
Rendering courtesy of William Blackstock Architects.
An artist’s rendering of Arbor Terrace’s central plaza, looking south.
When Trinity Medical Center — formerly Baptist Medical Center Montclair — left Montclair Road for U.S. 280 in 2015 and became Grandview Medical Center, it left behind a million square feet of unused buildings.
People in Mountain Brook and Birmingham were concerned it would be tough to find new tenants.
“My concern was that it would sit for years and be a sore sight as you drive down Montclair,” Suzan Doidge, executive director of the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce, said in 2018.
“I think most residents would say it was a sad day when the hospital moved,” Doidge said recently.
But a major development for the former Trinity site seems to be on the way.
On March 30, Birmingham Metro LLC — headed by New York developers Lawrence Kadish and Will Kadish — announced plans for the creation of a new multi-use campus at the old hospital site. Called Arbor Terrace, the 75-acre development is to include a corporate headquarters, residences and medical facilities, as well as “community-oriented” retail establishments and eateries, according to a news release from developers.
Construction on the site is expected to begin this fall, according to the release. A spokesperson for Birmingham Metro told Village Living that Arbor Terrace is expected to be a $200 million project over a five-year period.
Doidge and a Mountain Brook city official said they welcome the new development.
“I believe it will have a positive impact on Mountain Brook and will be a revenue generator,” Doidge said. “The folks who live or work at Arbor Terrace will spend time in Mountain Brook. We have some of the best restaurants in Birmingham, grocery stores and unique, one-of-a-kind stores for shopping.”
The proposed development “would be a breath of fresh air,” said Dana Hazen, Mountain Brook’s director of building, planning and sustainability. “A mixed-use project such as this would help revitalize the surrounding area.”
The development — located adjacent to Mountain Brook — “will provide additional interest, opportunities and venues” for the city’s residents, Hazen said.
In addition, the mix of uses at Arbor Terrace “not only provides employment for the community, but provides access to nature and exercise, as well as other amenities,” Hazen said.
Arbor Terrace will extend along Montclair Road from Dan Hudson Drive South to 52nd Street South. While accessible from Montclair Road, the site also will include entrances and exits from both Dan Hudson Drive and 52nd Street. This is expected to ease the flow of traffic during peak hours.
Hazen does not expect that the Arbor Terrace project will have a negative impact on traffic or parking in the area, including Crestline Village.
“I trust that the city of Birmingham will adequately vet the project, prior to any approval, to ensure that adequate parking and traffic measures are in place,” she said.
It is also beneficial for traffic that Arbor Terrace mixes residential, office, retail and restaurant uses, Hazen said.
“I would anticipate that these uses will have different peak hours ... so that will distribute the parking and traffic more evenly throughout the day and week,” she said.
The Arbor Terrace site is blessed with a good location and is close to numerous desirable neighborhoods. It offers easy access to the Interstate 459 and I-20 corridors, as well as Old Leeds Road. It is close to the U.S. 280 corridor and Mountain Brook, particularly Crestline Village.
In addition, the Birmingham neighborhoods of Eastwood, South Crestwood, and Forest Park are nearby, and it’s not far from Arbor Terrace to Birmingham’s City Center.
“We look forward to welcoming new tenants, businesses and guests who are looking for a serene and upscale community experience while remaining close to Birmingham’s vibrant downtown district,” development director Will Kadish said in the news release.
The development will include more than 300,000 square feet of fully renovated buildings with new infrastructure, including high-speed elevators, modern design features and about 1,700 covered parking spaces.
The campus will feature an elevated 30-acre platform embedded in a partially wooded hillside with great views of the surrounding area.
“The platform overlooks the top of Crestline Village’s trees, and that is why we named the development Arbor Terrace,” Will Kadish told Village Living.
The facility will offer new and expanded nature trails, a private indoor golf range and a large central courtyard with a greenspace for relaxation, networking and exercise.
“It’s our mission to showcase the natural beauty, sophistication and inherent convenience that this one-of-a-kind area brings to the table,” Will Kadish said. The development “will have something for everyone,” he added, citing executives, professionals, nature enthusiasts and “culture connoisseurs.”
Birmingham Metro LLC bought two parcels totaling 20 acres from Affinity Hospital LLC for $1.35 million, Birmingham Business Journal reported, citing Jefferson County records. The developer also acquired 55 acres from the Baptist Health System for an undisclosed amount.
This isn’t the first time a large project has been announced for the Trinity site.
Maryland-based developer Ben Berman signed contracts on the land and buildings in January 2018 and announced plans for an upscale mixed-use community called Trinity Heights in May 2018. Berman said he wanted to bring in apartments, condominiums and a senior-living facility, as well as a hotel, offices, retail, eateries and entertainment.
Mountain Brook City Manager Sam Gaston told Village Living at the time that Trinity Heights would likely be a “net positive” for the city.
However, Berman dropped his plans in fall 2018 after spending several months exploring the feasibility of the project.
Like Berman, Birmingham Metro LLC plans to bring in local third-party developers to do portions of the development.
The property includes five building pads, ranging in size from four to 17 acres, that are available for sale or joint venture, the spokesperson said.
Will Kadish provided an update at press time regarding work underway on the project.
- The architects, Willams Blackstock, were working on plans with Schoell Engineering and Dix Hite, Landscape Architects, for the new nature trails, the Courtyard Green Spaces and Terraces overlooking the Arbor of Crestline Village.
- Stewart Perry Builders was working on renovations for the 860, 840 and 820 buildings.
- The developer had also contracted for the demolition of the former hospital and annex, Kadish said.
The project is continuing despite the uncertainty in the American economy created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kadish described the virus as “an awful tragedy that was sprung on the world” and said “it seems to have tested everyone.”
“As a developer, it is our responsibility to provide a safe space where people can feel comfortable again,“ he said. “Our team of professionals view this as an opportunity to implement the most advanced health and life safety systems, including state-of-the-art filtering of new HVAC systems and providing more modern spacing for lobbies, security and in restrooms.”
The property is still zoned B6, health and institutional district, but Birmingham Metro LLC did a zoning study, according to the spokesperson.
The developers planned to meet with the Crestwood South Neighborhood Association, Will Kadish said.
Birmingham Metro LLC previously developed Stadium Trace Village, a large, multi-use development in Hoover, as well as The Landing in Opelika.
The company’s other local partners on Arbor Terrace are Sirote & Permutt PC, Southpace Properties Inc., Bullock Environmental, Skipper Traffic Engineering, Summit Electric, Edmonds Electric, Baker Donelson and Markstein.