial districts in Ensley, North Birmingham, Fourth Avenue North and portions of Woodlawn and East Lake, according to a city news release. The program is designed to enhance the appearance of buildings to increase property values, improve the marketability of space within the buildings and draw additional business and foot traffic. The Community Development Department has the option to address individual blighted buildings outside priority areas if funding is available. “Blight removal is the first step in revitalization,” Mayor Randall Woodfin said. “Providing resources for commercial property owners creates new opportunities to redevelop our business districts.” Funding comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. For information about the incentives, call 205-254-2309.

4. The Birmingham City Council voted Oct. 6 to change the zoning for some parcels in the 2400 block of First Avenue South from M-2, Heavy Industrial District, to MUH, Mixed-Use High District, to allow a developer to build a new five-story multifamily residential complex and more than 250 surface parking spaces. The zoning change was recommended by the city’s Zoning Advisory Committee and the council’s Planning and Zoning Committee. A developer from Indianapolis is planning to build a 273-unit apartment complex called The Tracks at the site, according to Birmingham Business Journal. Construction could begin in early 2021.

New Construction

5. The Dobbins Group is investing $16.5 million in a 96-unit multifamily residential project at 4211 and 4241 Third Ave. S. in Avondale, just off the main commercial strip, according to a news release from the Birmingham-based real estate investment firm. 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. At press time, the developer had completed all permits and demolition was well underway with grading and site utilities, according to a spokesperson. “Dobbins Group... is very pleased with the progress made to date and are looking forward to delivering units approximately 12 months from now,” Dobbins Group Vice President Thornton Ratliff told Iron City Ink.

6. On Oct. 1, Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin and Ensley District Developers announced the beginning of redevelopment of the historic Ramsay-McCormack Building in the Ensley business district. The redevelopment will begin with a deconstruction of the original 10-story structure, which has been vacant for many years. The process is estimated to take up to 75 days, and materials salvaged from the existing building will be used in a new five-story, 30,000-square-foot structure, according to a city news release. The developer seeks to create a multipurpose use for the building to drive additional foot traffic. The project should be complete by the end of 2022. “The Ramsay-McCormack Building site will very soon symbolize revitalization in this cherished neighborhood,” Woodfin said. The new construction will be registered as a United States Green Building Council LEED Silver v4 office building. The Ramsay-McCormack Building was completed in 1929 and acquired by the city in 1983.

Construction Update

7. Construction is underway at Mercantile on Morris, the latest project from Orchestra Partners, a real estate redevelopment firm in downtown Birmingham. The mixed-use project will feature 14,000 square feet of commercial space and 47 residential condo units. Located at 2212 Morris Ave., 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 pre-leasing the development.

8. Construction of Phase 1 of the new $60 million Residence Hall 2020 at UAB on 10th Avenue South between 16th and 17th Streets is about 95% complete and should be finished this fall, according to UAB Media Relations. The dorm will accommodate 720 undergraduates.

9. The new $19.2 million UAB Technology Innovation Center is under construction at 17th Street South and Ninth Avenue South. The center, measuring 40,000 square feet, will house campus internet connectivity and technology infrastructure and is set to open in early 2021, according to UAB Media Relations. Construction is 70% complete. Exterior masonry, curtain wall system, roofing, mechanical and electrical rough-ins are all underway.

10. 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. 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. At press time, the parking lot has been paved, the administrative offices have been drywalled, other areas are being primed and painted, the theatre fly tower has been closed in and the riser seating is being framed out, according to an RMTC spokesperson.

11. Work continues on the renovation of the eighth and ninth floors of the 34-story Shipt Tower at 1901 Sixth Ave. N. for use by Shipt, the online grocery-delivery service based in Birmingham. CCR Architecture & Interiors is serving as the architect and interior designer. The general contractor is Wiggins Building Corporation. Shipt placed its new logo on the top of the building, formerly called the Wells Fargo Tower downtown, in May. Shipt will also retain its current space in the John Hand Building.

12. Construction of the new program services campus for United Way of Central Alabama is in the final stage, according to a UWCA spokesperson. The nonprofit will soon begin preparing the interior for fixtures and furniture, but a move-in date has not been announced, the spokesperson said. The nonprofit is renovating the former Overlook Building at 3620 Eighth Ave. S. adjacent to the UWCA headquarters. The UWCA purchased the 35,000-square-foot building, formerly the offices of Ram Tool, in 2018. Stewart/Perry is the general contractor. Studio2H Design is the architect on the project.

13. Earlier this 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 35% complete.

Openings/Closures

14. The renovation of the UAB Business Engineering Complex for use by the School of Education was completed in time for the fall semester, according to UAB Media Relations. The facility, located at 1150 10th Ave S., is now called the Education and Engineering Complex.

15. Bib & Tucker Sew-Op, the local sewing nonprofit, is closing its brick-and-mortar location in Crestwood due to COVID-19, according to Executive Director Lillis Taylor. “We’ve transitioned most of our programming to a virtual platform and consider the loss of the shop a smart business decision rather than a defeat,” Taylor said in an email to Iron City Ink on Sept. 11. “We are setting our sights on a collaborative space, post-COVID.” People can still learn to sew through the nonprofit, Taylor said. For information, go to bibandtuckersewop.org.

16. Birmingham City Councilor Clinton Woodstook part in a ribbon cutting Sept. 12 for Seventh & Luxe Hair and Beauty, located at 605-C Springville Road, according to a council news release. The shop offers hair extensions, accessories and hair care products. Ashlee Taylor and Krishon Appleberry are the co-owners. Another new business, a bakery called Treats So Sweet, opened nearby the previous week, the release states. “We’re excited to have these new small businesses that are going to provide a service for our community,” Woods said. “We’re celebrating a victory in our community with these new stores.”

17. Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema, located in The Pizitz downtown, reopened in September after being closed since mid-March due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The facility reopened “with the utmost concern for the ongoing health and safety of all patrons,” Sidewalk Executive Director Chloe Cook said. The cinema is observing numerous safety protocols, including advance ticket sales only, limited seating capacity, assigned seating and a requirement that all customers wear their masks at all times in common areas, including the concession stand, bar and restrooms. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to sidewalkfest.com.

18. The Birmingham Public Library — located at 2100 Park Place — reopened to the public Oct. 1 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in mid-March. In-person services include public computer use in social distanced areas, notary services, passport applications, browsing shelves and checking books in and out, according to a BPL news release. The hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday. Curbside pickup hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information, including curbside pickup at the Avondale, Five Points West and Springville Road branches, call 205-226-3600 or go to bplonline.org.

19. YWCA Central Alabama held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 6 to celebrate the opening of the Literacy Center at the organization’s Child Development Center, located at 309 23rd St. N. downtown. For more information, go to ywcabham.org.

Coming Soon

20. Atlanta entrepreneur Aisha “Pinky” Cole is planning to open a location of her Slutty Vegan restaurant in Birmingham within the next six months, according to a report by WVTM-TV 13. Cole talked to the station when she brought her Slutty Vegan food truck tour to the Birmingham CrossPlex on Sept. 30. In a city news release, Mayor Randall Woodfin called Cole’s visit “further confirmation that Birmingham continues to grow as a well-respected food town.’’ Cole started Slutty Vegan in 2018 after she couldn’t find a late-night spot in Atlanta selling vegan junk food, and her vegan burgers became nationally known almost immediately.