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Bristol Development buys Clairmont property in Birmingham for $4.35 million, plans 246 apartments
http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/201...cart_river

When our family moved into the house at 3521 8th Ave South in 1952, those lands were all wooded until two apartment developments were built on the 34th street end and the 36th street end. Today, it is two continuous blocks of vacant land (35th street ends at 8th ave.).

I could not tell from the article if the whole two blocks will be involved in this project, but I hope so. There is a third potential one block long apartment site on the 8th ave. side of the alley that has been vacant since the apts there were also razed.

BBJ: How Berkadia sold Bristol Development on its new Clairmont site
http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/ne...s-new.html

Too many apartments/condos and not enough other development.

A developer would be wise to create a condo/townhome community near downtown that offers suburban ammenities (sidewalks, playground, pool, greenspace)... you will attract families from the 'burbs who have the disposable income to send their kids to private school or homeschool and want easy access to work & downtown activities.

If you want suburban sprawl, move to the suburbs. The point of an urban area is to densify, not spread out.

Regular old housing is a bad, bad, bad idea.

And I disagree on one point: There's almost no condo development going on. All of these units are rental. I wish they'd build some units that are for sale instead of rent.

(07-17-2014 07:17 PM)UABslant Wrote:  A developer would be wise to create a condo/townhome community near downtown that offers suburban ammenities (sidewalks, playground, pool, greenspace)... you will attract families from the 'burbs who have the disposable income to send their kids to private school or homeschool and want easy access to work & downtown activities.

The site mentioned has a Pig/Wig, a drug store, two restaurants and a dry cleaner on the 34th street end. The other end has the Silvertron and some other nice stores in a commercial strip on Clairmont. Avondale ES and Altamont School are nearby and the park is just down the hill.

(07-18-2014 10:23 AM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  If you want suburban sprawl, move to the suburbs. The point of an urban area is to densify, not spread out.

Regular old housing is a bad, bad, bad idea.

And I disagree on one point: There's almost no condo development going on. All of these units are rental. I wish they'd build some units that are for sale instead of rent.

A lot of these places are calling themselves "condos" but renting the units instead. So what I should have said was...way too many apartments.

In agreement about buying as oppose to renting condos. I want to buy a condo but not necessarily downtown. Although, there are some really nice and expensive ones in the downtown area.

(07-17-2014 01:34 PM)demiveeman Wrote:  Too many apartments/condos and not enough other development.

I agree.

They tore down the old, overly dense apartments that used to be there. It had become a real problem with drugs, crime, etc., and was just a big burden on the surrounding area.

Now they are going to build another overly dense apartment complex.
Even if it is higher priced and nicer initially, it will inevitably cause similar problems for the surrounding areas.

I agree with UABSlant that a less dense development with amenities makes more sense. They need to attract BUYERS, not renters, to a nice place to live that continues the upward trajectory of Clairmont and Avondale.

why would they need to put less dense development in? the absolute last thing we need is for birmingham to become hoover.

I think the city definitely needs to be dense. So I don't agree with them on that point.

I would like some larger condos/apartments that are less expensive though. Pipe dream probably.

(07-21-2014 10:44 PM)demiveeman Wrote:  I think the city definitely needs to be dense. So I don't agree with them on that point.

I would like some larger condos/apartments that are less expensive though. Pipe dream probably.

Probably correct.