City leaders expect economic development to continue in 2019

With new commercial developments popping up around Vestavia Hills, City Manager Jeff Downes said he expects that trend to continue in 2019.

Several new businesses came to the city in 2018, including a handful of new restaurants in the Cahaba Heights area. While the city cannot comment specifically on unannounced businesses coming to town, Downes said more announcements are coming in the next 12 months.

“We have a lot in queue,” Downes said. “The hope is to move them out of queue and make them happen. My experience tells me we’ll have some wins in 2019.”

The hope is to stop sales tax revenues from leaking out of the city and keep them in Vestavia, Downes said. Sales tax leakage happens, he said, when a Vestavia resident goes outside of the city to find something they cannot find in the city, whereas an economic development “win” is bringing a “high-performing” business to the city.

Commercial development is ongoing at Liberty Park and Patchwork Farms, Downes said, pointing out the new Bray development at Liberty Park, which will be anchored by a grocery store and support retail options for the development. The grocery store will be a boon to the area, as grocery stores are one of the highest-paying taxpayers in the city, Downes said.

At Patchwork Farms, developer Chris Reebals is working on a luxury hotel and condominium units.

Economic development brings businesses to town and gives residents the opportunity to do business within the city, Downes said.

The older portion of Vestavia along the U.S. 31 corridor is not being neglected, Downes said.

“I foresee further investment by Katz Properties on the [Vestavia] city center,” Downes said.

Vestavia Medical Plaza, has broken ground at the former home of Party Time. The facility is a 40,000 square-foot, $22 million facility that will include an outpatient surgery center, diagnostic center and office space, said Dr. Swaid Swaid, who’s leading the project.

Baumhower’s Victory Grille will open in the former public works building space, next to the Walmart Neighborhood Market, in September 2019, Downes said.

He said there are ongoing discussions about redeveloping property on the southern U.S. 31 border with Hoover, too.

In Cahaba Heights, Downes said the property at the corner of Green Valley Road and Crosshaven Drive offers options for redevelopment while the city works to improve Crosshaven Drive.

The city is not in the business of picking and choosing which part of Vestavia “wins” when it comes to economic development, he said, and said there are pros and cons to all of the city’s “trade areas.”

The city must also continue to work with Vestavia Hills City Schools, which remains a major draw for people relocating to the area.

“If anything will affect our schools, we have to recognize that our schools are why most people move to Vestavia Hills and we don’t want to do anything that would hurt our schools,” Downes said.

The only notable negative news, Downes said, is that Charter Communications will be relocating their offices currently off Columbiana Road to another location outside of the city at the end of 2018. However, Charter will continue to provide internet services to city residents, Downes said.

This story is part of our Year in Preview. See more here.