Don't forget that we have a "Birmingham Discussion Thread" for non-development topics. ;)

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=78311

Ditto...

I think the only thing I didn't like was how far removed from Mountain Brook proper it was... if it was closer, it'd fit in better. Methinks...

Bristol Southside has recently redesigned their website and have included some nice photos of the development. The images are in Flash, otherwise I would've posted them, but here is the link: http://www.bristolsouthside.com/homepage.htm

Looks like in addition to the multimillion $ upgrades, The Pickwick Hotel will get a new name too.

The Hotel Highland at Five Points South

Probably best... gives more of a sense of its location. Having that "5 Points" as part of the name will probably attract a few more visitors knowing that its in the heart of Birmingham's nightlife district.

I understand the City of Birmingham has given the go ahead for demolition for the Mixed-Use development in Lakeview. Should be interesting to see if it moves ahead.

The 7 story project that was mentioned some time back? I think it's been listed as the 2826 project or something. Is this the same one?

Hey sabre, I have a question about one of your pictures. Do you mind if I send you an email?

I think so... I don't know how many stories but I believe it is at the intersection of 7th Ave S and 28th Street. Possibly the same thing.

Check this out:
http://www.leercondos.com/gallery

Hallman, are you Gene Hallman?

I may be alone on this, but I really like the fleur de lie symbol that they now have for Leer Tower. Hope they stick with that.

Here is a link to the Emporis description of the 2826 project. http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=...mingham-al-usaIt sounds to be one in the same with the project you describe. It may have to be scaled back or may have been changed if it's a new developer. Originally, however, it was to be 7-floors and 90ft tall. Would look pretty neat over in Lakeview. Not much height-wise in that part of town outside of St. Vincents Hospital which is somewhat nearby. Definitely could help the growth of the Lakeview District as well.

No Neilson, I am not Gene Hallman... and I am not building condos in Homewood.

Send me a PM on here... less likely to delete it >_<

You're not alone.. I like it too.. nicely abstract :)

http://www.leercondos.com/home

And it's french.. hah.. I like French stuff.. >_<

Brasfield & Gorrie says it is low bidder on UAB project

Brasfield & Gorrie said it is the low bidder for UAB's planned Women and Infants' Facility, which will provide general women's services, labor and delivery, a neonatal intensive care unit and a radiation and oncology department.

The general contractor did not specify the amount of its bid, but the project has previously been estimated at $140 million. Planned for a site at 17th Street and Fifth Avenue South, the facility will have 10 floors and cover 630,000 square feet.

Brasfield & Gorrie expects a letter of intent and notice to proceed by March 1. The design/build project is expected to be complete by the end of 2009.

The project team includes Gresham Smith and Partners, Walter Schoel Engineering, I.C. Thomasson, LBYD Inc., Hardy Mechanical, Wayne J. Griffin Electrical and Joiner Sprinkler.

Dawn Kent

Filed at 5:35 p.m.

Interesting... originally an 11-story proposal... then I thought they took it down to maybe 7 or 8-stories... and now back up again to 10-stories. The thing I will say about UAB, however, is that they get things done pretty quickly. From the time they announce a project, to when construction begins, to when it's actually complete. The whole process seems to go a world of a lot faster than alot of these other proposals downtown.

I'm hoping they hurry up and start on the Residence Inn near 5 Points as well as that Hyatt Place hotel. There actually were alot of folks here last year in local hotels for the Papa John's Bowl. And this next year, looks like the BJCC might be host not only as a 1st/2nd Round site for the NCAA Basketball Tournament, but also for some new SEC-Big East showdown that they're trying to startup. Going to need lots of hotel space downtown for all of these events. Be nice to see some more retail/bars between now and then as well. Seems a bit unlikely maybe, but I hope those hotels are complete anyway.

A story tonight on ABC33/40 here in Birmingham did a story on Leer Tower. Included interviews with the developers. Looks like all of the legal troubles have been resolved and that work should begin "soon." Not wild about these ambiguous start dates. They did say, however, that they anticipate having some residents move in by Summer of 2008. Seems like a pretty ambitious timetable for all the work they've got to do. More power to them. Just anxious to see something happen with it.

Leer Tower
 

I agree Blazer. Also, I think they are going to have to make a lot more info available on their website (i.e., interior renderings, pricing, etc.).

