Birmingham Development News

[Stuck in Bama]

Blue Cross will build $55 million data center at
JeffMet industrial park
Posted by Dawn Kent --
Birmingham News
June 13, 2008 9:30 AM

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama plans to build a $55 million data center at Jefferson Metropolitan Park Lakeshore in Birmingham's Oxmoor Valley.



The board of the Jefferson County Economic and Industrial Development Authority today authorized the sale of about 25 acres in the park to the company.

The 55,000-square-foot data center is expected to be occupied in 2010. The number of jobs tied to the project has not been determined.

EGS Commercial Real Estate is representing Blue Cross in the deal.

Earlier this month, Southern Co. announced plans to build a data center at Jeff Met Lakeshore. Companies have found the park attractive for such operations because of the availability of infrastructure, including fiber optics. They also cite the ability to provide a security buffer around their facilities.

[Infoman]

GREAT For you guys and for the Econmy.

[envgraph]

Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if Lakeshore takes off like the 280 Corridor. It has plenty of undeveloped land; it's convenient to Homewood, downtown and Hoover and with BCBS, Southern Co., Brookwood Pharma and possible Solvay - I think it's headed for a boom.

[Infoman]

http://www.al.com/business/birmingha...470.xml&coll=2

Hotel slated near Barber, Bass Pro
cover youre eye's G-MAN we would not won't you to get map at the B.P. part.

[Infoman]

http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/bi...17/story2.html

A old story but im use to seeing Boom not explosion, they really most be ready to boom badly.

[envgraph]

Continued investment at UAB


Image Credit: al.com

University of Alabama System Board of Trustees approve $30 million renovation for UAB's Wallace Tumor Institute
Posted by Hannah Wolfson -- Birmingham News September 19, 2008 6:10 PM
Categories: Breaking News
The Wallace Tumor Institute at UAB would get a $30 million facelift that includes walls of windows, a new lobby and new lab spaces under a plan approved today by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees.

"This will make a much more efficient, much more attractive building," Jim James, executive director of facilities for the University of Alabama at Birmingham, told board members.

The plan calls for renovating the entire six-story building, which sits in the heart of the medical district on the corner of Sixth Avenue South and 19th Street.

Construction would be completed in two phases so the radiation and oncology programs housed in the basement and first floor could stay in place until a radiation oncology building currently under construction is completed, which is expected for 2010, James said.

Most of the funding for the Wallace Tumor Institute renovation -- $28 million -- would come from state bonds, the remainder from UAB's physical plant budget

[envgraph]

This thread is about to become more active. There's a lot of good things happening in the ham and I'm bringing it front and center.

[envgraph]

Hotel projects topping $194 million are slated for downtown Birmingham. If all the projects are completed, at least 1,309 hotel rooms will be
added downtown, along with 1,280 renovated ones.

DOWNTOWN RENAISSANCE

The Marriott Renaissance is to include 255 rooms, spa and restaurant and will be located in the existing 17 story Regions Tower. Construction has also began to double the size of a downtown parking deck to accommodate the $50 million hotel.



Image of the 8 story deck expansion

[envgraph]

Construction continues on the 150-room, $26.5 million Hyatt Place Hotel.
The new hotel is situated at 20th Street and Fourth Avenue South.

4th Avenue South view


20th Street view

[Infoman]

$26 close $27 million for a 6 level Hyatt Place, that's crazy.

[envgraph]

Originally Posted by Infoman

$26 close $27 million for a 6 level Hyatt Place, that's crazy.

I've heard it's going to be really nice - a lot of very high end finishes. I'm expecting it will do great business with its proximity to the financial district and medical district.

[Cashville]

For over $175,000 a room it better have some nice finishes.

[envgraph]

Here's an article:

Hyatt Place helps lead hotel boom in the CBD
Deals of the Year # 7
Birmingham Business Journal - by Ty West Staff


Although it won't open for business until next year, Hyatt Place Hotel is already establishing its niche.

Located on the site of the former Tom Williams Cadillac Dealership on the northeast corner of 20th Street and 4th Avenue South, the six-floor, 150-room hotel will serve both UAB and the central business district.

