Seeking Rebirth: A look at 2021 in the Magic City

It’s safe to say few of us are sad to bid farewell to 2020. Of course, the great challenge we faced — the COVID-19 pandemic — is far from over.

But we can hope that, overall, 2021 will be a better year — perhaps even a time of renewal and rebirth.

In this article, we offer a preview of 2021 in the Magic City, including a city election, sports, local creatives and preparations for The World Games 2022.

We look at signs of economic strength in the city — including the City Center — despite the pandemic, including some major new construction projects and mixed-use developments.

DOWNTOWN ‘REBOUND’

Nowhere has the revitalization of the city the last decade been more apparent than in the City Center, including the central business district.

Despite the undeniable economic impact of COVID-19, prospects for that area remain strong, said David Fleming, REV Birmingham.

“Downtown has strong fundamentals and is ready to rebound,” Fleming told Iron City Ink. “Several City Center residential projects will open in 2021, and new residents will increase downtown foot traffic and energize the market.”

There will be a completed market strategy plan for the Civil Rights District and The Switch innovation district downtown, Fleming said.

He said Parkside “will continue to evolve in exciting ways” and to keep an eye out for details about new projects in that area.

Fleming also said planned improvements to the 20th Street “as the spine of downtown will create one of the great urban streets in the country.”

Helping small businesses is critical to the vibrancy of downtown, Fleming said. Business owners have tweaked their operations to adjust to the pandemic, but these enterprises still need support.

“We need continued policy relaxing like those that allowed expanded outdoor seating,” he said. “We need small and large employers committed to returning downtown when the time is right. We need continued collaboration and creative problem solving in Birmingham’s business ecosystem.”

There is no crystal ball to make predictions.

“Without knowing how COVID-19 levels will look in 2021, it’s hard to paint a  clear picture of business in the City Center — but I think we can count on our business owners to be tough and smart and, I can’t overstate the importance of this last part, our community to support local businesses every chance they get,” Fleming said.

In terms of the health of the office market downtown, Fleming said that all office markets in the United States “are evolving.”

“We will see more of the workforce splitting their time between working remotely and in the office,” he said.

Fleming’s long-view is positive, though. “I think that short-term stress on the downtown office market will give way to strength because of what downtown offers: its physical character, ease of access, walkability and diversity,” he said.

His long-term prognosis for downtown is bright.

“In the last decade, the City Center experienced $2.5 billion of investment, exponential growth of residents, solid employment and the growth of entertainment options in parks, theaters, bars and restaurants,” Fleming said. “The City Center can pick back up on this momentum by implementing recommendations of the recently completed City Center Master Plan to be an authentic place where jobs and businesses grow, maintain and strengthen great civic spaces and streetscapes, preserve historic buildings and develop mixed-use projects and grow adiverse residential neighborhood.”

OLD BECOMES NEW

Birmingham residents — and not just those downtown — can take heart from new projects in three areas of the city where abandoned facilities are being redeveloped.

Carraway Hospital, vacant since 2008, has been an eyesore for the residents of Norwood and Druid Hills, but local developers Corporate Realty are planning to build a multi-use project at the site featuring office, residential, retail and entertainment.

“This is a big win for the Norwood neighborhood,” said City Councilor Clinton Woods when the council approved new zoning for the property in November.

At press time, the long-vacant Century Plaza Mall on Crestwood Boulevard is being demolished to make way for an Amazon package distribution center.

Trinity Medical Center — formerly Baptist Medical Center Montclair — in Crestwood is to become a new 75-acre mixed-use development called Arbor Terrace, thanks to New York developers Lawrence Kadish and Will Kadish.

Demolition work began at the site in the fall.

BJCC REBORN

One of the most exciting developments in Birmingham in the 1970s was the construction of the Birmingham Civic Center, now called the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC).

However, the BJCC gradually slipped behind newer facilities in other cities, making it tougher to compete for big events.

Beginning in April, the BJCC began an 18-month renovation and expansion of Legacy Arena costing $125 million.

The NCAA announced in October that Legacy will host the first and second round of the NCAA Tournament for Division I men’s basketball in 2023 and the Division I women’s basketball Southern regional in 2025.

Completion is set for November, according to a BJCC spokesperson.

The BJCC is also building an outdoor stadium — Protective Stadium — which will serve as the home of UAB Blazer football.

Construction should be complete in time for the Blazers to play there in 2021, according to the BJCC.

It will be intriguing to see whether playing at a shiny, new stadium rather than 1927-vintage Legion Field will help the Blazers take the program to a higher level.

SPEAKING OF LEGION FIELD

The Birmingham City Council voted in 2018 after vigorous debate to contribute to the funding of Protective Stadium.

Mayor Randall Woodfin assured council members that funding a new stadium didn’t mean he wasn’t committed to saving Legion Field.

“We can do both,” he said in January 2018.

Legion Field continues to operate, and City Council President William Parker said recently he’d like to bring more outdoor music and food festivals to the venue.

