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I think the majority of parents care about their kids going to school and learning while there. I agree, learning carries over to the home just as much. It just that we don't hear that. It's always a negative image presented. "Good" school systems don't have every students going off and becoming doctors, judges, ceo's, company president's making $100 grand a year. Not to keep harping on the subject, but putting down inner city schools is a ignorant narrative that's doing nobody any good.
We stress diversity and unity amongst races, but when it comes to schools and communties, that's a no-no. But anyway, Birmingham probably won't ever have rapid growth because it seem like it's fighting against the world, sort of speak, for just a little amount of respect around the metro and state.
1. Install light rail.
2. Repave every street in city limits.
3. Getting more destination cities flights (some international) and construct a third runway.
4. Land a professional sport franchise.
5. Construct the northern bypass.
6. Build three, four 35 stories buildings downtown.
7. Develop the Brown-Marx into a Ritz-Carlton.
1. Install light rail.
2. Repave every street in city limits.
3. Getting more destination cities flights (some international) and construct a third runway.
4. Land a professional sport franchise.
5. Construct the northern bypass.
6. Build three, four 35 stories buildings downtown.
7. Develop the Brown-Marx into a Ritz-Carlton.
I like how you think. What is the timeline on the northern bypass? Is it still a go or is it now in limbo? I would imagine that the completion of the bypass would spur growth in suburbs like Adamsville/Graysville, Pinson, and Clay.
The pro franchise can't be overstated. But that ship probably sailed. People ask me all the time why I think a pro franchise is so important. It's important because it can change the image of a city. Most people around the country don't even realize Birmingham Metro is as big as it is. They imagine it as something the size of Jackson, MS or Montgomery when really, we are similar in size to New Orleans and Memphis. Notice whenever there is a Birmingham vs. (insert city here) thread on this site, the first thing that proponents of the other city go to is the fact that said city has pro sports and we don't. But this is hard now. All 3 of the traditional major leagues we would actually have a shot at (NBA, NHL, NFL) are balanced, and each team has an up to date facility. This wasn't the case a decade ago when Milwaukee and Sacramento in the NBA were still fighting with their cities for new arenas. MLB requires huge markets. Only Southern city other than Atlanta (no, I don't consider Tampa or Miami the South) that could support a team is probably Charlotte. Nashville wants MLB badly... but they are probably already beyond their capacity as they have the NFL, NHL and MLS and that metro is still under 2 million. These are the main reason why Bham getting a team in any of the Major 4 are unlikely to ever happen. I guess hope for the Legion to be promoted to MLS one day. I think that is their intent.
I want to expand the skyline as much as anyone. But the demand isn't there. The buildings downtown already are half-empty it seems. I'm mainly concerned with them completing the new condos/hotel in the works at the old AT&T Building downtown.
Ritz-Carlton is probably a stretch for a market our size... unless we really play up the Civil Rights tourism in the future as another poster suggested. Omni Hotel may be more reasonable.
On another note. JCPenney at the Galleria needs to be gone... kick that dying brand out now... don't let them linger around for a few years. Trussville, Tuscaloosa and Alabaster (I think) have JCP. That's enough for central Alabama. No reason they should still be in Hoover. My dream would be for them to redo the façade on the Galleria JCP and recruit a Nordstrom (which was set to come in 2007 and for some reason didn't) or a Neiman Marcus. A Galleria with 2 upscale anchors (Von Maur and Nord/NM) and 2 midscale anchors (Macy's and Belk) would be great.
The Summit should up the ante as well. There is already a Louis Vuitton store at the Summit in Saks Fifth Avenue. Try to get some more luxury boutiques like Burberry, Tiffany & Co, Chanel, Prada, etc... those rich people in Mt. Brook, Vestavia, Inverness/Greystone have enough dough to keep it open.
