Posted Sep 1, 2008, 2:32 PM
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Closed account
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 786
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Glad to hear 29seven is still a go... Apparantly Barber Companies is possibly planning a development? Lakeview is already an awesome area. I'm looking forward to see it takeoff.
Quote:
In Lakeview, setbacks prompt look to future
Sunday, August 31, 2008
MICHAEL TOMBERLIN
News staff writer
Despite misfortune at two of its most familiar establishments, those with ties to Birmingham's Lakeview entertainment district believe its best days are ahead as new developments are plotted.
The restaurant and entertainment corridor east of UAB along the 700 block of 29th Street South this month lost one of its most popular characters with the death of Lou Zaden, owner of Lou's Pub, a pioneer and icon of the district for the past 21 years.
Two weeks later, a development at an unrelated business delivered another blow to the district: O.T.'s Neighborhood Sports Grill closed and its owners filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. Its future is uncertain.
But Lou's Pub will continue to pour drinks well into the future the way Zaden would want, according to bartender Frankie Juliano. Juliano, who has watched Lakeview grow from behind the bar for the last 17 years, is among those who feel the district's will continue to thrive.
"I like to think it's just going to keep getting better," he said.
Jeremy Phillips, manager of Lakeview Oyster House, has watched changes in the district from the restaurant's patio deck. He said business remains strong in the district, especially on lunch and at nights on weekends.
"I would like to see more foot traffic," Phillips said. "But we're doing well."
Phillips said restaurants and bars are gearing up for fall, which, along with spring, are the busiest seasons of the year in Lakeview.
Michael Calvert, president of Operation New Birmingham, said Lakeview doesn't get the notoriety its sister district Five Points South enjoys, but it stands on its own as an energetic locale.
"It is close to the business community and close to residential communities, so it really is in an ideal spot," Calvert said.
He said restaurants like On Tap Sports Cafe and Golden Rule Bar-B-Que help draw in the hungry from UAB, the downtown lofts and nearby neighborhoods like Forest Park and Redmont.
But what will prevent Lakeview from becoming stagnant is new development, Calvert said, and there are enough new projects in the works to help with that vitality.
"I think this is an area with a future," he said. "It is going to be an increasingly attractive area."
Among the new projects in the works is 29 Seven, a $20 million mixed-use development on northwest corner block of Seventh Avenue South and 29th Street. The project is slated to have more than 70 condos or apartments and 20,000 square feet of retail space.
Robert Jolly, principal with Retail Specialists Inc., which is handling leasing of 29 Seven, said he hopes for a groundbreaking on the project later this year, after more than a year in delays.
"I think the Lakeview market and entertainment district are still very vibrant and very viable," he said. "We are going to have 20,000 square feet of retail that will be predominately restaurant and entertainment. We have quite a bit of interest and we're very close to signing leases and being able to announce new restaurants to the market."
The interest the area is getting from other businesses looking at 29 Seven is only bolstering Jolly's optimism about Lakeview.
"We are as encouraged as ever," he said.
Across 29th Street from the planned 29 Seven is almost an entire block owned by the Barber Companies, the real estate firm owned by former dairy king-turned racetrack owner George Barber.
The real estate company has toyed with several development ideas for that property in recent years but has yet to move forward with any of them.
"We are exploring possibilities for our property in the Lakeview area, but we are not ready to announce anything at this time," said Don Erwin, vice president of corporate development for Barber.
E-mail: mtomberlin@bhamnews.com LAKEVIEWXX -- LAKEVIEW:
In the shadow of Five Points South
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Last edited by | BRAVO |; Sep 3, 2008 at 4:01 PM.
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