Photo by Erin Nelson.
Contractors with Foshee Steel Solutions work on the entrance canopy at the new Vestavia Hills Civic Center.
While the Community Spaces Plan was initially set to be completed in 2021, the work that began in 2019 will be finished in 2022, Vestavia Hills City Manager Jeff Downes said.
With public meetings beginning in 2017, a new sales tax taking effect in 2018 and the first pile of dirt moved in 2019, it has been a long process to finish the Community Spaces Plan, a more than $60 million capital improvement project that spanned the entire city, Downes said.
The improvements made to the city’s offerings should give residents a sense of pride, not just in the city’s renowned school system, but in the city’s offerings when it comes to public amenities such as Wald Park and Cahaba Heights Park, Downes said.
Other things to expect in 2022 include the return of the Dogwood Festival, a focus on stormwater runoff control and sidewalks, economic development, an additional building for the school system and continued population growth, officials said.
Here’s a bit more about each topic:
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Photos by Erin Nelson.
Construction is underway on a new ophthalmology center set to open in the summer of 2022 in Liberty Park
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Photos by Erin Nelson.
Motorists travel on Crosshaven Drive as road improvements continue in Cahaba Heights.
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Scott Kenny, the project manager for the new Vestavia Hills Civic Center, speaks with Lenard McMillian, the electrical foreman, about the lighting plans in the banquet hall on the second floor of the new building.
Community Spaces
The new Vestavia Hills Civic Center and the final phase of renovations to Wald Park will be the final pieces to the Community Spaces Plan. Originally set to open in late 2021, the Civic Center project was delayed due to supply chain issues that affected the ability to purchase materials and hire subcontractors, Downes said.
The new space is set to open by April, and the city’s Parks and Recreation Department has already begun creating new programs, including summer camps, adult recreational sports, civic gatherings and more, Downes said. The center connects to City Hall, and the initial plan to have the center connect to Wald Park was dropped due to cost, Downes said.
The Civic Center is roughly 100,000 square feet and will include multi-purpose courts, the Vestavia Hills Sports Hall of Fame, meeting and event spaces, an indoor walking track, banquet space and office spaces.
At Wald Park, the City Council still is considering how to pursue the final phase of scheduled renovations, which were set to include a dog park, tennis facilities, a maintenance facility and trails. The bid for the phase came in over budget by more than $2 million, and even taking away tennis courts, the project would cost about $2.3 million to stablilize the space for future programming.
One suggestion the council still is considering is using grass fields at the former Vestavia Hills Elementary Central campus as a location for the tennis facility, which would increase the number of proposed courts from eight at Wald Park to 12, along with a pavilion and restrooms. Should the council go that route, the cost of the entire Phase 3 project would be just less than $5 million, an increase from the received bid. Another presented option would nix the pavilion and build eight courts at Central.
The city currently is using the Central campus as a maintenance facility, and that does not appear to be changing anytime soon, said the city’s communications director, Cinnamon McCulley. The dog park and walking trails are still slated to be added to Wald Park, along with stormwater management infrastructure and more green space, Downes said.
The fields at Central are currently used for soccer, though there is a new field at Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge that could be used, along with the rectangular field at Pizitz Middle School.
The city also plans to complete its work on Crosshaven Drive in the first quarter of 2022, Downes said. The road is being widened to three lanes from Overton Road to Cahaba Heights Road, and the city continues to make progress on adding the lanes as well as adding sidewalks, installing a curb and gutter system, relocating utilities and improving the road.
Also, Jefferson County is planning to do work to the road, adding a dedicated turn lane at the intersection of Green Valley Road and Crosshaven, along with making road improvements to Green Valley.
City projects and events
The annual Dogwood Festival is being brought back this year, with plans to expand the once-popular Vestavia event. McCulley is working to put the festival together but said it will include events across the entire city. The Dogwood Festival will seek to encourage residents to shop, eat and play in Vestavia as it pays homage to the historic dogwood trees that have lined the city.
The new grand lawn at Wald Park is being used. The Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest will host a concert there, and there is a planned event celebrating the beginning of spring sports, Downes said.
In other city news, Downes said steps will be taken to improve stormwater infrastructure, including the creation of a stormwater master plan. The city also is working to improve transportation along Blue Lake Drive and Sicard Hollow, the intersection of U.S. 31 and Columbiana Road, and the intersection of Rocky Ridge Road and Dolly Ridge Road, Downes said.
The city plans to pave more than nine miles of city streets this year and is working to create the next sidewalk master plan as those projects continue throughout the city. The formation of the sidewalk plan will involve public engagement, Downes said.
For a complete list of city projects, visit vhal.org/community/city-projects/.
Economic development
Downes said he anticipates movement of some kind regarding The Bray development and other developments in Liberty Park. The Bray is an $860 million commercial and residential project that is slated to add 1,876 residential units and a commercial development called The Bray Town Center.
Nothing has yet been approved by either the City Council or the Vestavia Hills Board of Education, which would have to approve certain aspects of the plan for it to take effect. Some of the plan in early 2021 was met with resistance by some Liberty Park residents.
Downes said there are also ongoing negotiations regarding the possibility of adding new businesses to the south end of U.S. 31, which currently includes two empty lots, and the city continues to monitor possible additions to other parts of the city.
Chopt is set to open in the Vestavia Hills City Center in January; Dolly Ridge Station, a new business development next to Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights is set to continue, with Grandview Medical Group Primary Care announced as the leading tenant, occupying about 4,200 square feet of the nearly 15,000-square-foot mixed-use project, said Thom Hickman, vice president of development at Harbert Realty Services.
New businesses, such as Miss Astrid’s Tavern should be coming to Cahaba Heights as well. It’s part of a plan to improve the area’s entertainment district and bring people together.
Vestavia Hills City Schools
Once the new Civic Center is complete, the current Civic Center will be conveyed to Vestavia Hills City Schools, giving the school system office space and more in the building, which is adjacent to the system’s central office.
The school system also has a five-year capital plan, which this year will focus on phase one of energy improvements recommended by Schneider Electric.
Patrick Martin, the assistant superintendent of operations and services, said this year, the $5 million Phase 1 work includes upgrading mechanical systems and lighting and improving various rooftops. The Phase 2 option is currently being considered, and the school system is looking for funding sources, Martin said.
In addition to energy upgrades, the school system also will make improvements to its safety and security systems and operations, Martin said.
Population growth
The 2020 U.S. Census showed Vestavia has grown from about 34,000 in 2010 to 39,000 in 2020, a 15% increase.
Downes said now the city must ensure it has what it needs to provide for that growth. The city’s general fund revenue per capita is one of the lowest in the area, he said.
Vestavia’s general fund revenue per capita is $1,355.43, compared to $1,763.06 in Mountain Brook, $2,101.16 in Homewood, $2,271.16 in Birmingham and $2,274.41 in Bessemer.
Even with the COVID-19 pandemic, the city saw good revenue numbers, Downes said, and he does not anticipate a slowdown this year. By all accounts, the city is experiencing a “very healthy economic climate,” Downes said.