Alabama Men's Basketball should play a few of their home games every year at Legacy Arena. Not that neutral site BS they were doing. But true home games. They'd have one of the best arenas in the SEC. Legacy, when they finish it, will be a really nice arena. I wouldn't put one red cent in that dump Coleman Coliseum. It's good enough now for its purpose. I say play the scrub teams at Coleman and the big games at Legacy Arena. Birmingham is really an untapped market for them. A majority-black city anchoring a 1 million+ metro with no NBA team. Whenever Alabama plays up here, they get really good crowds. Plus, Legacy will have all the fancy amenities like luxury boxes and premium seats so you'll get the over the mountain people as well. No one in Birmingham Metro is going to drive to Tuscaloosa to watch Alabama play at Coleman Coliseum. Tide basketball could be on the level of Louisville as far as regional support if they utilize the sleeping giant Birmingham market. I don't think Bama basketball in Birmingham would disrupt UAB basketball at all. UAB would still be on campus at Bartow Arena and could be the cheaper option for people's basketball fix.
Lastly... eventually... expand Protective Stadium. I understand why Protective is only 45,000 at the beginning, to gauge the demand. But I feel they have to expand it at some point. With a new larger downtown stadium, Birmingham could host power 5 season openers (ex. Clemson and USC) like Atlanta and Dallas does or maybe even the CFP National Championship Game. This would be a good way to get around the fact that we will probably never see pro sports. Still would be positive national exposure. Glad that Birmingham will start to get NCAA March Madness games after the renovation.
*on a side note* I feel like someone should print what all we suggested in this thread and give it to the economic development team or the mayor or someone. This is all probably stuff they've never thought about.
Last edited by Carter 1977; 07-15-2020 at 09:09 PM..
Carter 1977 - I don't think the demand is there for upscale boutiques. Whatever demand Saks doesn't fill, Gus Mayer picks up. Case in point - mountain brook's villages have, to my knowledge, no brand name boutiques. If these brands don't think that one of MB's villages are high-end enough for them then the other burbs certainly won't support them. Mountain Brook doesn't have the panache you think it does. The young people of Homewood don't compare to the young wealth of your premium burbs of say Nashville, ATL, Austin, Dallas, Houston etc. So, I dont think Bham can support upscale boutiques.
If I was in charge:
1. Turn Brookwood mall into an upscale movie theater, bowling alley, entertainment area with some retail and good restaurants.
2. Keep the Summit as is, it's phenomenal
3. Turn the Galleria into a town square type thing with more character... Keep the galleria because you have to have a solid indoor mall.. But transform the outside to make it more inviting.
4. Go ahead and absorb all the failing suburbs even though it makes the crime/income numbers look terrible for now. It increases population and gives more of an open door to clean them up.. Could be very useful 10 years from now.
5. Do anything possible to keep Regions from leaving
6. Something has to be done done 280 that's upscale. Greystone/Shoal Creek/Highland Lakes are premium, but surrounded by strip malls. There was big talk with Tattersal Park but it's certainly nothing to brag about right now. So maybe overhaul Lee Branch is the only option at this point.
agree with luring more/better flight destinations. what's the benefit of a third runway?
None, in this case. It's nowhere near needed at this point. The only real help would be so you could work on the main runway and keep traffic open, but that's not how that works.
They'll extend the crosswind long before the third runway becomes a thought.
[quote=bfmx1;58659339]Carter 1977 - I don't think the demand is there for upscale boutiques. Whatever demand Saks doesn't fill, Gus Mayer picks up. Case in point - mountain brook's villages have, to my knowledge, no brand name boutiques. If these brands don't think that one of MB's villages are high-end enough for them then the other burbs certainly won't support them. Mountain Brook doesn't have the panache you think it does. The young people of Homewood don't compare to the young wealth of your premium burbs of say Nashville, ATL, Austin, Dallas, Houston etc. So, I dont think Bham can support upscale boutiques.
