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Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
The former Belk store at Brookwood VIllage stands vacant on Dec. 20, 2024. Andrews Sports Medicine has proposed a plan for a new expansion at the site of the old store.
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Photo courtesy of Brookwood Village.
This photo depicts the developers of Brookwood Village working on plans for the grounds in the 1970s. They wanted to create a space where families and adults could create memories and socialize with one another.
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Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
The sign for Brookwood Village, a former buzzing shopping mall, stands nearly blank as it looks over Shades Creek on Dec. 20.
With recent action at Brookwood Village, it seems the vacant property may soon be revitalized. But what will it take for the once-thriving complex to bring back business?
From a developer’s perspective, the property would most likely be revitalized as a multi-use facility.
Photo courtesy of Five Stone Group
David Silverstein Sr., of the Five Stone Group, developed The Summit, along with his development partner Jeffery Bayer, of Bayer Ventures, developed The Summit, a 1 million square foot upscale lifestyle center located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 280 and Interstate 459 in Birmingham. The open-air shopping center was opened in October of 1997, over 20 years after Brookwood Village.
“If you look at what’s going on nationally with many malls facing similar challenges as Brookwood, they are focusing on true mixed-use projects,” said David Silverstein Sr. of the Five Stone Group. “I have not seen the plans specifically for Brookwood, but what I’ve heard is that they would like to have a mixed-use project that blends residential with office and some retail. And I think that’s probably the future for the mall — somewhat of a mixed-use project — simply because that’s happening in other cities as well. Once again, it’s wonderful real estate in terms of its location, being in close proximity to a higher-end suburban market. It certainly should have a positive future if they can meet the challenges such a development represents.”
Silverstein and his development partner, Jeffrey Bayer of Bayer Ventures, developed The Summit, a 1-million-square-foot upscale lifestyle center at the intersection of U.S. Highway 280 and Interstate 459 in Birmingham. The open-air shopping center opened in October 1997, more than 20 years after Brookwood Village, yet it continues to thrive while Brookwood sits empty.
“Primarily, Brookwood was impacted negatively by the fact that, when [Interstate] 459 was built, The Summit became a true regional location,” Silverstein said. “It became more difficult for Brookwood to compete to attract higher-end fashion retailers. If a retailer is going to have one store in the area, most likely they would prefer to be at a regional location rather than traveling inboard to where Brookwood is located.
“When Brookwood was built, it was a terrific mall. It’s a wonderful piece of real estate nestled against Mountain Brook and Homewood, with terrific demographics all around it. But it became out-positioned from a transportation standpoint as The Summit became the regional destination. That doesn’t mean Brookwood didn’t have opportunities for additional retail, but I think it just became very difficult for the mall to compete with the type of retail we had and what they were trying to attract.”
Silverstein also noted that the public-private partnership between the city of Birmingham and then-Mayor Richard Arrington Jr. was essential to The Summit’s creation and success. He said a similar partnership between Brookwood and its municipalities could benefit revitalization efforts.
Now, Andrews Sports Medicine serves as the first sign of life returning to the space, with plans to move into the former Belk building on Homewood’s side of the property.
Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Center has proposed renovating and converting the Belk building into a roughly 135,000-square-foot medical office. Homewood’s Planning Commission recommended approval of the proposal at a meeting on Nov. 5.
This marks the first significant step toward revitalizing the shopping center since its last anchor store, Macy’s, closed in January 2022.
“Andrews is a great addition to Homewood,” said Homewood City Council member Jennifer Andress. “They’re a long-time, quality medical provider. We will be honored and thrilled to have them here if they get approved for their project. We’d certainly love having them in Homewood.”
Andrews Sports Medicine is known for excellence in orthopedic care, sports medicine, research, education, and prevention. Its current headquarters is located at 805 St. Vincent’s Drive, Suite 100, in Birmingham. The practice is also affiliated with several local high schools, including Homewood, Mountain Brook, Hoover, Oak Mountain, Spain Park, and Vestavia Hills.
Fairway Investments and Pope & Land Real Estate own the 57 acres that make up Brookwood Village, which is split between Jefferson County and the municipalities of Homewood and Mountain Brook.
Mountain Brook City Council President Pro Tempore Billy Pritchard said the council has not been made aware of any development plans impacting the Mountain Brook portion of the property. However, he added that the council has heard there may be plans in the works and hopes something will be forthcoming soon.
At the Nov. 5 meeting, Homewood’s Planning Commission approved an amendment to Andrews’ final development plan and a resurvey subdividing the 14-acre property into three separate lots.
Representatives from Andrews Sports Medicine and Fairway Investments presented their plans at the meeting, while four local residents spoke, expressing a desire for retail businesses or a multi-use facility focused on entertainment, hospitality, and recreation. They also urged the committee to consider the entire Brookwood Village property in its decision-making.
“We see this [Andrews Sports Medicine proposal] as an exciting opportunity to kickstart one of the greatest redevelopment opportunities in our state,” said Paul Darden of Fairway Investments. “It’s a chance to reimagine what the future of Brookwood can be.”
With the proposal cleared by the Planning Commission, it was initially added to Homewood’s City Council agenda for Nov. 18 but was later deferred to the Planning and Development Committee meeting on Nov. 25. After further review, the council planned to hold a public hearing in December. Developers have asked the council to hold the plan for further review, and a public hearing has not yet been scheduled.
Representatives for Andrews told the Planning Commission during the Nov. 5 meeting that they hope to break ground on the new facility in the first quarter of 2025.
If the council approves the development, the remaining land at Brookwood Village will still involve collaboration between Homewood, Mountain Brook, and Jefferson County.
To ensure cooperation on the project, both Homewood and Mountain Brook city councils have passed resolutions to execute an intergovernmental cooperative agreement regarding Brookwood Village’s redevelopment.
The agreement requires both cities to consider what is best for their respective communities when making decisions. Mountain Brook’s council approved the resolution on Dec. 9, while Homewood’s council followed suit on Dec. 16.
