Construction has gotten started on a senior housing development on the site of the vacated part of the Southtown Court housing community in Birmingham, Ala.
Capstone Building Corp., a locally based contractor, has initiated work on the Southtown senior housing development along a 26-acre tract between the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) campus and Ascension St. Vincent's Birmingham along University Boulevard.
The builder has collaborated with The Benoit Group, an Atlanta developer, and the Housing Authority of Birmingham District (HABD) to carry out the job. The effort is a part of the City of Birmingham's Edgehill at Southtown Redevelopment plan.
When complete, Southtown Senior will offer 143-unit elder and family apartments for ages 62 and up and comprise a total of 158,384 sq. ft. Units will be available in one- and two-bedroom floor plans.
Additionally, a business center and community lounge for residents, along with an exercise room, onsite storage, off-street parking, and Wi-Fi are all included for residents. Tenants will have access to monthly arts and crafts and blood pressure screening, as well, and be able to attend holiday festivities at least four times each year.
The development plan was focused on positioning Southtown residents for employment opportunities at nearby St. Vincent's Hospital and UAB, Al.com reported Nov. 2.
"Capstone Building Corp. is proud to have been selected as the multi-family contractor for this development by The Benoit Group and the Birmingham Housing Authority," said Michael Hendrickson, vice president of pre-construction and estimating at Capstone Building. "Southtown Senior will provide an impactful mark on the revitalization of Birmingham's Southtown area."
Edgehill Designed to Feature Variety of Mixed Uses
In early October, HABD and The Benoit Group — a member developer of Southside Development Co. — finalized the Edgehill at Southtown redevelopment deal for senior housing.
"We closed on the redevelopment of family housing with BREC Development LLC in March of this year, and we're excited to seal the deal with The Benoit Group on new affordable housing for Birmingham seniors," said HABD president and CEO Dontrelle Young Foster. "The former 22-acre Southtown Court public housing community served generations of families since its construction in 1941. This effort, along with others in HABD's portfolio like the $50 million redevelopment of Smithfield Court, will help transform Birmingham's public housing landscape to better serve future generations, and we're proud to be leading the charge for creating more affordable housing opportunities in [the city]."
The entire Edgehill at Southtown development will include 850,000 sq. ft. of office and commercial space, along with room for retail and restaurants.
In addition, Edgehill's site is large enough to encompass up to 560 housing units, equally divided between federally subsidized housing and market-rate rentals. The initial plans called for 220 subsidized units. The family building will consist of 60 midrise apartments, anchored by a 4,000-sq.-ft. clubhouse.
Edgehill's designs illustrate that green spaces also will be built in and around its various structures, including "pocket parks" and a buffer along the west side of Red Mountain Expressway.
In future phases, the focus will be on expanding the city's healthcare and biotech sectors given the site's proximity to UAB, Ascension St. Vincent's, Southern Research, and the Veterans Administration Medical Center.
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