Trinity Steel Site - New Development?

[dfwtiger]

This sounds like it could be interesting...

http://www.al.com/business/birminghamnews/....xml&coll=2

[kayman]

Yet, I heard about this back in late September. There are also word floating around about a redevelopment of the massive Old Ensley Mill site off I-20/59.

[someguyfrombham]

Yet, I heard about this back in late September. They are also word floating around about a redevelopment of the massive Old Ensley Mill site off I-20/59.

[kayman]

Wasn't there some architecture company that was planning to move into the little abandoned skyscraper in downtown Ensley? Whatever happened to that?

[Blazer85]

Can someone show this area highlighted on a map or something? I'm not sure I know where it is. I've heard it may come somewhat close to linking up with the Railroad Reservation Park.

[Owsley9]

Can someone show this area highlighted on a map or something? I'm not sure I know where it is. I've heard it may come somewhat close to linking up with the Railroad Reservation Park.

[Blazer85]

Any updates on this?

It's supposed to look similar to the SouthSide Works in Pittsburgh. If so,

[kayman]

I don't know. I guess like most, waiting until after the mayoral election before they decide to start their project.

[kayman]

Wal-Mart eyeing store for old Titusville site

No, now it looks like the shortsighted has decided to bring in a freakin' WAL-MART! What the hell! The last thing we need in the City of Birmingham after they have handed that retailer bascially free money tax free for the Eastwood and Roebuck locations.

For once I agree with Councilman Steven Hoyt:

"For that to be one of the most visible sites in this city, we've got to have better retail than that.................I've sat on that board and we haven't had anybody but Wal-Mart come to the table because that's all we sought."

[Blazer85]

That's an interesting problem. While I'd probably prefer the Soffer Organization development, I wouldn't be absolutely disgusted by a Walmart. Not the nicest place in the world, but it is definitely a popular shopping destination that's affordable for pretty much everyone. With the growing downtown population a Walmart closer by might actually be a good thing. I know alot of people detest developments like this, but I don't think it's all that bad. Worse than the proposed Soffer plan, yes, but better than what currently sits there. But even so, I'm sure we haven't heard the last of this debate.

[kayman]

A public hearing by the Jefferson County Economic and Industrial Development Authority is set @ 7:30 a.m. on May 2 at at the World Business Office at 530 Beacon Parkway West on Red Mountain. It is discuss this very site of possible developments for the Trinty Steele parcel.

However, I do find it odd as hell as to why they have a meeting set so early in the morning. Who in the general public has free time to go to a meeting at 7:30 a.m.?

[kayman]

Even more new developments, Smoot has spoken out against the Wal-Mart development due to the sketchy details of deal.

What I don't want to happen is that this board is adversarial with the community, and the community is adversarial with the board and then the county gets dragged into it. We've got a mayor's race going on. We just don't need this board - this is the best board Jefferson County has, in my opinion. We don't need to get involved in city politics right now. We just don't need to be dragged in, and that's what's going to happen. This is going to become a political football."

[convulso]

here's a column by jerry underwood in today's bham news about the trinity site. he sort of endorses the wal mart proposal mainly because it's the most well-developed one. i'm not sure i agree, since i think a dead area lying fallow is better than its being used in a mediocre way:

http://www.al.com/birminghamnews/stories/i....xml&coll=2

so where exactly is this site? i already knew it was somewhere off I-65, but i didn't know it could be close enough to UAB to have a UAB tie-in, as the underwood column mentions. maybe if i knew where the site was, i'd come around on the wal-mart proposal. the column makes it seem much closer to downtown than i had realized.

[kayman]

here's a column by jerry underwood in today's bham news about the trinity site. he sort of endorses the wal mart proposal mainly because it's the most well-developed one. i'm not sure i agree, since i think a dead area lying fallow is better than its being used in a mediocre way:

http://www.al.com/birminghamnews/stories/i....xml&coll=2

so where exactly is this site? i already knew it was somewhere off I-65, but i didn't know it could be close enough to UAB to have a UAB tie-in, as the underwood column mentions. maybe if i knew where the site was, i'd come around on the wal-mart proposal. the column makes it seem much closer to downtown than i had realized.

[Alabadrock]

Although I always forget its exact location myself, and I live only 5 minutes away from it before I came back to Oxford for this internship. It immediately west of I-65 of the 4th Avenue South/3rd Avenue South interchange. The parcel itself is bordered by I-65 on its east side.

As you said Convulso, it is much better to leave it fallow than develop it for a Wal-Mart. Although there is a need for grocer in the Southside, western part of the Center City area, Wal-Mart IMO is a bad choice. Now if "urban" Wal-Mart to comply and build an upper-end urban store with a parking deck like the North DeKalb Wal-Mart right off I-85 in Metro Atlanta, then I might reconsider.

However, I would much rather see something like Vestavia Hills City Center Link with a grocer, retail shops (like Kohl's, Marshalls, Stein Mart) and restaurants (Chili's, Applebee's, ect.) built upon that site. It would satisfy the need for a grocer and the needs for an actual retail center for those in the Center City.