The Birmingham City Council also passed a resolution Dec. 8 supporting the idea that Legion Field should be designated as a National Landmark and placed on the National Register of Historical Places.

THE STATE OF CREATIVES

Creatives and entrepreneurs have made a huge impact on the Magic City, helping attract positive attention to the city’s music, food, visual art and other amenities, as well as its growing tech scene.

“More than any other single force, it was the growth of our creative sector that drove Birmingham’s recovery after the Great Recession,” said Buddy Palmer, president and CEO of Create Birmingham. “It gave Birmingham a new authentic and exciting presence — one recognized in major national media outlets.”

And given the pandemic, those creatives need the support of the community, Palmer said.

“We should … show our appreciation to creative people, businesses and institutions through the mindful financial support of their hard work and talent,” he said.

“I hope that consumers will be very conscious about where and with whom they spend their dollars, whether that’s on an experience, a product, or a service,” he said. “Buying local is always important, but, under current conditions, it’s a values decision. Buying local is now an investment in our economic, cultural and social progress, and it’s imperative for the next several years.”

COVID-19 has forced artists and business people to pivot and adapt and be creative, Palmer said.

“There’s no question that adaptability and fluidity have been key to survival for so many entrepreneurs, artists, and arts organizations,” he said. “The first months were particularly scary. In order to pivot, you have to have a sense of what direction you need to pivot towards, and that was very unclear when we didn’t understand the nature of contagion. With time, however, many have developed new services, new markets, and new models of service delivery in response to today’s challenges.”

However, COVID-19 has been “devastating,” Palmer said.

“So many of the creatives we work with have businesses or earn their livings in industry sectors impacted at the earliest onset of the crisis: arts and entertainment, food and beverage, hospitality services, tourism, and other activities that depend on audiences or group participation,” he said. “Those sectors are also likely to be among the last to recover because they are dependent on the public’s confidence in their own safety and the defeat of the virus.”

STRESS ON THE ARTS

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. economy hard in 2020. Nonprofits have been hurt, including arts and cultural organizations and venues.

Arts groups in Birmingham have tried to adapt, according to Kelly Dean Allison, chair of the UAB Department of Theatre.

“They don’t give up,” Allison told Iron City Ink recently. “They adjust.”

However, the strains are great, especially for venues that have been forced to close for prolonged periods.

Birmingham Landmarks Inc. — the nonprofit that owns and operates the Alabama Theatre and Lyric Theatre — recently launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $500,000 to make up for the revenue the venues have lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $500,000 is badly needed to keep the theaters in operation, even while closed to the public.

“These delicate, historic structures require constant care and maintenance,” said Brant Beene, executive director of Birmingham Landmarks.

Go to bit.ly/savethealabama to donate.

OTHER THINGS TO WATCH

MUNICIPAL ELECTION

When Woodfin, only 36 years old, was sworn in as the mayor of Birmingham in a ceremony at Linn Park downtown on the cold, crisp, cloudless day of Nov. 28, 2017, the event represented a major generational shift in the city’s leadership.

Now the city stands on the brink of another political season, with municipal elections set for Aug. 24.

Voters will select a mayor and the members of the City Council and Board of Education.

If you wish to throw your hat in the ring, you can qualify between June 25 and July 10, according to the Birmingham City Clerk.

At press time, neither Woodfin nor any other mayoral or council candidates had made announcements.

KEEPING THE PROMISE

One of the biggest moves Woodfin and his administration has made in education is the Birmingham Promise.

The program, in its second year, pays tuition and fees for city school graduates who attend Alabama’s two- and four-year public colleges and universities.

In September, the program announced that 500 students who graduated from Birmingham City Schools in spring 2020 would receive college tuition  support during the fall.

During the fall semester at UAB, 68 students from all seven Birmingham city high schools made up the school’s first Birmingham Promise class of freshmen, according to UAB News.

Morgan Rankin-Taylor, a Ramsay High School graduate, is an engineering major.

“Receiving this scholarship shows the commitment the city has to our generation’s future,” Rankin-Taylor told UAB News. “It is an opportunity for my dreams to come true.”

The program is taking applicants at birminghampromise.org.

TEAM OF THE FUTURE

Despite the endless string of professional football leagues that have placed franchises in Birmingham, one has to wonder if our professional team of the future is the Birmingham Legion FC.

The United Soccer League is televised by ESPN and has teams in major markets, including New York.

Legion FC has done a good job branding the team, building a local fan base and becoming involved with the community,

Led by Coach Tom Soehn and playing at BBVA Field, the Legion finished 7-5-4 in 2020 and made the playoffs.

#TWG2022

The city should see and hear much more about The World Games 2022 Birmingham this year.

The games will take place July 7-17, 2022, at more than 25 venues around the metro area and are expected to have an economic impact of about $256 million.

And fans can take part. More than 2,000 volunteers will be needed for a variety of tasks. For details, go to twg2022.com/volunteer.