BIRMINGHAM, AL | Urban Renaissance & Construction

[jslaughter]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

you're right. unfortunately, i think our proximity to atlanta is somewhat of a hindrance in this regard... that city is a magnet for people all over the country, so its pull is especially strong in birmingham being just 2 hours away. this past year alone, 3 of my really good friends moved there. all that stuff you described is already happening there. i'm trying to be patient lol.

We can blame our former governor for that. If he hadn't blocked that airport, birmingham would be the biggest city in the south.

[jslaughter]

http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf...l#incart_river

In February, the renovation of the Lyric Theatre will start! It will be finished by the end of the year. Meanwhile across the street, The Parisian (BTW Building) will start construction in march!! Downtown is on FIRE!!

[TimCity2000]

Originally Posted by jslaughter

We can blame our former governor for that. If he hadn't blocked that airport, birmingham would be the biggest city in the south.

i don't want a repeat of page 7, so let's turn this back to development news lol.

glad to see the lyric surpassed its fundraising goal! i was at the "light up the lyric" block party event this summer, and the energy on those streets was something i hadn't experienced here before. will be nice to have an actual "theatre district".

[TimCity2000]

Originally Posted by B'ham Bound

Hmm. Looks like my reply didn't submit. Apologies if this shows up twice.

That's the planned Inland apartment project. Same folks over Cityville.

About 250 units.

On the 3rd Ave and 16th St. corner of Regions Field.

http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingha...partments.html

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/01/post_864.html

wonder what's happened with this... that was right at a year ago.

[jslaughter]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

wonder what's happened with this... that was right at a year ago.

well if it was in the rendering of the negro baseball museum i think it hasn't been abandoned. But it leaves me worried.

[B'ham Bound]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

wonder what's happened with this... that was right at a year ago.

Probably just the usual... finalizing plans, soil testing... all that boring crap that precedes visible movement. Seems like it took forever for the LIV development just to start drilling for foundations.

[jslaughter]

Does anyone know when we could expect to see the new renderings of the Homewood suites in 5 points?

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by jslaughter

Does anyone know when we could expect to see the new renderings of the Homewood suites in 5 points?

Who the heck knows... I haven't even seen news about it in recent months. Honestly, though, we probably won't see anything about it until it's finished.

[Bamablazer]

Originally Posted by tascalisa

Who the heck knows... I haven't even seen news about it in recent months. Honestly, though, we probably won't see anything about it until it's finished.

Just in case you guys are not joking, TimCity2000 put up the latest rendering recently approve by the The Design Review Committe on page 8 of this tread back on January 8, 2014.
Construction is suppose to start this March.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by Bamablazer

Just in case you guys are not joking, TimCity2000 put up the latest rendering recently approve by the The Design Review Committe on page 8 of this tread back on January 8, 2014.
Construction is suppose to start this March.

Pardon me, maybe I just thought it was the one that had been seen before because the colorless renderings look the same. Or maybe I'm just getting confused, which is entirely possible considering my current mental state.

[Bamablazer]

Originally Posted by tascalisa

Pardon me, maybe I just thought it was the one that had been seen before because the colorless renderings look the same. Or maybe I'm just getting confused, which is entirely possible considering my current mental state.

I'm sorry, I meant no disrespect.

[jslaughter]

http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf...l#incart_river

New holocaust garden that is planned for downtown Birmingham.

[TimCity2000]

^pic not working for me

[Brainiac61]

Originally Posted by Bamablazer

Yes you are right, I forgot about the politics.

I think it is unlikely Dr. Bronner will consider a project in Downtown Birmingham anytime soon because it is not needed. Bronner did office projects in Downtown Montgomery and Downtown Mobile because no one else would. He merely filled the voids there.

The downtown office market in Birmingham versus those other cities is apples and oranges. We have had a long colorful history of office space development by private sector developers. I am fairly confident that when we can increase our annual space consumption and greatly reduce our office vacancy rate, new space will be developed.

However, I do agree with one of our previous commentors that Birmingham's next downtown tower will likely be mixed-use. Even with an improved market, it would take a 40 to 55-story office-only tower with 750,000 to 1 million sf or more a long time to lease up. Towers of that size are only just beginning to be considered again in places like Atlanta and Charlotte.

[Bamablazer]

Originally Posted by Brainiac61

I think it is unlikely Dr. Bronner will consider a project in Downtown Birmingham anytime soon because it is not needed. Bronner did office projects in Downtown Montgomery and Downtown Mobile because no one else would. He merely filled the voids there.

