Birmingham Development News

[Blazer85]

Not a MAJOR development story, but at least the County Commission did something right here...

U.S. Steel gets Jeffco tax break:

The Jefferson County Commission on Tuesday voted to grant a tax abatement to U.S. Steel Corp. for a proposed expansion scheduled to be completed in June 2008.

U.S. Steel spokesman John Armstrong said the company has proposed to build a coal-grinding facility at its Fairfield Works site. The plant would make pulverized coal for use in its blast furnace.

"We're excited that U.S. Steel, which already employs 2,200 people, continues to invest in Jefferson County," said Jim Carns, commissioner of economic development.

The abatement will spare the company $800,000 in county taxes over the next five years. The company is expected to invest $27 million in the expansion and create 15 jobs.

Fairfield Works produces about 2.4 million tons of raw steel and 640,000 tons of seamless tubular products annually, according to the U.S. Steel Web site. Barnett Wright --

[sabre0link]

I laughed at this....

The plans come as the owners of the Summit and Belk settle a lawsuit that claimed the Charlotte-based retailer wasn't good enough to replace Parisian in the Birmingham shopping center.

*snickers*

[Blazer85]

BTW Justin, you were right about the Thai place. I didn't realize that it wrapped around that building like an L shape apparently. So there will be entrances on both the 7th Avenue and 22nd Street sides (where the Jazz Cafe was). The actual address is on 7th Avenue, but apparently it goes all the way through and wraps around that oriental market. Just wanted to clear that up because I was able to get a closer look today.

[Blazer85]

BJCC board approves entertainment district deal
Posted by Birmingham News staff April 27, 2007 3:07 PM

The Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center board of directors this afternoon unanimously approved the construction of a multimillion-dollar entertainment district next to the BJCC convention center.

The board agreed to a 99-year deal with the company that manages Memphis' Beale Street. Under the terms of the deal, Performa will build and manage the district, paying the BJCC 5 percent of the district's gross income and 50 percent of net income after expenses related to debt.

BJCC officials said construction could begin as soon as this fall.

Stan Diel

[Blazer85]

Here's an interesting tidbit I found... this was posted a couple days ago on April 25th...

Downtown Notebook: Homegrown entertainment?

Everybody’s entertainment attention this year has been focused on Performa’s proposal to build a new entertainment district at the BJCC. However, the Weekly has learned over the last few weeks of another attempt to establish an entertainment district in downtown Birmingham.

Over the past few months, Joseph McClure, the owner and founder of Joseph McClure Commercial Real Estate, has been quietly pitching a 12-page proposal to prospective downtown business owners and current downtown property owners. The gist of the idea is to recruit at least eight new businesses to a core area downtown – roughly from First to Third Avenue North along 20th Street and from 18th to 20 Street on Third Avenue North – and have them all open at the same time.

McClure has thus far declined to comment to the Weekly about his proposal, saying he wants to wait until he has more details finalized. His main goal right now, he says, is compiling a list of potential properties – with willing property owners – for prospective business owners to view.

His 12-page proposal explains quite a bit, however. One thing is for certain – McClure doesn’t want this project to be viewed as a competitor with the BJCC plan.

“This concept has worked for years in [Five] Points South, and is doing wonders for the Lakeview area,” McClure wrote in his information packet. “There is little doubt that it will work at the newly proposed civic center development. And it will work in Downtown Birmingham, too … This can become the tie that binds Five Points South to the new civic center development plan.”

McClure’s ultimate goal, according to his proposal, is to “create a downtown nightlife featuring an upscale multi-venue entertainment area with food, coffee shops, music, theatre, art galleries, cocktail lounges and general after-hours entertainment.”

There are sure to be plenty of questions McClure will have to answer once he reveals his plan publicly – concerning how he plans to get various property owners on board, for one thing – but he may have picked a prime spot to promote late-night revitalization. What little after-hours activity exists downtown exists around the area he has targeted. What remains to be seen is whether McClure’s plan can build on that modest foundation.

Pick up a copy of tomorrow’s Birmingham Weekly for a full story on McClure’s plan.

