Some are projects already in motion. Others hinge on people, pace and momentum. But each of these five storylines has the potential to shape Vestavia Hills long past 2026 — in identity, infrastructure and influence.
Photo courtesy of Liberty Park Joint Venture.
The Bray Town Center at Liberty Park in April. The 270-unit Livano at Liberty Park apartment complex and adjacent 180-unit The Filmont apartment complex for people ages 55 and older are in the center. The large grassy area at the right of the photo is slated for a hotel with at least 100 rooms.
The Bray: Leasing velocity will tell the tale: retail, food, medical and a potential hotel partner for this 700-acre mixed-use town center development at Liberty Park.
Medical Properties Trust: An HQ presence in Liberty Park ties a global healthcare REIT to neighborhood coffee runs. The local takeaway is durable daytime traffic and a talent anchor.
Emily Featherston
State Sen. Jabo Waggoner
One last run for Jabo Waggoner: Alabama’s longest-serving legislator says he plans to run for re-election in 2026. The senator — known as “Mr. Vestavia Hills” in Montgomery — will be 89 in January. The outcome — and who might follow him in the office — will have an impact on the city long after Waggoner’s historic service ends.
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Traffic flows southbound on U.S. 31 toward Hoover at the Columbiana Road intersection June 7.
Lower 31, from renderings to reality: With the southern gateway awarded, judge the corridor plan by execution: permitting pace, landscape improvement, access management, stormwater relief, storefront turnover and whether early steps attract the next investor. Small wins should add up to a different first impression.
Photo by Jon Anderson
Massey Road sidewalk 4
Vestavia Hills officials are planning to build a sidewalk on the south side of Massey Road between Columbiana Road and U.S. 31. Construction is tentatively scheduled to start in July. This map showing the plans was set up in the Vestavia Hills City Council chambers for a public involvement meeting on Monday, Nov. 23, 2015.
Massey Road improvements: A federally aided rebuild — sidewalk (about 4,100 linear feet), drainage, new retaining wall, shoulder work, widening and full resurfacing — hit a utility snag in spring when crews found an uncharted water main. The city covered design with a 20% match; ALDOT administers construction. After a schedule slide tied to relocation, the target is March 2026.
