Real Estate Update: July 2020

June 24, 2020 1:43 PM

Bought/Sold/Leased

1. On May 19, the Birmingham City Council approved the sale of two pieces of city-owned property to Birmingham Airport Authority. The city will sell a parcel at 9017 Seventh Ave. N. to the authority for $10,261 and a parcel at 1616 88th St. N. for $1,485. The city acquired both properties upon foreclosure of municipal improvement liens.

2. The Birmingham City Council, on May 19, approved the city’s sale of a property at 728 19th St. in Ensley to Trinity A.M.E. Zion Church for $4,717. The city acquired the parcel upon foreclosure of municipal improvement liens.

3. On June 2, the Birmingham City Council voted to amend the city’s capital fund budget for the fiscal year ending June 30 and transfer about $341,000 from Liberty Highlands Park. The money will be used for a fitness court at East Lake Park (about $109,000), a fitness park at Crestline Park (about $63,000) and a fenced dog park and walking path at Mountaindale Road Park (about $168,500).

4. Shipt, the online grocery-delivery service based in Birmingham, placed its new logo on the top of the 34-story Wells Fargo Tower downtown — now called Shipt Tower — in late May. Shipt began leasing space in the building, located at 1901 Sixth Ave. N., in 2019 and has been making extensive renovations on the building’s eighth and ninth floors in anticipation of moving more personnel to the building later in 2020. The general contractor is Wiggins Building Corporation.

5. Bayer Properties announced in May it has contracted to buy a 110-year-old steel plant at 2308 First Ave. S. downtown and plans to turn the industrial structure — once occupied by the Hardwick Company — into what it describes as a “mixed-use community hub” with office and restaurant space. Bayer is calling the building The Hardwick. Bayer will use Williams Blackstock Architects and Schoel Engineering — both based in Birmingham — as part of their initial design team for The Hardwick. Planning for the redevelopment has already begun, and construction is expected to begin in 2021.

6. Two Atlanta companies, Novare Group and Batson-Cook Development Company, announced May 27 that they have formed a joint venture and purchased a 48-acre site formerly owned by AT&T at the intersection of U.S. 280 and Interstate 459 near The Summit. The property is adjacent to the 63-acre site Novare Group acquired last summer from another seller. The companies will build a 286-unit luxury apartment community on the site as a first phase. The existing AT&T Operations Center on the property will remain for the immediate future. Novare Group will develop a recreational trail system throughout the 111-acre site and develop single-family homes as well as additional rental residences in the future. “This intersection is one of the most prominent in all of Alabama, and the surrounding area has both retail amenities and a jobs story that drove our development decision,” Novare Group President and CEO Jim Borders said in the release. Construction will begin in June, and the community is expected to be complete in 2022.

7. A plan was announced in May to demolish the old Century Plaza mall, which has been closed since 2009, and build a 200,000 square-foot logistics center for a package delivery service. The facility will provide numerous jobs, with more than 300 associates and managers working on the premises, according to a news release from the Birmingham City Council. Councilor Hunter Williams,who represents the district, said the Council will need to rezone the property before construction can proceed. The new facility could open by June 2021. According to Birmingham Business Journal, Amazon is the prospective tenant.

8. 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. A bid opening is scheduled for July, and the notice to proceed is projected for October, according to UAB Media Relations.

9. The Birmingham City Council recently approved an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation for money to replace the historic 21st Street Viaduct, also called the Rainbow Viaduct, in downtown Birmingham. The cost of the project will be $21,482,670. The city’s match will be 20% of the project cost, or about $4.3 million. The money will come from the federal BUILD (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development) grant program. The bridge — a major artery into downtown Birmingham — was constructed in 1918.

10. A developer called Birmingham Metro LLC announced on March 30 that it will develop a new multi-use campus at the site of the old Trinity Medical Center located at 800 Montclair Road near the intersection of 52nd Street South. The project, to be called Arbor Terrace, will cover 75 acres,extending along Montclair Road from Dan Hudson Drive South to 52nd Street South, and will be the home for a corporate headquarters and multi-use campus with residential, medical and community-oriented retail and café spaces. Construction is expected to begin this fall.

Construction Update

11. Construction continues on a renovation of the former Business Engineering Complex at UAB, according to UAB Media Relations. Completion is expected in July. The facility will house the School of Education.

12. UAB said recently it expects to complete construction of Phase 1 of the new $60 million Residence Hall 2020 on 10th Avenue South between 16th and 17th Streets by this fall, according to UAB Media Relations. The dorm will accommodate 720 undergraduates.

13. Work continues on an 18-month expansion and renovation project at Legacy Arena, according to a BJCC spokesperson. 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.

14. Construction continues 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, in a joint venture with The McKinney Fund. Construction, which began in January, is slated for completion prior to the fall of 2020, according to an Opus Group spokesperson.

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

16. A renovation of the old Snoozy’s Bookstore on campus to house the UAB Honors College is nearing completion at press time. The cost to renovate the two-story building, which measures 11,000 square feet, is about $2.7 million. Studio 2H Design is the architectural firm.

Openings/Closures

17. Spoon & Ladle, a Birmingham company known for selling small-batch artisan soups and a variety of fresh, seasonal specialty items, announced June 1 that it will close its store-front at Pizitz Food Hall. Spoon & Ladle is owned by Monty and Kelly Todd. The company will focus on its wholesale business and hopes to expand to other grocery stores in Alabama.

18. The Five Points West Business Alliance announced June 1 that B Elite Suites, a multi-purpose business incubator managed by Brandon Brooks, was opening in a 5,000-square-foot property at 3112 Ensley Avenue. The facility is dedicated to the salon suites industry, according to a news release from the Alliance.

19. TrustCare Urgent Care, based in Mississippi, opened a new location in May at 1337 Montclair Road, according to its website. The facility offers walk-in urgent care and telehealth visits.

20. Birmingham Botanical Gardens, located at 2612 Lane Park Road, announced June 1 that it is again taking reservations to host events following COVID-19. The facility was closed beginning March 16 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Couples can also schedule weddings at the facility for the period of Oct. 1, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2021.

21. The Birmingham Zoo began a phased re-opening on June 11 after being closed since March 16 due to COVID-19. It was a reduced opening with strict limits on attendance, one-way traffic patterns and some parts of the facility still closed. Online admission tickets are required for members and visitors and are available at birminghamzoo.com. All visitors are required to wear face masks.

22. Crestline Bagel Company announced on social media June 1 that it was reopening its location at 1500 First Ave. N. downtown in Innovation Depot. It had been closed due to COVID-19.

Coming Soon

23. Purple Onion Deli & Grill is moving into four former Bojangles’ Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits locations in the Birmingham area, including 1545 Montclair Road, according to Birmingham Business Journal.

24. University Tacos, located at 2009 University Blvd. near UAB, is expanding, according to Birmingham Business Journal. The outlet reported June 2 that the restaurant has signed a lease to take over the space next door at 2007 University Blvd. that formerly housed Lucy’s Coffee and Tea, which closed last month.