[B'ham Bound]

Originally Posted by Blazer85

Here's an interesting tidbit I found... this was posted a couple days ago on April 25th...

Wow.... Very interesting find Blazer85. Two thumbs WAY up! This proposal sounds intriguing. Hopefully, the developer will be releasing more detailed information soon. My initial reaction would be enthusiasm. I believe something like this COULD work IF the right mix of creative and unique tenants got on board. For this to work, there would have to be a synergy among the district that can't be found nor duplicated in Five Points and/or "The (BJCC) District." Hopefully, the Downtown are will continue to add residents at a respectable pace - which would be necessary if this latest proposal is to survive.

[Blazer85]

Originally Posted by B'ham Bound

Wow.... Very interesting find Blazer85. Two thumbs WAY up! This proposal sounds intriguing. Hopefully, the developer will be releasing more detailed information soon. My initial reaction would be enthusiasm. I believe something like this COULD work IF the right mix of creative and unique tenants got on board. For this to work, there would have to be a synergy among the district that can't be found nor duplicated in Five Points and/or "The (BJCC) District." Hopefully, the Downtown are will continue to add residents at a respectable pace - which would be necessary if this latest proposal is to survive.

I love it. To me, though I'm not opposed to the BJCC District, and though I like Lakeview and Five Points just fine, THIS district sounds like it appeals most to me. This whole area along 20th Street and 3rd Avenue North is one of my favorite areas of the whole city. With things like the Alabama Theatre, the Lyric Theatre (whose restoration is being planned), along with the McWane Center, etc. this area has SO much potential. It could truly be a more historic entertainment district. And hopefully, if successful, it could spread further south and revive Morris Avenue.

Bottom line is that it's very exciting to me. But I don't want to get too excited just yet since it's very much so only in the planning stages. We all know how too many things get shot down around here.

I think if we had some sort of expanded hours for the DART, this could be great. People could "bar-hop" throughout each of the districts. One minute be in Lakeview... the next, be at the BJCC or this district. If this developer doesn't have success, I'm hopeful it will maybe encourage other developers to take a similar interest.

[B'ham Bound]

Originally Posted by Blazer85

I love it. To me, though I'm not opposed to the BJCC District, and though I like Lakeview and Five Points just fine, THIS district sounds like it appeals most to me. This whole area along 20th Street and 3rd Avenue North is one of my favorite areas of the whole city. With things like the Alabama Theatre, the Lyric Theatre (whose restoration is being planned), along with the McWane Center, etc. this area has SO much potential. It could truly be a more historic entertainment district. And hopefully, if successful, it could spread further south and revive Morris Avenue.

Bottom line is that it's very exciting to me. But I don't want to get too excited just yet since it's very much so only in the planning stages. We all know how too many things get shot down around here.

I think if we had some sort of expanded hours for the DART, this could be great. People could "bar-hop" throughout each of the districts. One minute be in Lakeview... the next, be at the BJCC or this district. If this developer doesn't have success, I'm hopeful it will maybe encourage other developers to take a similar interest.

I knew it was something I forgot to comment on when I replied. Transit will be critical for the success and sustainability of these new downtown projects. This would be an excellent time for Birmingham and regional transportation leaders to seriously begin pursing light rail development and TODs. A successful two mile streetcar line (three if we want to get wacky and connect downtown Homewood/SOHO) would be a wonderful tool that could be used to increase regional support for an expanded, comprehensive mass transit network.

Start with downtown, address U.S. 280 (which, in my opinion, would be a wildly successful endeavor and a much more feasible approach than an elevated monstrosity), and use that momentum to develop a fully-integrated transportation solution. Look at me, I'm getting way ahead of myself. The new district idea rawks!

[Blazer85]

Here's a longer, more in-depth piece from Birmingham Weekly on the proposal...

Organic entertainment
Real estate player has new plans for after-hours Birmingham
By: Phillip Jordan

The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex isn’t the only portion of downtown that could become a bastion of late-night options. If Joseph McClure has his way, the intersection of Third Avenue North and 20th Street will also become an entertainment destination.

