Year in preview: Vestavia Hills prepares for busy 2024
Several significant capital projects are set to begin in Vestavia Hills in 2024, while others have wrapped up and are ready for the public.
Economic development
For several years, Vestavia Hills’ leadership has been focused on the redevelopment of the southern end of U.S. 31, near the city limits heading into Hoover. Of particular interest was the former Days Inn hotel, which had fallen into disrepair due to neglect from its owner and had become a target for illegal activity, putting pressure on the Vestavia Hills Police Department and scaring off potential investors.
The city purchased the Days Inn in 2022 and demolished the building last spring, providing the city with 5 acres for potential redevelopment. After receiving feedback from Vestavia Hills citizens during a series of public meetings called a charrette, Vestavia Hills City Manager Jeff Downes said city officials realized they would need 9 acres to complete the master plan. However, there are four businesses on the 4 adjacent acres.
Downes said the owners of all four businesses have expressed interest in working with the city to move the project forward. The project’s master developer, Village Creek Development, is currently negotiating with each owner and believes agreements should be in place soon.
“Those property owners have been engaged, and they are expressing their terms that would be acceptable,” Downes said.
While the former Days Inn property is still in the early stages, another project just a few hundred feet north is beginning to take shape.
The property once occupied by the Vestavia Motor Lodge is slated for construction of a new shopping and dining development, anchored by new locations of Waldo’s Chicken & Beer and Big Bad Breakfast.
Earmarked as “future development” in the city’s master plan for U.S. 31, Downes said this project is quickly advancing and could begin construction in early to mid-2024. It is being developed by Vestavia RE31, a group led by developers Ward Neely and John Michael Bodnar.
Downes said this new development, which is currently in the permitting process, will complement the eventual Days Inn development and planned improvements to the city’s “gateway” into the city on the northbound side of U.S. 31.
“The future development is important because it’s the bookend to what our charrette produced in this planning for 31, and what is labeled as ‘future development’ is soon to be an ongoing development,” he said.
Between its two anchor tenants, the building will have a series of shops in the middle, a breezeway and multiple access points, including areas overlooking Patton Creek at the rear of the building. Additionally, the structure will be elevated to prevent flooding damage from the creek during heavy rains.
“What is a challenge for development has become an amenity and created an area that would normally be back of the house and is now almost the front of the house,” Downes said.
The project’s design also includes landscaped common green spaces.
“Every time that we have new vertical construction in Vestavia Hills, we need to embrace the pedestrian element and the opportunity for good, quality common area and make the most of every opportunity, because that’s what creates a lovable community,” Downes said.
Assistant City Manager Cinnamon McCulley said feedback has been universally positive about the plans to redevelop the lower section of U.S. 31.
“When we had the charrette, we had a variety of business owners, developers and residents, and the biggest theme that we heard from all of them was their excitement over the momentum in that area,” she said. “They were very excited just to have a look and a feel, you know, to actually have some structure in that space and time and attention given to it, and really draw people into that area.
“Even the residents themselves — people who drive by it every day to go to their homes — were extremely excited about the momentum that all of these projects collectively will inspire in that southern 31 gateway area,” she said.
Downes said the recent resurgence of the Vestavia City Center has drawn the attention of potential investors and developers and could lead to other future projects.
“The question of viability always comes up along this stretch of 31. All of the naysayers have been quieted because of the success of the City Center,” Downes said. “The City Center has re-tenanted, and those tenants are doing extremely well. That then gives confidence for investors like Ward Neely and John Michael Bodner to invest in this area.”
Community spaces
The city recently completed the final phase of improvements to Wald Park, which included additional parking areas, new pickleball and tennis courts, a dog park and a trail system in late 2023. Earlier rounds of improvements included the construction of the aquatic complex, athletic fields, walking trails and playgrounds.
Additionally, the city has wrapped up several improvements to Altadena Valley Park, including a trailhead, parking and other infrastructure. The city is collaborating with Shelby County to add restrooms and pavilions as well.
“We’ve heard in our surveys over and over again that passive parks, walking and biking trails, are the number one priority of our residents,” Downes said.
Lastly, Downes said the city is close to finishing the sidewalk project in the Rocky Ridge business district. The project includes a pedestrian crossing at Morgan Drive and Rocky Ridge Road and will serve as a foundation for future sidewalks in the district.
“That will allow pedestrians to move through the business district and ultimately will tee up another phase of sidewalks that will connect Rocky Ridge and Dolly Ridge roads, where there are some existing sidewalks coming down Dolly Ridge,” Downes said.
Infrastructure
Numerous infrastructure projects are planned in 2024 as well, including stormwater drainage and road paving projects.
The city is finalizing the remaining right-of-way acquisitions for a project to improve the sidewalks, roadway and drainage along Massey Road from Columbiana Road to U.S. 31. Downes said the city expects to accept bids on the project this spring.
Additionally, the city began curb line and public drainage improvements on Southwood Road and Sunset Drive.
“This is part of a master plan drainage improvement area just south of Shades Crest,” Downes said. “We call it the Eastern Trunkline project.”
Other infrastructure projects include the long-awaited pedestrian bridge over U.S. 31 to connect Wald Park and the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest, scheduled to go out for bid in January, and the construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Blue Lake Drive and Sicard Hollow Road, which is scheduled to begin in March.
Lastly, the city will undergo a traffic improvement project at the connection of Columbiana Road and U.S. 31, which Downes said has the highest volume of car crashes in the city. That project is expected to go out for bid this spring.
Vestavia schools to spend $4.8 million on energy upgrades in 2024
By JON ANDERSON
The Vestavia Hills Board of Education plans to spend about $4.8 million on energy management projects in 2024, with about $4 million of that going to replace interior and exterior lighting at seven campuses with LED systems, Superintendent Todd Freeman said.
The new LED light systems will be installed at all five elementary schools, Liberty Park Middle School and the Vestavia Hills High School Freshman Campus, Freeman said. The main high school campus and Pizitz Middle School already have been upgraded with LED lights.
The school district also plans to install occupancy sensors to ensure lights are not left on when spaces are unused; smart building automation systems at Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park; water conservation and submetering systems at the Vestavia Hills High School main campus to detect leaks in the irrigation system and cooling tower; and emergency egress/life safety upgrades to bring current lighting systems up to code.
The projects likely will be done in the spring and summer, with most construction taking place after school hours, including nights, weekends and holidays, school officials said.
The bulk of the money for those projects is coming from a $3,075,000 grant from the lieutenant governor’s office, but the school system plans to use $1.75 million of other state funding as well, Freeman said.
One of the benefits of these projects is that the upgrades should help the school system save more than $600,000 a year in utility costs through better efficiencies, he said.
The school board plans to spend about $375,000 on safety and security upgrades across the school campuses. The 2024 budget also includes $800,000 for Chromebook replacements, $125,000 to replace a bus, $100,000 to add more showers for the girls locker rooms at Vestavia Hills High School, $100,000 for theater improvements at the high school, $100,000 for HVAC improvements, $50,000 for painting, $25,000 for classroom furniture and $25,000 for adaptive playground equipment.
Freeman said the school system has a lot more energy management improvement projects that need to be done at its campuses, such as roof replacements and mechanical system upgrades, but money for those projects has yet to be identified.
Regarding the projects that are planned, Freeman said, “This is a really great start for us, and it’s the best way, I think, to invest our dollars to get a good return.”