Construction to begin on Liberty Park retail development, HealthSouth headquarters
Although the bulk of construction work is yet to begin, two separate projects in Liberty Park will bring both retail space and business offices to the neighborhood.
In December, Sanders Capital Partners, a Birmingham-based development and acquisition firm, announced its plans for a $3 million development. Those plans are ready to go, said Steve Hewett, senior vice president at subsidiary company Sanders Trust.
“All of our architectural plans and construction plans are completed,” he said. “We are working through final permit and site plan details.”
Once the details are ironed out, Hewett said construction will begin soon with it being complete by the end of the year.
“The goal is to have tenants inside the space by the first quarter of 2017,” he said.
Once complete, the development will be adjacent to the existing Prominence Shops. Your Pie pizzeria, a build-it-yourself pizza restaurant, is the first business to lease space in the development. This will be the pizzeria’s second Birmingham location.
Hewett said while he couldn’t discuss the specifics of other potential tenants, developers are working to bring in another restaurant. Other tenants will provide retail and services.
“We are so pleased to be starting this much-needed project in the ever-expanding Liberty Park and nearby Mountain Brook communities,” said Brooks Sanders, vice president of Sanders Capital. “We are gratified by the enthusiastic response we have received from prospective tenants, neighbors and the city of Vestavia Hills. We look forward to delivering a high quality center with a complementary mix of restaurants and retailers to serve the community.”
Architect Williams Blackstock will design the 9,000-square-foot property. Stewart Perry Company will serve as general contractor, and Schoel Engineering will provide civil design services. Walter Kelley, a broker at ARC Realty, will be in charge of leasing the property.
Liberty Park’s growth will continue a few years down the line, when HealthSouth Corporation makes its move from the Grandview Plaza on U.S. 280 to the neighborhood. According to the company’s announcement, the Liberty Park offices will be “new and larger.”
The move is expected in the spring of 2018, with construction scheduled to begin in August of this year.
The headquarters will be built on 20 acres, five of which will house the new offices. The remaining land will be left for future expansions.
The new corporate headquarters will include seven floors of office space, covered parking for employees, outdoor patio areas, an on-site cafeteria, outdoor walking trails and an employee fitness center, officials said.
The developer for the construction project is Corporate Realty Development LLC, the architect is M. Arthur Gensler Jr. & Associates Inc., and the general contractor is Brasfield & Gorrie LLC. Brad Jones with Cushman & Wakefield and EGS Commercial Real Estate represented HealthSouth in the relocation of its headquarters.
HealthSouth’s new address will be 9001 Liberty Parkway.