Illustration courtesy of Davis Stokes Collaborative Architects, P.C.
Andrews Sports Medicine rendering
Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Center has proposed a plan to renovate and convert the former Belk building in Brookwood Village into a roughly 135,000-square-foot medical office.
Mountain Brook Mayor Graham Smith said residents aren’t talking much about the former Brookwood Village shopping mall, despite the fact that it is one of the more prominent properties partly in her city.
“I think that the majority of our residents don’t really see that as affecting their day-to-day life,” Smith said. “I’m sure they want it developed and want it to be a successful property and a successful development and bring tax revenue.
“But we don’t get as many questions as you would think,” she continued. “I get more trash questions and more just individual residential concerns than I do about Brookwood.”
For years, Homewood and Mountain Brook have shared more than just a border. The south Birmingham suburbs — and Jefferson County — have shared a shopping mall.
Staff photo
Brookwood Village today
Motorists travel along Shades Creek Parkway toward U.S. 280 in Homewood past Brookwood Village.
Brookwood Village drew its name from the municipalities that border it to the east and the west. Since its completion in 1973, the mall served as a central spot for area residents to shop, dine and gather for community events and holidays.
But those scenes live only in memories. The effects of changing retail trends and the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately led to the closing of Brookwood Village.
A question posed to leaders of those cities is, what will happen to the former shopping center? A partial answer came in early November when the Fairway Investments and Pope & Land Real Estate development team announced the sale of the former Belk department store at Brookwood Village to Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Center.
The 135,000-square-foot building will be transformed into a state-of-the-art medical office on the 57-acre Brookwood Village property. Homewood Mayor Jennifer Andress said the facility, which will feature about 18 operating rooms, should make Homewood residents confident that the rest of the Brookwood Village development could also come together.
“I think it’s exciting,” the new Homewood mayor said. “Anytime we can see some action happening, I think those of us who live over in this area especially are really looking forward to it. I was with my friend this afternoon, Graham Smith. … We were both really excited to hear about this.”
Smith said that prior to the announcement about Andrews Sports Medicine, she had not received an update from developers.
“I wish I could tell you more definitively,” she said. “I have not heard anything formal from the developers. I wish I had good information to give you, but I haven’t heard anything.”
While Homewood and Mountain Brook are the most obvious parties in the development, a small portion of the property is in unincorporated Jefferson County.
“It’s fascinating,” Smith said. “I’m ready to dig in and start working on it. To be honest, I’m ready for this to come to the table and get moving and start talking about it and meeting with the other [entities] and hashing it out and hearing about what the proposed plans are and making modifications. I just haven’t heard anything.”
The Brookwood Village property sits on 57 acres between Shades Mountain and Shades Creek. It is conveniently located between U.S. 280 and U.S. 31.
Fairway Investments and Pope & Land Real Estate acquired Brookwood Village in 2021.