The downtown office market in Birmingham versus those other cities is apples and oranges. We have had a long colorful history of office space development by private sector developers. I am fairly confident that when we can increase our annual space consumption and greatly reduce our office vacancy rate, new space will be developed.

However, I do agree with one of our previous commentors that Birmingham's next downtown tower will likely be mixed-use. Even with an improved market, it would take a 40 to 55-story office-only tower with 750,000 to 1 million sf or more a long time to lease up. Towers of that size are only just beginning to be considered again in places like Atlanta and Charlotte.

Yes you're right, it would take a major corporate headquarters to move in downtown Birmingham to pull off an office tower that size. Not sure if any out there are looking to move period. I wonder what would it take to snag something like that. It probably would have to be something home grown. However I can see a mixed use type development in or around U.A.B., perhaps a class room, research, and dorm type facility.

[jslaughter]

Originally Posted by Bamablazer

Yes you're right, it would take a major corporate headquarters to move in downtown Birmingham to pull off an office tower that size. Not sure if any out there are looking to move period. I wonder what would it take to snag something like that. It probably would have to be something home grown. However I can see a mixed use type development in or around U.A.B., perhaps a class room, research, and dorm type facility.

Last weekend i was talking to someone who used to work for the Birmingham City government for many years. She is very knowledgable about the city. She said ,that at the rate birmingham is coming back, within the next few years people will be moving to birmingham from neighboring cities like atlanta. I do believe birmingham could pull in a corporation headquarter. This might sound dumb but if a corporation wants to make a name for itself they could move to birmingham instead of atlanta, charlotte, etc. If they moved to atlanta or charlotte it would be just another headquarters and would be lost in the conundrum. Birmingham would be the perfect place. It is not too small and could support it and the corporation would have way more publicity. Just a thought.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by Brainiac61

I think it is unlikely Dr. Bronner will consider a project in Downtown Birmingham anytime soon because it is not needed. Bronner did office projects in Downtown Montgomery and Downtown Mobile because no one else would. He merely filled the voids there.

The downtown office market in Birmingham versus those other cities is apples and oranges. We have had a long colorful history of office space development by private sector developers. I am fairly confident that when we can increase our annual space consumption and greatly reduce our office vacancy rate, new space will be developed.

However, I do agree with one of our previous commentors that Birmingham's next downtown tower will likely be mixed-use. Even with an improved market, it would take a 40 to 55-story office-only tower with 750,000 to 1 million sf or more a long time to lease up. Towers of that size are only just beginning to be considered again in places like Atlanta and Charlotte.

Yea, there's so much space in downtown that's just sitting there, waiting to be renovated. At the moment it just doesn't make sense to build new, large-scale office buildings when there are already a few large ones just sitting vacant. Plus, I think as a corporation, or business in general, you look better in the local community's eyes if you renovate a large vacant building instead of constructing a new, flashy one.

[Bamablazer]

Originally Posted by jslaughter

Last weekend i was talking to someone who used to work for the Birmingham City government for many years. She is very knowledgable about the city. She said ,that at the rate birmingham is coming back, within the next few years people will be moving to birmingham from neighboring cities like atlanta. I do believe birmingham could pull in a corporation headquarter. This might sound dumb but if a corporation wants to make a name for itself they could move to birmingham instead of atlanta, charlotte, etc. If they moved to atlanta or charlotte it would be just another headquarters and would be lost in the conundrum. Birmingham would be the perfect place. It is not too small and could support it and the corporation would have way more publicity. Just a thought.

I think that little snow storm might get us a few converts. If there is really 80,000 people working downtown or near downtown, 10% of that number plus what we have down here now would make a nice little neighborhood. Your thought regarding a corporate headquarters is a good one.

[jslaughter]

Originally Posted by tascalisa

Yea, there's so much space in downtown that's just sitting there, waiting to be renovated. At the moment it just doesn't make sense to build new, large-scale office buildings when there are already a few large ones just sitting vacant. Plus, I think as a corporation, or business in general, you look better in the local community's eyes if you renovate a large vacant building instead of constructing a new, flashy one.

I agree. The American Life tower i hope will be renovated, it looks like a skeleton of a building now. As for the Liberty building, it should be demolished. It has too many problems and it's ugly. As for new towers, couldn't the foundation for the unbuilt harbert plaza II be used for a 20 story tower?

[SpawnOfVulcan]

So, no one seen any blips on the radar about the Legion Field "replacement"?