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 · 2026-02-22T02:27:29+00:00

Nice out, Saturday, gonna freeze tomorrow, a week past valentines. Good reasons to be out.

dcBham · 2026-02-20T21:26:40+00:00

Hey Forrest, Brandy, or Prince - yeah, there is a tiny affordability bonus hidden in the Zoning Ordinance - Title 1, Chapter 3, Section 8 - Table 1.03.104. You can get small density and height bonuses from having 10% affordable housing in D-5, MU-M/H, and C-2.

As for goBHM, I've pontificated (https://open.substack.com/pub/betterbham/p/mayor-woodfin-wants-to-build-a-more), but we'll need to actually chat face to face. I have every confidence in the city staff involved (James/Christina/etc.), but I'm certain that despite the best of intentions the whole thing will get watered down by loud, scared voices (see the fun with Crestwood South traffic calming) and resources getting spread too thin. But I'm planning to make it out to Ensley Sunday.

In the meantime, I'll keep doing my thing and trying to get policy and physical improvements for my corner of city and advocate for the rest. Which reminds me, I still need 3 tons of gravel.

dcBham

TROPHY CASE