Over the past few months, McClure, the founder and owner of Joseph McClure Commercial Real Estate, has been pitching 12-page proposals to prospective downtown business owners and current downtown property owners. His plan calls for at least eight new businesses to open simultaneously in an effort to help downtown’s retail and entertainment offerings catch up with the area’s residential market.

McClure’s ultimate goal, according to his informational packet, is to “create a downtown nightlife featuring an upscale multi-venue entertainment area with food, coffee shops, music, theatre, art galleries, cocktail lounges and general after-hours entertainment.”

People familiar with McClure’s idea call it a more organic approach to building an entertainment district compared to the from-scratch BJCC plan. McClure declined to comment to the Weekly about his proposal, saying he would prefer to wait until after he finalizes more details – including a list of potential properties for new businesses.

The 12-page proposal making the rounds among downtown business folks says plenty, however. In it, McClure claims businesses have failed to meet the demands of downtown’s residents and workers because there has been no coordination or strategy involved in how (and where) new stores open.

McClure is offering himself as the conduit to achieve this sea change. Once all details are made public, it will be up to business owners to determine if his plan is truly organic or simply dictatorial. It also remains to be seen whether his plan can work to link various entertainment districts in the city, or if it will become simply another competitor for limited local resources.

“This concept has worked for years in [Five] Points South, and is doing wonders for the Lakeview area,” McClure writes. “There is little doubt that it will work at the newly proposed civic center development. And it will work in Downtown Birmingham, too … This can become the tie that binds Five Points South to the new civic center development plan.”


Defining the district
According to McClure’s documents, the initial boundaries of the district would stretch along Third Avenue North between 18th and 20th Streets, and on 20th Street from First to Third Avenue North. His plan refers to the area simply as the Downtown Birmingham Entertainment District.

It’s easy to see why McClure might have chosen these few blocks for infill development. There are numerous ground-floor vacancies within these boundaries. The city of Birmingham’s online mapping reveals there are more than 20 vacant, ground-floor spaces available in the district – in all manner of shape or disrepair – that could fit McClure’s guidelines.

However, if you take a walk around this area of town after sunset, you’re still more likely to find activity here than anywhere in points further north downtown – or points further south across the railroad tracks in midtown.

What nighttime entertainment options do exist downtown, exist here. The Alabama Theatre, McWane Science Center’s IMAX Theatre and the live-performance Summerfest Theatre can all be found in this area. (Fundraising for the Lyric Theatre’s renovation is also underway.) There are restaurants such as Café Dupont, Roma’s, Lyric Hot Dog & Burgers and Surin of Thailand, as well as several other light-fare lunch spots.

Safari Cup stays open some nights and another nighttime coffee house, Java & Jams, is scheduled to open later this summer. Bars such as Speakeasy 1920 and Metro Bistro are nearby, and there are even a handful of shops. McClure has even moved his own office to the neighborhood, renovating a building along 20th Street that is now filled with historic mementos of Birmingham.

It’s a modest foundation, but according to McClure’s research, it’s enough. Adding new businesses in this area makes sense, McClure argues, if they all open simultaneously.

“There must me an influx of a minimum of eight new specific businesses,” he writes, “which will construct their space and open their doors at approximately the same time.”


What’ll ya have?
With his company taking the lead on this project, McClure has a vested interest in seeing his plan succeed. He plans to provide information on available properties, provide as-built plans for each available space, coordinate implementation and find financing options. McClure Commercial Real Estate would compile floor plans, cost analysis, title work surveys and environmental studies. JMCRE would also handle marketing and advertising.

Parking availability, late-night public transportation, increased security patrols and financial help are just a few of the areas in which McClure will need assistance from either city government or from private investors. Carol Clarke, director of economic development for the city of Birmingham, says McClure has contacted her about the plan, but they haven’t begun seriously discussing what the city could offer. She indicated that the city’s primary interest right now remains with encouraging entertainment growth around the BJCC district and the Railroad Reservation Park.

“But his plan sounds exciting,” Clarke says. “I don’t think we’re a one-entertainment-district town by any means. The more things we have in the city center, the better.”

Clarke adds that McClure’s greatest challenge would be getting so many different property owners on board. “It’s a lot of different pieces to get together,” Clarke says. “It’s a lot of other people’s property.”

