By Sym Posey | The Birmingham Times
“New residents, new families, and new life.” That’s what citizens in Birmingham’s Northside community can expect, said Birmingham City Councilor Brian Gunn, as crews begin construction that will bring 64 new homes along a stretch of property facing Carraway Boulevard north of 17th Avenue.
Birmingham City Council approved plans Tuesday morning, clearing the way for the new residential construction to begin near the Coca-Cola Amphitheater which opened in June with its first outdoor concerts and just north of the former Carraway hospital site.
“As more housing comes, we’ll see more business, more services, and more opportunities for everyone who calls the Northside home,” said Gunn at the site on Tuesday.
Homes are expected to be ready for new residents by early 2027 and will include a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom cottages and townhomes, as well as a clubhouse to serve the community. The development will be owned and managed by CR-Endeavors.
Janet Maycock, president of Druid Hills Neighborhood Association and Barbara Thomas, president of the Norwood Neighborhood Association said “excitement” was the best way to describe the new homes.
“We are excited by what we’ve seen with the amphitheater, what we’re going to see next year, and what we’re going to see in the years to come,” said Maycock.
“It’s exciting to be at this point, where demolition is wrapping up and we’re going to start seeing things built here,” said Thomas.
Robert Simon, CEO of CR-Endeavors, said residential was always a key component to the entire project that includes an overall plan to revitalize the 50-plus acre site that was the former Carraway campus that calls for commercial and entertainment-related venues on the south end of the property, closer to Top Golf.
“As we’ve envisioned this project, we always wanted to start with residential … reestablishing what is and was a great neighborhood, coming in with quality housing and affordable housing in many different ways, shapes, and forms,” he said.
The impact is expected to go beyond the Druid Hills neighborhood, where the new homes will be located.
Birmingham City Council Pro Tem, LaTonya Tate, whose district includes the Carraway site and who moved away from city before returning, remembers when the hospital provided medical care before later becoming an eyesore.
“I grew up right here. I still have a lot of ties to this community,” she said. “I never, ever dreamt that coming back to Birmingham after spending almost 12 or 15 years away from here that I would ever see this sight, transformed.”