"We were thrilled to be able to attract Hyatt to the urban landscape," said Corporate Realty Development partner Robert Simon.

"It's an ideal spot, because 20th Street is a major connector between north and south. We've also negotiated a long-term parking contract so there's a deck already in place."

The $26.5 million hotel is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2009. The project is being built on a redeveloped brownfield in the city center.

Corporate Realty Development, working with members of Welden Field Group, wanted to build a select-service hotel with a modern look that would blend with existing properties.

Offering a high-value product at a reasonable cost was also key, according to Simon.

The hotel will be one of several in Birmingham to open under Hyatt Corp.'s new Hyatt Place brand.

An AmeriSuites on U.S. 280 in Inverness was converted to a Hyatt Place in July 2007, and that was followed by the conversion of another AmeriSuites on Alabama 150 in Hoover.

"We've always looked at the hotel market in the city center as a pebble in the pond - there is a ripple effect," Simon said.

A ripple effect already seems to be occuring, as Hyatt Place is one of several hotel projects in and around Birmingham's central business district.

A Marriott Renaissance Hotel is slated for the former Regions Financial Corp. headquarters and Melaver Inc. has proposed a 200-room, four-star hotel in the former Federal Reserve Bank.

The city of Birmingham also recently approved a $1 million loan for a developer to begin construction on a Residence Inn on the Southside.

That's not to mention the hotels that are planned to accompany the proposed entertainment district, which is slated to be built near the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex in the near future.

"We haven't had quality hotel rooms in the area, so people stayed elsewhere and had to drive in to conduct their business. That won't be the case anymore," Simon said.

"We're pleased we can fill the void."

[Vulcan]

Mercedes-Benz supplier Kamtek plans to invest over $310 million, create 400 new jobs at plant bought from Ogihara

Kamtek bought Ogihara plant, plans to expandWednesday, July 09, 2008 MICHAEL TOMBERLINNews staff writer
A Mercedes-Benz supplier is expanding in Valley East Industrial Park with plans to invest more than $310 million and create more than 400 jobs.

Kamtek Inc., a subsidiary of Cosma International, part of Canada's Magna International Inc., is a major global player in the auto supplier industry. Kamtek has purchased the Ogihara plant in the park at 3900 Pinson Valley Parkway and will continue stamping parts for the Mercedes plant in Vance as well as pursue new work with other automakers.

"This is really a great story in that you are not only retaining 280 jobs that are there, but you now have the potential to grow to almost 700 jobs," said Patrick Murphy, vice president with the Metropolitan Development Board.

The Birmingham Industrial Development Board approved tax abatements for Kamtek earlier this week.

"This will be very significant in the company's plans to expand the former Ogihara facility, purchased several weeks ago by Kamtek's parent company, Cosma Body Systems," said Tracey Morant Adams, director of the Birmingham mayor's office of economic development.

Adams said a final value for the incentives have not been determined and the company is pursuing additional incentives from the state and Jefferson County.

"This is exactly the type of economic development project that we want to have in the city of Birmingham, providing more high paying jobs and more revenue for the city," said Mayor Larry Langford.

The 460,000-square-foot Birmingham plant, which was part of Japanese stamping company Ogihara Corp., had $140 million in sales last year.

Ogihara was Jefferson County's first auto parts supplier to locate after Mercedes announced plans for its initial Alabama factory. The Ogihara plant had numerous expansions and capital improvements before being sold earlier this year.

[envgraph]

That's what I'm talking about!

[Vulcan]

SurModics says Brookwood Pharmaceutical expansion will create 300 jobs

SurModics Inc. today formally announced an expansion project for subsidiary Brookwood Pharmaceuticals of Birmingham that is expected to add about 300 new jobs to the city in the next three to five years.

Brookwood, a drug-delivery company, has acquired the former Saks Inc. headquarters off Lakeshore Parkway. Investment in the expansion is estimated at $30 million. The move will allow Brookwood to add manufacturing of final products to its existing research and development work in Birmingham.

The project will get incentives from the city and county, as reported last month in The News.

