Blazer85

- The condos in Glen Iris will be called The Gables at Glen Iris, a $15M project. The Gables at Glen Iris will contain 52-units priced from $170k-500k.

- University Partners has broken ground on a UAB student housing development. Building height and cost have been currently left undisclosed, but the development will contain 496-beds.

- A 5-story, 52-unit condominium is planned for Birmingham's Glen Iris neighborhood. This follows another recent announcement of a $12M, 31-home development in the same area.

RSA Tower is only 35-stories (but it does have a large crown and 80ft spire). But if you're talking strictly roof heights (not including spire or crown), this one could be the tallest.

Depending on roof height, if built, it might be Alabama's tallest... or maybe 2nd tallest.

- On May 8th, developers will break ground on the $55 million, 331-home project in Ensley to be called Tuxedo Court (part of the Hope VI grant program).

Yep... at a cost of around $10M.

-Alabama State Highway 160 at Interstate 65 (Northern Metro) will be widened from 2-lanes to 5-lanes in the near future. This was already scheduled to happen, but deadly accidents on the road have encouraged Gov. Riley to speed up the process. Look for that to spur even more commercial and residential growth in one of the fastest-growing areas of the metro.

- Two big retail projects on Birmingham's north side getting ready to move into high-gear. Site prep work has begun in Fultondale for the Colonial Promenade Fultondale. Also, work is about to begin on Gardendale's multi-million dollar mixed-use project called Caufield Square.

- A developer will begin construction shortly on a $12M 31-home project in the Glen Iris neighborhood (on Birmingham's Southside) called "Parkside."

- The Birmingham International Airport has announced plans to spend $161 million expanding the airport terminal. There's currently another $130 million in other airport projects being worked on at the moment (including a new air cargo facility, 2,000ft runway expansion, etc etc).

- Marriot will be building a 7-story Residence Inn in Birmingham's Southside (@ Univ Blvd and 20th St S).

Birmingham Mayor Bernard Kincaid will submit a new proposal at tomorrow's city council meeting that will increase the city's $5M/year committment up to $8.8M/year. If the new proposal passes, it may just be enough to get some real action going and who knows, maybe even a groundbreaking.

The master plans for the Railroad Park are in the hands of city leaders and the Friends of the Railroad District. Having already gotten the necessary funding, groundbreaking should be on the horizon very soon.

-Birmingham Intl Airport managers approved architect designs for renovating the Birmingham Airport. We will be growing from 19 to 25 gates, as well as getting a true international departure gate designed for handling 747s. Here's a picture of the Birmingham Intl Airport complex from a distance. Photo by Randy Sandford

Bham Hotel and 3 restaurants earn prestigious award Well... the new numbers are out and its good news for a few Birmingham hotels and restaurants. Prior to this year, we had 1 4-diamond restaurant (Bottega) and 1 4-diamond hotel (Wynfrey Hotel) in Birmingham. Now Birmingham has 4 4-diamond restaurants (Bottega, Cafe Dupont, Highlands Bar and Grill, and Ocean) and 2 4-diamond hotels (Wynfrey Hotel and Ross Bridge Resort).

- The 2 buildings making up the Federal Reserve building in Birmingham will be renovated. Also, the developers plan to build at least a 14-story hotel/office building on the property behind the Federal Reserve building. Site is at around 4th-5th Avenue North and 18th Street North. Estimated cost: $40 million

-Major earth-moving has begun in preparation for the Colonial Promenade Fultondale (just north of the Birmingham city limits). The work can be easily seen (just east of I-65). Fultondale also just announced plans for a new hotel (La Quinta Inn) and a restaurant (Whataburger) that will be constructed just off the Walkers Chapel Rd exit as well.

What all is included in this Phase I and what's the timeframe we're looking at?

Not quite sure what the $5M is for... I would think mostly interior fixes. New paint, carpet, etc. Structurally, the building is fine to my knowledge, so it would be mostly aesthetic type things on the inside I would think. As for UAB, that's right... GO BLAZERS!! Finally getting some recognition, too, with a Top 25 ranking.

So the city did approve the spending for it? Awesome I was hoping they wouldnt screw this one up.

And again on March 2nd. UAB vs Memphis on ESPN2.

Bern... there have been a few ideas tossed around, but nothing firm that I'm aware of. If you were to see a new tower or two built anytime in the near future, it'd be more likely something in the 20-27 story range.

The final numbers have come in, and it has been confirmed that 2005 set a new record for the Birmingham Intl Airport with right at 3.1 million passengers (an increase of almost 9% from 2004).

Awesome... didnt know that was on TV, but yes, it's Trussville (one of Birmingham's fastest growing suburbs just north and east of downtown).