Discussion Thread (Birmingham, Avon: apartments, condos, hotels)

[mcalumni01]

https://www.reddit.com/r/nashville/c...ildings_of_20/

I was just scrolling the Nashville reddit page. This is also on the Urban Planet website. 61 new 20+stories developments has been approved there. If I had to guess, 30-35 will be residential. Here in Birmingham, people are quick to say that the reason for no new "high rises" is that the demand isn't there. I think most folks associate high rises as office related . The high rises of recent years in cities are more residential or hotel builted. I know Nashville is booming in new residents far far greater than Birmingham. But with more residential developments coming within the next 3-5+ years, I just would like to see a little height with some. Thoughts??

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by mcalumni01

https://www.reddit.com/r/nashville/c...ildings_of_20/

I was just scrolling the Nashville reddit page. This is also on the Urban Planet website. 61 new 20+stories developments has been approved there. If I had to guess, 30-35 will be residential. Here in Birmingham, people are quick to say that the reason for no new "high rises" is that the demand isn't there. I think most folks associate high rises as office related . The high rises of recent years in cities are more residential or hotel builted. I know Nashville is booming in new residents far far greater than Birmingham. But with more residential developments coming within the next 3-5+ years, I just would like to see a little height with some. Thoughts??

There are differences in geography that matter. While Birmingham has Red and Shades Mountain to the south, and hilly terrain to its northwest, the central area is in a wide, flat plain that has been underdeveloped with land prices that remain, relatively speaking, pretty cheap. So while Nashville's growth has been basically forced to grow up, Birmingham's growth will likely remain horizontal for quite a while.



To your point, I think there will be more high rises in the years to come, but not in the 20-story range for awhile. We have a bit of work to do on the economic development front before that makes economic sense.

[TimCity2000]

nashville and austin are both going nuts right now, landing MAJOR corporations and, with them, new residents. i'd be curious what our peer cities are doing (these were once our peers, but they aren't anymore). frankly, i wouldn't want that kind of growth. but obviously want us to turn around our current trajectory.

the developments of the past 10 years have been primarily infilling vacant properties with new buildings and/or renovating existing buildings. fortunately we're finally starting to run out of the big vacant properties. i think the biggest chance for height might be with hotels. on the residential side, we've gotten close to 20 stories recently with Ascend and Vesta, and i could see another one of those being built in the near future. i don't see anything going much higher than that anytime soon though.

[mcalumni01]

I think the opportunity is and has been to build height. Most developers perfer the horizontal way. Since the very first ones (Station 121 and 29Seven), then LIV Parkside, building horizontal seem to be the perfered route for reasons. Imagine if our DRC demand height and style from developers..

[bhamblazer]

I think the biggest opportunity to get some height will be whatever happens on the Stivers Ford site when it gets redeveloped in a couple years.

[mcalumni01]

Anyone knows the construction going on at 31st St. South and 3rd Ave S. at Pepper Place. They gutted the building, but now is rebuilding it back. Used to be Russell's Speed Shop location.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

nashville and austin are both going nuts right now, landing MAJOR corporations and, with them, new residents. i'd be curious what our peer cities are doing (these were once our peers, but they aren't anymore). frankly, i wouldn't want that kind of growth. but obviously want us to turn around our current trajectory.

the developments of the past 10 years have been primarily infilling vacant properties with new buildings and/or renovating existing buildings. fortunately we're finally starting to run out of the big vacant properties. i think the biggest chance for height might be with hotels. on the residential side, we've gotten close to 20 stories recently with Ascend and Vesta, and i could see another one of those being built in the near future. i don't see anything going much higher than that anytime soon though.

Yep. It's expensive to build up. Truthfully, there's still a ton of underutilized land in the downtown area, whether you're talking immediately west of down north of the railway tracks, or east of UAB all the way to Avondale. Until the area from I-65 to 34th Street is jam-packed, I don't see anyone putting up a building of any height outside of the immediate 20th-Arrington-22nd Street Axis.

[bfmx1]

Agree'd, it's expensive to build up so the demand has to be over solid to justify. I think the code is anything over seven stories has to have a steel frame, not wood. So there are lots of added costs to building up. With Birmingham utilizing the old AT&T building as residential, I don't see much demand for high rise apartments/condos any time soon.

[steveklein]

Originally Posted by bfmx1

Agree'd, it's expensive to build up so the demand has to be over solid to justify. I think the code is anything over seven stories has to have a steel frame, not wood. So there are lots of added costs to building up. With Birmingham utilizing the old AT&T building as residential, I don't see much demand for high rise apartments/condos any time soon.

Yup, and it is even less likely a new office tower goes up.

[mcalumni01]

2022-2023 proposed city operating budget

https://www.wbrc.com/2022/05/17/birm...3-fiscal-year/

2023-2022 ($517M)
2021-2022 ($455M)
2020-2021 ($412M) Covid Pandemic year
2019-2020 ($451M)
2018-2019 ($436M)
2019-2018 ($428M)