In his packet, McClure writes that he will persuade property owners to give qualified prospects free options on their space while leases or contracts are determined – that way prospective business owners won’t have to fear they could get stuck going it alone.

In return, McClure gets to guide and approve developments in the district.

“In order to make this District a cohesive whole, rather than an aimless hodgepodge of establishments, a tangible theme must flow through it all,” McClure writes.

To achieve that desired continuity, McClure’s notes mandate that a “District Committee,” be formed. “There is no intent to exclude any particular type of operations but it is also not the intent to end up with a group of homogenous businesses catering to one specific group,” McClure writes. “Birmingham is a wonderfully diverse city, and this District should reflect that.”

In the meantime, downtown observers await more public details from McClure. A new website for Joseph McClure Commercial Real Estate is being designed at www.jmcre.net, and McClure says he hopes to have property listings and other information ready within the next few weeks.

“There are few of us left who still have hope for the retail sector of Downtown Birmingham. Seldom do I meet someone from Birmingham who can visualize the potential and envision the possibilities of a vibrant city center,” McClure writes near the end of his proposal.

“I plan to start modestly; I am simply looking for eight entrepreneurs who share my vision, and property owners willing to cooperate.”

[sabre0link]

Sounds great

Almost wish I had a Knock 'Em Dead business idea that would fit with the ideas... not like I haven't had them, but it'd be nice if I had one for that area...

That, and had the capital to keep it up til it turned a profit...

With most developments, etc, I tend to think "oo.. nice!" and "I wanna live there" or "I wanna work there"... I had developed at least 2 separate ideas for Montevallo (separate from the cinema that is no more), and one for where I went to HS (that really wouldn't work out there.. really...)...

I always deny that I am a true business major... but I think it's just that it's hidden within me so well that I rarely am able to find it...

And as I was typing this, a fusion of ideas formed, and I could bang out an idea... but.... I still don't have the resources to really execute it...

And then the ideas cross my mind of "what makes it unique?"

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I seriously need to go after my MBA... figure out what I really need to know... and what I actually know...

Sorry, this turned into a blog....

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Transit and unified parking should be addressed, also... I saw 'uniform' due to a recent visit to Greenville, SC, where the City owned the parking garages, and fees were standardized across the board... B'ham parking reminds me of NYC's... various businesses own the garages, sometimes they own only one...

Greenville had a few fringe garages around, but the best of the selection were owned by the City, and they owned the ones downtown, though there were a few lots privately owned...

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Ignore me while I go chill on my tangent... heh :\

[Blazer85]

Here are a few pictures I found...

Here's one of the Tutwiler Hotel after the $9-million renovation...



Here's one of the hallway inside the Tutwiler which has numerous pictures and gives an audiotour of Birmingham's history...

[Sulley]

God, people like that old guy make me ashamed to be white. Fort Meyers is 700 miles south, buddy!

[RockHillJames]

Guys, just so you know, I have insider knowledge at Belk and the plan was always to convert Summit and Phipps Place to flagship stores. The lawsuit was unneccesary and a distraction.

[Blazer85]

Now this is certainly interesting...

New hotel coming to downtown, insiders say
Project to include 255 rooms, spa and restaurant
Sunday, April 29, 2007
DAWN KENT News staff writer

A luxury hotel is planned for Birmingham at the site of the 17-story former Regions Financial Corp. headquarters at Fifth Avenue and 20th Street North, a source with knowledge of the project said.

Details about the project are expected to be announced Monday at a 2 p.m. news conference. A news release scheduling the event said representatives from Harbert Realty Services, the city of Birmingham and others will unveil plans "concerning a major project to transform a downtown property."

A major hotel company is expected to operate at the site, with a restaurant, spa, ballrooms and 255 guest rooms, sources said.

The new hotel would complement Birmingham's corporate offices, boost traffic for downtown merchants and raise the city's profile in the convention business.

The project also represents a return to the site's roots as the home of the original Tutwiler Hotel.

Regions, which merged with across-the-street rival AmSouth Bancorp late last year, put its old headquarters up for sale in March. The bank's base has since moved to the glass tower occupied for decades by AmSouth.

