Birmingham Business Journal's Stephanie Rebman talks Highway 280 developments

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Alabama's Morning News. I'm JT and joining us from the
Birmingham Business Journal. Stephanie Redman is here.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Good to see you, hey, thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Well, so we got a lot to talk about. Highway
to eighty and just still booming and changing and business
is coming up everywhere. Why don't we start with what's
going on with this, I guess plan to help veterans
in housing? What's happening here?

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Yeah, two eighty. It's just this growth of opportunity. Everything
seems to be happening. One of the latest projects unveiled
was a developer purchased the former spark by Hilton hotel
on Colonade Parkway and they're going to change it, convert
it from a hotel to housing. It's going to be
an apartment complex with a focus on veterans, and the

(00:40):
bottom floor will have gyms and you know, all the
amenities the folks need, and so it's going to special
I think it was one hundred and ten unit or
something like that. It's it's going to be a large
development to give a home for veterans. And it's not
the only one of that concept. People developers are targeting
this as an option there's also another project on Crestwood

(01:01):
Boulevard to turn a hotel into housing. So that's a trend.
Wous special you know categories like veterans, Yes on on
two eighties, veterans on Crestwood. It's more open, okay. People
are just trying to find creative ways to develop empty
or struggling buildings down Birmingham.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Now the one on two eighty you're talking about there
to enter the colony, that's strictly veterans, yes, okay, And uh,
affordable housing is a government subsidized I guess you know
through the VAH. How's that going to work because a
lot of veterans struggle financially.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
It will be open for applications and they will not
lose VA benefits if they are in this facility, they
still have access to VA. There should be shuttles to
get folks there, and it will be a more affordable
option folks.

Speaker 1 (01:44):
Well anything for veterans. I mean one hundred percent. I mean,
let's go also on to eighty at Tenarsall Park. This
is on down to eighty towards Graystone, going that directory.
Where is that exactly? Okay?

Speaker 2 (01:56):
If you're driving down to eighty from downtown, you pass
the Summit on left, and you have the Colonnade, which
the development we just talked about, that's on the right,
and you just keep going like you're headed towards Chelsea
and you pass all the restaurants and retail and you're
going to see Tattersall Park on the left right and
one nineteen that's another hotbed for development. That's where all

(02:17):
the apartment projects are coming up.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
I think I know where you're talking about. I think
Saint Vincent's one nineteen medical building. That's my doctor done. Yes,
all that new development right.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
In Yes, And that's right across from the Whitby that's
a brand new, very large apartment luxury complex. So things
like that are popping up on the one nineteen corridor.
And to meet the demand for all those people moving
out there, a Cincinnati based bank has decided to put
its first metro area location there. They have a what's

(02:46):
on the edge of it, Fifth Third Bank? Heard of them? Yeah,
they're Cincinnati based and they're targeting growth in Birmingham. And
so since you never heard of them, that's their goal
here to build more market share and get out here.
And so they started construction in the past month and
so that should be up summer next year.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
Okay, all right? And also on to eighty. My gosh,
I didn't know there was this much availability. But Superior
Grill's been sitting kind of dark for a while.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
We all missed that place, I mean home away from
home place.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
Ever, I'm telling you, I can't tell you any birthday
parties or events. You know, that was a good spot
for little leagues and everything going on.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
Everything.

Speaker 1 (03:25):
So now somebody's decided to come in here, and I
guess it's a Is it a what is it another
restaurant in retail? Is it a bank? What's going on here?

Speaker 2 (03:34):
Well, everybody jokes to eighty needs more chicken and joints
and car washes and you know, but no, it's going
to be another bank. It's also one of the top
national banks, like in the top five national banks Bank
of America, and they are going to be building a
Birmingham location and they picked the Superior Grill site, which

(03:55):
is great because that site has been vacant for about
three years.

Speaker 1 (03:58):
I guess we're going to tear the restaurant start from scratch.

Speaker 2 (04:01):
And you know that's my theory. We haven't seen a
building permit or anything, but I imagine they'll have to
do something along those.

Speaker 1 (04:07):
You don't think it will be a bank uh as
the base the you know, the base of it, and
then a high rise for other offices to is it's
strictly a bank building.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
I will look at the building permits and the know
all right, you know it's two eighty, anything's possible.

Speaker 1 (04:21):
Wow booming booming down to eighty still, that's great. Well, Stephanie,
thank you so much, Birmingham Business schn'll appreciate you.

Speaker 2 (04:27):
Yeah, thanks for having us