[Vulcan]

Southern Co. planning to build new data facility in Birmingham

Southern Co. hopes to have new facility up, running in late 2009Sunday, June 01, 2008 DAWN KENTNews staff writer
Southern Co., the Atlanta-based parent of Alabama Power Co., plans to build a data center in Birmingham that will help ensure the reliability of the utility company's services across the Southeast.

Plans call for an office facility that covers 72,000 to 75,000 square feet at a site in Jefferson Metropolitan Park Lakeshore in the Oxmoor Valley. Officials are currently completing due diligence before exercising an option on the property, said Perry Stowe, Southern Co. project manager.

The data center is expected to house about 100 workers, predominantly Southern Co. employees who now work at Alabama Power's corporate headquarters in downtown Birmingham.

"It will provide us the ability to know what's actually happening electrically on our system," Stowe said of the facility, adding that the data involved will include usage, as well as where the power's flowing and how the transmission electric grid is operated.

Investment in the project, which is currently in the early design phase, is estimated in the $20 million range.

Southern Co., which operates beyond Alabama in Georgia, Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle, considered other sites before settling on Birmingham, Stowe said.

Jeff Met Lakeshore was attractive for a number of reasons, including the ability to provide a security buffer around the facility, said Ron Parsons, manager of transmission operations for Alabama Power.

While the data center will help Southern Co. maintain the reliability of its systemwide services, it also will act as a backup for similar Alabama Power operations here, he said.

"In today's world of concerns over security and concerns over what may happen in terms of business continuity, this offers the ability for us to provide a redundancy that we do not have today," Parsons said.

The design phase is expected to be complete by early fall. Construction should begin in late fall, with completion scheduled for December 2009.

Wachovia Corp. also has a data center at Jeff Met Lakeshore.

"The Lakeshore site has been attractive to these data facilities due to the availability of infrastructure that is required for their operations, including transmission and fiber optics," said Deborah McGill, outgoing executive director of the Jefferson County Economic and Industrial Development Authority, which operates the park.

Other pending projects for the park include Solvay Pharmaceuticals, which is eyeing a parcel for an influenza vaccine manufacturing plant.

If the pending projects materialize, less than 25 developable acres would remain at the 337-acre park that opened three years ago.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Vulcan]

Groundbreaking held for Home Depot distribution center being built in McCalla
McCalla facility to employ 215

A new $33 million Home Depot distribution center being built in McCalla is on the front end of a wave of similar facilities planned across the country as the home improvement giant tinkers with the way it puts products on store shelves.

The project also is a sign that the profiles of the Birmingham metro area and Alabama as a whole are rising when it comes to attracting distribution centers, officials said Wednesday during a groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility.

Alabama Development Office Director Neal Wade said Atlanta-based Home Depot is a global player, with operations in Canada, Mexico and elsewhere. State officials even noticed the company's presence on a recent trade mission to China, he said.

"It's important to us to have this kind of logo in Alabama," Wade said.

The 657,000-square-foot facility is expected to initially employ 214 people, and that number could ramp up to several hundred people over time.

Wednesday's ceremony also served as a formal announcement of the project, which was made public earlier this year and has been granted about $2.2 million in tax breaks from Jefferson County.

Workers have been moving dirt on the 70-acre site in Jefferson Metropolitan Park McCalla for about a month, and the facility is scheduled to be complete by the end of the year.

It is part of a network of distribution centers being rolled out as Home Depot makes structural changes to its business, said Al Boschen, the company's director of real estate.

The current economic downturn is offering the chance to catch up and make changes in the way products are ordered and distributed, so the company will be prepared when the economy rebounds, he said. He added that the changes won't be noticeable to customers of Home Depot stores, except that products should be available when they need them.

The McCalla facility will help improve service and efficiency at stores in the southeastern United States.

Jefferson County Commissioner Bobby Humphryes said he remembers when the JeffMet McCalla park was farmland and noted that it is now home to major companies that employ 1,800 people and represent a $452 million investment.

[envgraph]

Looks like you're a "new jobs" seeker. I love surfing the net looking for new construction. Sometimes I forget to add the job aspect.

[envgraph]

Construction began this summer on a new 129-room Residence Inn on 20th Street about five or six blocks south of the new Hyatt Place, the project is a $25 million investment. I think this one is 6 stories as well.