Hotel, condos expected to break ground in Patchwork Farms in 2021

Developer Chris Reebals of Christopher Architecture and Interiors is building a large, mixed-use development in Patchwork Farms that will include a hotel, condominiums, retail space, and food and beverage options.

Reebals said construction for the project, which will sit in between Aspire and Medjet, should start this year, and the project will complete the “lion’s share” of Patchwork Farms’ larger development pieces.

More than 30 condos are planned, along with about 15,000 square feet of retail space. The roughly $60 million development will also offer 10,000 square feet of conference and event space, which Reebals said will be especially helpful because conference and event space that was previously located at the former Cahaba Grand Conference Center will be eliminated as Church of the Highlands builds Highlands College on the property.

Reebals said an independent study showed his project could bring more than $1 billion in revenues to the city of Vestavia Hills. In addition to the economic impact, Reebals said the project meets a need.

“We recognized Vestavia Hills does not have a Class A, four-star hospitality component,” Reebals said.

The location is conveniently located near Grandview Medical Center, Southern Nuclear, U.S. 280, Interstate 459 and The Summit shopping center, Reebals said.

“Our proximity to those is the most strategic in Birmingham,” he said. “We just feel it’s a very, very strong and strategic location.”

The hotel will include 126 rooms and will be a signature, independently branded hotel, offering a nice outdoor space, a rooftop restaurant and bar, a dog park, outdoor pool and cabanas, and a luxury spa, Reebals said. The hotel will also include amenities such as a putting green, a movie theater and a roughly 175-space parking deck.

The idea is to also build a connection between the hotel and the condos, providing a live-work component where those who live in the condos could also work in a business at the development.

Reebals said he hopes the project is more communal, with a “symbiotic connection” between the hotel and condos, with condo owners being able to utilize hotel services.

“We want to consider the hotel an extension of your living room,” Reebals said.

The hotel rates will be comparable to the Grand Bohemian in Mountain Brook and the new Valley Hotel in Homewood.

“It will give Vestavia Hills a complement-ing product to attract folks to the city,” Reebals said.

The development will have a “nice community feel,” and will bring a regional and national draw to the city, he said. Reebals also said he hopes the hotel will be able to provide lodging for people going to or visiting Aspire Physical Recovery.

Retail spaces are up for sale, and Reebals said he plans to have a coffee shop and bakery on site. After construction begins, Reebals said he estimates construction will last 18 to 20 months.

Negotiations are ongoing between Reebals and the city of Vestavia Hills as to whether there will be incentives provided for the project. If the money for any incentives isn’t in the city’s budget, any extra appropriations would have to be approved by the Vestavia Hills City Council.