[dfwtiger]

Yea, booo for a regular Wal-Mart I say. UAB tie ins would be wonderful, but, would there be any real chance for that? I'm doubtin it. But, UAB's always gonna need some expansion space. But, I'd rather them beef up there region of downtown before the bleed elsewhere.

An urban shopping center would be great, I say. What would be cool is if one portion could be set aside for a community recreation center. Not some lame half done kinda thing, but, you know, something nice. A multi level center could do wonders for the downtown area. The main reason, I believe, that there is so much crime in the area is because the people that do the bad stuff sit around wondering,"What should I do today." They get bored, they think of old grudges, or that they want drugs cause they wanna have fun, or something, so they go and get it. If you give people something to do, we'll all be better off.

Stuff like indoor courts, a swimming pool, exercise equipment, a rooftop plaza with vendors, and a food court/cafeteria would be awesome.

[Alabadrock]

I don't want to see a big box retailer in the city.....However, if it must happen, I would rather see a Target.

[Blazer85]

Not sure last night's meeting was terribly constructive. Smoot and others are trying to convince people to hold out and wait for other offers. But community residents seem desperate for ANYTHING and seem willing to accept this Walmart proposal.

Yes, it will create 400 new jobs or so and maybe have a spillover effect, but it's just Walmart. There's another Walmart just 3-4 miles down I-65... I'm not sure another one is really needed. Would it be better than nothing? Sure. But I'm of the opinion that we can wait and see what else maybe materializes.

There have apparently been about 10 developers that have expressed interest in the site... Walmart just so happens to be the most aggressive in pursuing it. Personally, I say we need to really push those other interested developers, gauge their interest, offer some incentives if need be, and then move from there. If there's really no other interest than Walmart, then by all means move forward with it. But I doubt that's the case.

[Alabadrock]

I'm just gonna yell it this time: NO WAL-MART!!!

Dang, I think throwing away the possibility of 400 jobs will by outweighed by the smart growth brough on by better development proposals.

[kayman]

Wal-Mart seen as win-win by Holt and Isom

2 others voice their 2 cents on the site, Bryan Holt and Hugh Isom.

Holt said he believes Wal-Mart is the best use for the site, unless there is an industrial use similar to a Honda plant, but that is not what residents want and need.

Such an industrial use would likely require significant public incentives, he said. Wal-Mart is not asking for incentives and its offer includes $1 million for neighborhood enhancements.

"That is a fantastic windfall for the city of Birmingham and that neighborhood," Holt said, adding that he believes Wal-Mart will draw additional development in a shadow anchor center. "They'll line up like they do next to every Wal-Mart."

[GaryP]

Giving Wal-Mart 25 acres of property in the middle of the city and letting them build a typical store with 15 acres of parking would be a disaster. But IMO if they were willing to build a truly urban store that respected the context of the city with a compact parking ramp instead of a sprawling surface lot this development could be a good thing. Too bad it doesn't sound like this is what Wal-Mart is planning...

I still can't figure out where this site actually is. Could anyone post a map or satellite photo?

[kayman]

Here is the site location: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=33....p;z=16&om=1

[convulso]

i drove around titusville sunday morning trying to find this site. i am probably a little off, but after my little tour of titusville, i have come to believe that the site is somewhere in the area just west of I-65, just north of 6th avenue, and just east of 6th street (which becomes golden flake drive at the intersection with theta avenue).

if you turn north off 6th avenue onto 6th street (i think; it's the street that runs near the little park, anyway), you'll see an apparently abandoned warehouse with a sign that says something about steel (it doesn't have the word 'trinity' on it - i remember that.) just past that site (i.e., just north of it), there's a large abandoned building with this very non-specific sign in front:

. . . . . .

looking through the chainlink fence (east) toward the building, you see this:

. . . . . .

looking south along 6th street toward 6th avenue, you get this - the steel warehouse factory building is the metal-roofed structure sticking out above the brick building. my guess is that this - including the brick building - is the site:

. . . . . .

just zoom in two or three times on the map link leonard posted to see this area in detail.

if i find out that this is not the trinity site, i'll ask a mod to delete this post. until then, this is the best i could come up with after 30 minutes tooling around titusville.

[kayman]

i drove around titusville sunday morning trying to find this site. i am probably a little off, but after my little tour of titusville, i have come to believe that the site is somewhere in the area just west of I-65, just north of 6th avenue, and just east of 6th street (which becomes golden flake drive at the intersection with theta avenue).

if you turn north off 6th avenue onto 6th street (i think; it's the street that runs near the little park, anyway), you'll see an apparently abandoned warehouse with a sign that says something about steel (it doesn't have the word 'trinity' on it - i remember that.) just past that site (i.e., just north of it), there's a large abandoned building with this very non-specific sign in front:

. . . . . .

looking through the chainlink fence (east) toward the building, you see this:

. . . . . .

looking south along 6th street toward 6th avenue, you get this - the steel warehouse factory building is the metal-roofed structure sticking out above the brick building. my guess is that this - including the brick building - is the site:

. . . . . .

just zoom in two or three times on the map link leonard posted to see this area in detail.

if i find out that this is not the trinity site, i'll ask a mod to delete this post. until then, this is the best i could come up with after 30 minutes tooling around titusville.

[GaryP]

thanks for the help guys