At the time, Regions said it expected to maintain a significant presence in its old building into 2008. It could not be determined Saturday whether Regions still owns the building or how much investment will be involved in the project.

Harbert Realty is part of the Harbert business umbrella tied to Raymond J. Harbert, son of the late construction magnate John M. Harbert III.

Efforts to reach Harbert Realty officials were unsuccessful.

Officials with the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau said news of the project is a welcome surprise.

"I think our hotel market is ready for a good solid expansion, and I think the location of that one would be great," said Russell Cunningham, president and CEO of the chamber.

The nearby offices of Regions, Wachovia Corp. and Compass Bancshares, along with the centers of city and county government and a host of law firms, make up a "terrific nucleus of business" that attracts corporate travelers, Cunningham said.

Enticing conventions:

The new hotel would aid those travelers, as well as people who visit the city for conventions, because the site is within walking distance of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, he said.

Now, about 850 hotel guest rooms are within walking distance of the BJCC that are available for convention visitors, said Dilcy Hilley, vice president of marketing for the convention and visitors bureau.

While Birmingham's convention business is growing, more hotel space is needed to keep competing with other cities that also are trying to woo the profitable gatherings, she said.

"There are groups that would love to meet in Birmingham, but we just can't accommodate their guest needs," Hilley said.

Convention and Visitors Bureau officials would like to have as many as 2,000 guest rooms within walking distance of the BJCC available for conventions, but 1,200 to 1,500 rooms would boost Birmingham's position, she said.

Available hotel space, specifically space that's convenient to a convention complex, is a consistent trait among cities that have growing downtowns, said Barry Copeland, the chamber's executive vice president.

A new hotel also means more pedestrian traffic for downtown businesses, such as restaurants, he said.

A building downtown:

There has been an ongoing building boom of hotel space in the city.

As of December, developers were spending nearly $100 million to build or renovate hotel space downtown and in Southside, for a total of more than 1,500 new or spruced-up rooms.

Recent hotel projects include a $9 million transformation of the current Tutwiler Hotel at 2021 Park Place, which officially became a member of the Hampton Inn & Suites brand earlier this month.

Additional hotel and office space also is planned for the former Federal Reserve property along 18th Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues North.

In the Civil Rights District, a developer is proposing hotel space as part of a renovation of the A.G. Gaston Motel. A hotel also is a part of plans for a new downtown entertainment district.

The original Tutwiler Hotel opened in 1914 on the site of the existing Regions Bank headquarters. It was a showplace of the city through the 1950s but was hurt by retail and residential flight to the suburbs.

It was demolished in 1974 to make way for the Regions building.

E-mail: dkent@bhamnews.com --

[Blazer85]

Any ideas on what hotel brand it might be? Sounds like it will be a major hotel chain.

Could it be a Westin, a Hyatt Regency, a Hilton, a W Hotel, etc?

I guess we may know tomorrow at 2PM.

[BhamTiger10]

Sounds like very exciting news. Glad to see more hotel rooms in downtown. Hopefully as the article says, Bham can attract more conventions. What happened to the other hotel proposals (BJCC and Westin)?

[sabre0link]

Last night (read: 2-3am) as I was driving along 31/280 from downtown out to my little suburban residence... I noticed that on the North side of the tracks, East of the Expressway, there was a tower crane.

Any clues?

It intrigued me, but I think I remember seeing it there before, too... But it just caught my eye last night, and made me remember to ask about it.

And I finally remembered the Lakeview Condos that are advertised by St. Vincent's... well, remembered them for longer than an hour...

http://www.29seven.com/

29 Seven

And here's a Blog entry at the Bham Weekly about the project..
http://www.bhamweekly.com/blogs.php?...d=10&art_id=61

[Blazer85]

The crane you've seen just east of the Red Mtn Expressway is actually Craneworks (a place where you get cranes), so it's just an advertisement rather than a development.

[B'ham Bound]

Begins countdown until 2PM hotel press conference!

[Blazer85]

1 hour away now...

I hope whichever hotel brand it is that it's new to Alabama... or at least new to Birmingham.