Developer pushes Edgewood plan amid holdouts, concerns
Sunday, February 04, 2007
MICHAEL TOMBERLIN
News staff writer

Frank Keasler, the Florida developer who wants to remake the Edgewood business district in Homewood, says he will spend $100 million on the project that critics have complained is too sweeping.

Keasler, who had previously described the cost as between $70 million and $90 million, is pushing a plan to bring a three-story mix of shops, restaurants, offices and condos to Edgewood in a project he says incorporates both new technologies and environment-friendly practices.

Despite an outcry against his Restoration Edgewood development, the chief executive of Jacksonville-based Iron Group said he now has agreements to purchase all but four of the properties in his plan and is in talks with three of the holdouts.

Keasler believes he can pursue the project without purchasing all of the remaining sites.

"Once people learn what I'm trying to do, most have been receptive," Keasler said.

Some in Homewood would disagree. At a public meeting at Samford University in December, Keasler's plans met with audible groans and outbursts of disdain by an audience of more than 150 people. Renderings of the revitalization project brought shouts of "No, no" and "Too big" from spectators when displayed.

Keasler has not been deterred. He said he plans to spend $100,000 to hire a national urban planning firm to hold a six-day charrette Feb. 22 at the former furniture store space in Edgewood. Charrettes are intensive design and planning sessions intended to gain input from the residents and businesses there to help shape what, if anything, is ultimately done with the 400,000-square-foot redevelopment.

Brian Wright, a principal with Town Planning and Urban Design Collaborative, the Nashville firm that will be conducting the charrette, said plans calling for Edgewood to have large sidewalks that encourage a pedestrian environment and mixed-use elements are concepts his firm promotes.

Wright, a former Birmingham resident who said he has always liked the Edgewood area and is a fan of New York Pizza there, said the charrettes will help shape the project planning. (The owners of New York Pizza have circulated a petition against the project.)

"Rather than pitch our own ideas that might be somewhat generic, we want to work in what makes Edgewood Edgewood," Wright said. "From that point, we are starting with a clean slate."

Keasler anticipates the site plan and renderings for the project will change as a result of those meetings, but he had the original plans drawn to suggest the 1920s look and feel he intends for the development.

Should all go as scheduled, Keasler expects to take his plan to the Homewood planning commission March 6. The first of the three phases of demolition and construction could begin by this time next year, with the entire project completed in 2011.

Keasler said if he can gain community support for the project, he believes the city will be supportive. In addition to the boost that would come to the city from the more than $100 million in construction, Keasler estimated sales tax receipts to the city could double or triple in the first year because the many now-vacant store fronts in Edgewood would be replaced by new businesses.

His plan also calls for working with Alabama Power Co., Alagasco, the Birmingham Water Works Board and other companies to update utility systems, some of which are more than 100 years old.

`Smart technology':

He said the so-called "smart technology" aspects of the project - where homes, businesses and offices are wired and interactive based on new technologies - will require such upgrading. Talks are taking place with a telecommunications company about outfitting the community with the fastest Internet service available "on the planet," Keasler said.

Part of the master plan calls for a cistern to catch rain water for use in a system that filters and recycles all non-drinking water for use in the development. Energy-efficient measures and other environmental improvements are part of the sustainable development plan Keasler said is incorporated into the project.

Keasler is still holding talks with property owners. Edgewood Presbyterian Church, for instance, has formed a task force for discussions on the project. Keasler's plans call for developing a parking deck and community center for the church on what is now the church's parking lot.

The developer said he understands objections from long-time Edgewood residents and business owners who do not want to see the character of the area change. Some complaints of those have centered on the three-story design of the area. But Keasler views his projects as improving on the traits that the area already possesses.

To do something on a smaller scale, he said, would not be feasible.

"If this town center is any leaner, there is not enough residential density to drive the retail," he said.

A joint venture development partner is in talks to join the Iron Group on the project, and Keasler said banks and investment firms are prepared to finance the entire development.

E-mail: mtomberlin@bhamnews.com

?????? Are we talking complete demolition of Edgewood's Retail and construction of a $100 million dollar development in its place. Or are we talking an additional structure?

My understanding is that the existing commercial structures at Oxmoor and Broadway would be demolished in order to construct the 400,000 square foot mixed-use development.

BhamWiki:Restoration Edgewood