Across Jefferson County, cities and towns are greenlighting mixed-use developments, upgrading public parks, building affordable housing, establishing new walking trails and partnering with schools, state agencies and other entities to improve learning, enhance the quality of life for their citizens and prepare the workforce of tomorrow.
The Jefferson County Commission, for example, recently committed $2 million for the remediation of a brownfield site — a term for property damaged by contamination — in the Kingston community on Birmingham’s east side.
Coca-Cola Bottling Company United is building its new corporate headquarters and a distribution facility on the brownfield site where the Stockham Valves and Fitting plant once stood. Besides the new Coca-Cola headquarters, the $330Â million project will include a new warehouse, customer service center and a sales office. The project is scheduled for completion in 2027.
The Jefferson County Commission also has given the official green light for the sale of the Hallmark Farms in Warrior to the Alabama Exhibition Center Corp. for $13.5Â million. The new owners plan to use the property, located just off I-65, to construct and run a new agricultural center. The Alabama Farm Center will host livestock shows and feature restaurants and entertainment.
The Commission also is investing in new walking trails through the region.
Jefferson County, in cooperation with the city of Birmingham, the Freshwater Land Trust and CSX Transportation, acquired an inactive rail line to construct a new trail called the Valley Creek Rail-to-Trail. Funding for the $1.1Â million deal came from Jefferson County; Birmingham City Council members in districts 6, 7 and 8; the Rails to Trails Conservancy; the Robert F. Meyer Foundation; and others.
The 4.5-mile Valley Creek Rail-to-Trail pathway will connect west Birmingham and the Birmingham CrossPlex to Red Mountain Park and the 3.1-mile High Ore Line Greenway.
Another development was the Jefferson County Micro Business Accelerator, which made its debut last year. The accelerator supports small businesses in the county with resources designed to help them thrive, encourage job creation and help entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. The help includes coaching from business experts and advice on how to attract investors and access other funding sources.
The Micro Business Accelerator came about through partnerships among economic development agencies and chambers of commerce throughout Jefferson County.
The city of Birmingham teamed with the Penny Foundation Inc. this fall to combat school absenteeism. Birmingham committed $43,000 for a plan to offer parents the chance to win $500 if their child was registered and present on the first day of school.
Birmingham also has moved forward on a project to bring more affordable housing to the city. Birmingham’s Home for All is a pilot project that aims to build 15 microshelters, or tiny homes, in the city. The city selected Faith Chapel Care Center to manage the development and provide a range of support services for the residents.
The pilot project will cost around $2.4 million and is scheduled for completion by the end of this year. About half of the expenditures are designated for constructing the microshelters while the other half will fund the operations. The project’s stated goal is to provide residents with the assistance they need to move into more permanent housing.
In addition, the city of Birmingham this year announced the start of site development in the Pratt City neighborhood’s Shadow Brook subdivision to build 52 affordable, single-family houses in collaboration with GROWTH Homes.
The city also has announced plans to build 27 single-family houses in Belview Heights’ Oak Hill subdivision and 16 in the Woodlawn community.
Next door in Homewood, the City Council approved $1 million to renovate Central Park. The Homewood park, which reopened this summer, features new swing sets, a ninja course and other playground equipment.
In addition, the city installed a new playground surface, a synthetic turf known as playground grass that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and allows children with mobility issues to travel over the ground more easily.
In Hoover, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission in January 2025 approved the first phase plans for the mixed-use Riverwalk Village development in Riverchase Office Park.
The first phase covers 10.3 acres of a 90-acre tract just off the Riverchase Parkway, and it will be part of a larger plan for the Riverwalk Village Health and Wellness Center.
In the first phase, Signature Homes plans to construct 66 one- and two-bedroom apartments and 30 townhomes. Besides apartments and townhomes, plans for Riverwalk Village Health and Wellness Center include green spaces, retail shops and medical facilities.
Meanwhile, Costco is coming to the suburb of Irondale. The city announced this year that the members-only warehouse club would build a new store on Grants Mill Trail. This will be the retailer’s second store in Jefferson County and its sixth in Alabama.
In addition, the city of Irondale broke ground this summer on the town’s civic center renovation project. The renovation will cost approximately $20 million.
The Irondale Civic Center building was once the Zamora Temple, which the city acquired in 2022 for $5Â million. The city hired Shelby General Contractors, Williams Blackstock Architects and Kemp Management Solutions for the project.
The city of Irondale also completed a $643,000 sidewalk project this year so residents can walk or jog from the city’s downtown to the elementary school. The sidewalk project was paid for with funds from the state and matching funds from the city.
On the western side of Jefferson County in Fairfield, the HBCU Miles College partnered with Birmingham City Schools this summer to hold a dual-track summer camp for middle schoolers. Students could either explore a science, technology, engineering and mathematics pathway or a literacy track. Camp organizers designed the program to help youngsters enhance their core competencies.
In addition, the city of Birmingham selected Miles College and the Institute of Research for Social Justice in Action for three community-based initiatives — a youth jobs program, an entrepreneurship program and an intensive training for adults and grassroots leaders to cultivate a network of community leaders to bring transformational change.
This article appears in the October 2025 issue of Business Alabama.
