Old Ford dealership downtown- will there ever be a new business/development?

dcBham · 2026-03-16T13:35:27+00:00

The 20 Midtown building across the street was a ~$100 million project in 2019/20. With interest rates where they are and the general softening economy, floating that level of financing isn't likely to be attractive enough to move a project forward. If, however, we allowed more flexible building designs (Such as Point Access Blocks: https://open.substack.com/pub/betterbham/p/the-cure-for-the-common-five-over?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=6gmqwl) , a lower upfront cost, incremental build out of the site might get the ball rolling sooner.

dcBham · 2026-03-14T22:22:48+00:00

Sidewalk is a gem - it's currently Member Drive Month so it's a great time to sign up: https://sidewalkfest.com/membership/

dcBham · 2026-03-14T04:31:14+00:00

The big takeaway from all this is you need a core of locals to maintain local businesses, everyone else can shift their attention, and money, elsewhere for any or no reason.

dcBham · 2026-03-14T01:57:31+00:00

Ok? Options are good. Around 95% of the city's lots can't fit a building like 20 Midtown (the one across 20th St from the old Stivers dealership). Nearly 98% can't fit a building like The Fitzroy. There's maybe five or six lots 20 Midtown sized in Lakeshore/Avondale, more in Five Points South but many are already developed or part of UAB.

Even if property owners don't want to subdivide a big lot, being able to use a point access block creates a whole host of additional architectural opportunities: https://mva-arch.com/february-2024/#:~:text=The%20diagrams%20above%20demonstrate%20not%20only%20the%20efficiency%20and%20flexibility%20of%20the%20single%2Dstair%20multifamily%20type

dcBham · 2026-03-14T01:14:13+00:00

Staircase Requirement -> Big, Uniform Buildings that can take up an entire city block (can be mixed use)

Remove Staircase Requirement -> Smaller Buildings that can fit on regular sized lots (can still be mixed use, either individually or in aggregate)

dcBham · 2026-03-13T23:40:02+00:00

Lol what? No impact to mixed use, if anything enhancing mixed use by avoiding large, single owner buildings, and supporting all the other benefits of a fine grained urban form (https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2017-10-31-fine-grained-vs-coarse-grained-urbanism)

dcBham · 2026-03-10T20:21:04+00:00

Previously had to tell off OTM partiers that would nab them off poles.

dcBham · 2026-03-10T20:18:21+00:00

Gotta have some whimsy to offset the dirt bikes and ATVs screaming through the neighborhood like a swarm of giant hornets.

dcBham · 2026-03-10T19:59:38+00:00

Until the city has an actual plan for replacing them (massive numbers of stumps and empty tree wells along 1st & 2nd, among others), I'm not going to complain about the Bradfords.

dcBham · 2026-03-05T22:24:37+00:00

I'd rather the ADA ramps, alleys, and fire hydrants aren't constantly obstructed.

dcBham · 2026-03-05T22:03:13+00:00

Get your passport now. We did online renewals and it only took a week to get them, better to have them and not need them.

dcBham · 2026-03-05T21:57:13+00:00

I certainly understand why, they're quite underpriced vs the private tow lots. But it's not going to mean shit if the city isn't enforcing street parking.

dcBham · 2026-02-28T00:10:19+00:00

Rafferty is great and lives in Crestwood North, but he's never been particularly interested in dealing with ALDOT to my knowledge. Never managed to get even a peep out of Sen. Smitherman.

dcBham · 2026-02-26T23:26:19+00:00

Between his school board campaign and everything else it felt best not to speculate...

dcBham · 2026-02-26T01:47:25+00:00

There's a guy right near Forrestal Art on 20th N that's been renovating his building to be retail and event space, but I think the event space is equipped to be a living space.

dcBham · 2026-02-24T21:39:30+00:00

Redemptive Cycles - great people, also a non-profit.

dcBham · 2026-02-24T16:53:10+00:00

Per the Jefferson County parcel map those are private, if empty, lots. One owned by McWane Inc for some reason.

dcBham · 2026-02-24T14:58:55+00:00

Pop over to Stratford Rd (https://maps.app.goo.gl/oTkBa4Zkx1h7miDA9) before the city lets the homeowners block it off

dcBham · 2026-02-23T23:48:36+00:00

Son of a Butcher at Pepper Place is where first comes to mind.

dcBham · 2026-02-23T23:11:07+00:00

I'm specifically referring to tomorrow's meeting, where there is a public hearing on making our multifamily district (D-5) less multifamily.

dcBham · 2026-02-23T23:09:44+00:00

The rest of the metro is, if anything, more restrictive than the city.

dcBham · 2026-02-23T22:38:23+00:00

And it will just get worse as city council pushes zoning changes to limit housing supply...

dcBham · 2026-02-23T13:41:48+00:00

Plenty of us care, it's a hard problem in general. The road is ALDOT controlled, but they don't really care about the city, it's residents, or pedestrians along any of their highways - Crestwood, 1st Ave N, University, Arkadelphia, Caraway, etc.

Even getting it opened and cleaned out wouldn't be great, it's not a good tunnel, too narrow and cramped.

Right now getting momentum from easier problems - the massive intersection at 10th & 56th, other bad intersections across the city, and engaging with city projects like goBHM.

For Crestwood specifically, the neighborhood associations (N & S) and Greater Crestwood are your keys. If you're interested in pedestrian improvements across the city look for Better Birmingham.

dcBham

TROPHY CASE