Improvement to corner of Cahaba Heights Road and Dolly Ridge Road coming

A group of businesses in Cahaba Heights are coming together to make landscaping improvements and more to a corner in the area.

Katherine McRee, owner of The Lili Pad and Gigi’s and leader of the Cahaba Heights Merchants Association, said there will be work to relandscape the corner of Cahaba Heights Road and Dolly Ridge Road, catty-corner to Martin’s BBQ.

Funds are coming from the money raised during Heights Hangout, an annual event that includes food trucks, music and activities for kids and adults. The association created a master beautification plan, and improvement of this corner led the list of needed projects.

McRee said the focus of the plan is to emphasize the business district and beautify the area. There is the possibility in the future of murals, signs and more, but phase one of the project is landscaping, being performed by two Cahaba Heights residents, McRee said.

About $36,000 has been raised from Heights Hangout for the project, and McRee said more people will be asked to get involved in fundraising efforts. The total cost of the project won’t be known until phase two of the project.

“Conceptually, the sky’s the limit,” McRee said.

McRee said she expects the project to see movement later this year or early 2023.

The project is part of the goals set by the association, which was formed in 2017. The overall goal of the association is to improve the neighborhood through events and fundraisers, McRee said.