Real Estate Update: October 2020

September 23, 2020 4:29 PM

Bought/Sold/Leased

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 to be opened in September, and a notice to proceed is expected by November 2020.

2. The Birmingham City Council passed a resolution September 1 authorizing the mayor’s office to enter into an agreement with The University of Alabama Board of Trustees under which UAB will install 25 directional or wayfinding signs at various locations on city rights of way providing directions on football game days to Legion Field, located at 400 Graymont Ave. W.

3. In August, the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex earned the STARTM Facility Accreditation on cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention, granted through the Global Biorisk Advisory Council, according to a BJCC news release. The GBAC STAR is the industry’s leading outbreak prevention, response and recovery accreditation. The BJCC is the first facility in the state of Alabama to obtain this designation.

4. StrategyWise, a data science and artificial intelligence consulting firm located at 2204 First Ave. S. downtown, was acquired in July by E Source of Boulder, Colorado, and was to officially become part of E Source on October 1, according to the Birmingham Business Alliance. StrategyWise founder Joshua Jones told the BBA that he and his staff of 15 will remain in Birmingham, where the company was founded.

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 in the popular neighborhood, 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. “Avondale continues to be known as one of the fastest growing and most desirable neighborhoods in all of Birmingham,” said Thornton Ratliff, Dobbins Group vice president, in the news release. “The influx of breweries, restaurants, music venues, office space and community gathering areas over the last 10 years has made it prime for new multi-family development.” Arlington Construction Services will serve as general contractor.

6. On August 18, the Birmingham City Council authorized the mayor’s office to execute a development agreement with Daniel Realty Company under which the company will invest at least $50 million to build a professional office building on a 5.14-acre site next to Grandview Medical Center along U.S. Highway 280. The building will measure approximately 150,000 square feet. The city will provide an incentive of up to $6 million, payable over 10 years, based on future tax revenues.

New Construction

7. Orchestra Partners, a real estate redevelopment firm in downtown Birmingham, recently began construction on its latest project, Mercantile on Morris. The mixed-use 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. The project is slated for completion in November. Retail Specialists is currently pre-leasing the development.

8. On August 24, the city of Birmingham began a long-awaited construction job to ease flooding caused by heavy rains underneath the Sixth Avenue South CSX viaduct. The project will involve the construction of about 4,000 linear feet of storm sewers of various sizes with connections to existing storm sewer systems, and there will also be work at the intersections at Seventh Avenue South and Eighth Street South, according to a city news release. The work will be done in four phases, with the estimated completion date of the entire project in February 2021. Birmingham contractor Russo Corporation will do the work. The project cost is contracted at $2,491,696. Project updates are available at birminghamal.gov/sixth-avenue.

9. FedEx Ground plans to build a $40.6 million, 300,000-square-foot facility on a 46-acre site off Lakeshore Parkway, according to an announcement in mid-August by the Birmingham Business Alliance. The project should create 85 full- and part-time jobs within three years of the project’s completion, the BBA said. Construction is expected to begin around Sept.1, with completion scheduled for June 2021. The City of Bessemer, the City of Birmingham and the Jefferson County Commission worked together on the economic development project.

Construction Update

10. Work continues on an 18-month expansion and renovation project at Legacy Arena, according to a BJCC spokesperson. The facility was closed for construction beginning April 2. 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.

11. Construction of Phase 1 of the new $60 million Residence Hall 2020 at UAB on 10th Avenue South between 16th and 17th Streets should be completed by the fall, according to UAB Media Relations. Construction is 90% complete. The dorm will accommodate 720 undergraduates.

12. An extensive renovation is underway at the Dewberry Building, located at 3201 Fourth Ave. S. in Lakeview. The UAB 1917 Clinic, the state’s largest HIV health care unit, will occupy 50,664 square feet and expects to move in by 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. 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-bed-room units and 3,500 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor. H2 Real Estate is the listing company for the project.

14. The new $19.2 million UAB Technology Innovation Center is under construction at 17th Street South and Ninth Avenue South. Construction is 55% complete. 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.

15. Work is underway on the new program services campus for United Way of Central Alabama, located at 3600 Eighth Ave. S. in Avondale. 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. Studio 2H Design is the architect on the project.

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. LIVEDesign Group are the architects. Brasfield & Gorrieis the general contractor. Harbert Realty Services will manage the project. Construction should be complete in summer 2021.

17. Renovation work is underway 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.

18. Work continues on the renovation of the eighth and ninth floors of the 34-story Shipt Tower at 1901 Sixth Ave. N. downtown for use by Shipt, the fast-growing online grocery-delivery service based in Birmingham. The company placed its new logo on the top of the building, formerly called the Wells Fargo Tower downtown, in May. Shipt began leasing space in the building in 2019 and plans to move more personnel into the building when renovations are complete. The general contractor is Wiggins Building Corporation. Shipt will retain its current space in the John Hand Building downtown.

19. Construction was finished recently for Town House Park, a new park built by UAB at the corner of University Blvd. and 20th Street South, according to UAB Media Relations. Help phones are to be installed, and commissioned lighting artwork will be installed at a later date. The park is on the site of the old UAB Townhouse facility, which was demolished in 2019.

Openings/Closures

20. 3 Daughters Beauty Supply held a grand opening on August 29 in the 38-acre CrossPlex Village shopping center at 2401 CrossPlex Blvd in Five Points West, according to a news release from Birmingham City Council. “Our community has supported these businesses that have already opened here, so adding another retail space will only add to this vibrant shopping center,” said City Councilor Steven Hoyt, who attended the event and represents District 8.

21. Rob McDaniel, a veteran Alabama chef, was scheduled to open his new downtown eatery, called Helen, on August 25, according to media reports. The restaurant is located at 2013 Second Ave. N. in the renovated Meelheim Building.

22. Construction is complete on a 17-story apartment building at the corner of 20th Street and 10th Avenue South in Five Points South. The developer is The Opus Group, based in Minnesota. The apartment building, which will be marketed primarily to UAB students, will include 199 units accommodating 522 residents, according to the developer’s website.

23. The COVID-19 pandemic continues, and UAB continues to operate a community testing site at the corner of University Boulevard and 22nd Street South that it opened in March. The Downtown COVID-19 Testing Site is available to those who have symptoms of the virus — cough, fever or shortness of breath — or believe they may have had contact with someone who has tested positive. Prospective patients should call 205-975-1881 to be screened.

24. Zoe’s Vintage, a popular thrift and consignment shop in Forest Park Village, recently announced that it would close in September. The shop is located at 3900 Clairmont Ave.

25. A renovation of the old Snoozy’s Bookstore on campus to house the UAB Honors College is complete and the building is occupied, according to UAB Media Relations. The cost to renovate the two-story building, which measures 11,000 square feet, was about $2.7 million.