One can dream.... but you are probably right... It should be noted that Bham has always punched above its weight class as far as its retail/dining scene. There are plenty of people who would probably say that Bham has no business having a Saks or Louis Vuitton boutique. I'd love a full-service Nordstrom or a Neiman Marcus. I really think we could support another upscale department store. I'm sticking to my belief that JCP needs to be run out of the Galleria. Seriously... terminate their lease and tell them to get the hell on! Oh... and btw... unrelated... but I was in Jacktown yesterday and was surprised at Highland Village and Colony Park.
Carter 1977 - I don't think the demand is there for upscale boutiques. Whatever demand Saks doesn't fill, Gus Mayer picks up. Case in point - mountain brook's villages have, to my knowledge, no brand name boutiques. If these brands don't think that one of MB's villages are high-end enough for them then the other burbs certainly won't support them. Mountain Brook doesn't have the panache you think it does. The young people of Homewood don't compare to the young wealth of your premium burbs of say Nashville, ATL, Austin, Dallas, Houston etc. So, I dont think Bham can support upscale boutiques.
One can dream.... but you are probably right... It should be noted that Bham has always punched above its weight class as far as its retail/dining scene. There are plenty of people who would probably say that Bham has no business having a Saks or Louis Vuitton boutique. I'd love a full-service Nordstrom or a Neiman Marcus. I really think we could support another upscale department store. I'm sticking to my belief that JCP needs to be run out of the Galleria. Seriously... terminate their lease and tell them to get the hell on! Oh... and btw... unrelated... but I was in Jacktown yesterday and was surprised at Highland Village and Colony Park.
What is Jacktown?
I don't think there's a Louis Vuitton boutique.. There's a section inside of SAKs where only LV is sold, but that's similar to every SAKs I believe. That's like saying there's a Polo store because Belk has a whole section dedicated to Polo.
Neiman Marcus would never work. One because they're not in good shape financially and they're certainly not expanding to risky markets. Also, NM is a tier or two above Nordstroms in prestige and brands they carry. Probably a step over Saks too.
I would say Nordstrom is like an upscale Belk (maybe a little better). Also, they're "better" or "worse" depending on their location. For instance, you'll find different brands or saturation of brands based on market. Like, Macy's in NYC is top-tier.
There are also no high end electronic stores in bham anymore. Best Buy is as good as you'll find.
I don't think there's a Louis Vuitton boutique.. There's a section inside of SAKs where only LV is sold, but that's similar to every SAKs I believe. That's like saying there's a Polo store because Belk has a whole section dedicated to Polo. I've been in Saks and Neiman Marcus (Atlanta location). They seem to be the same level to me. Price tags are definitely almost identical. But you're probably right about Neiman Marcus.
Neiman Marcus would never work. One because they're not in good shape financially and they're certainly not expanding to risky markets. Also, NM is a tier or two above Nordstroms in prestige and brands they carry. Probably a step over Saks too.
I would say Nordstrom is like an upscale Belk (maybe a little better). Also, they're "better" or "worse" depending on their location. For instance, you'll find different brands or saturation of brands based on market. Like, Macy's in NYC is top-tier.
There are also no high end electronic stores in bham anymore. Best Buy is as good as you'll find.
Jacktown = Jackson, Miss. I've seen Ala/Miss Line on the Jackson forum before. So I was telling this to him.
And it's listed on Louis Vuitton's website as a store location. I've always thought it was a standalone store that was located in Saks. Kind of like how the Subway/McDonalds in Walmart is its own thing. I'm pretty sure that the LV operates independently of Saks. It's just taking up space. The LV store has its own managers and eveything. Kind of like how the Saks in NOLA has Louis Vuitton and Prada. The Polo section in Belk does not have its own staff lol. It's very much a section in Belk.
And what high-end electronic store left Bham?
Last edited by Carter 1977; 07-16-2020 at 08:39 PM..
Jacktown = Jackson, Miss. I've seen Ala/Miss Line on the Jackson forum before. So I was telling this to him.
And it's listed on Louis Vuitton's website as a store location. I've always thought it was a standalone store that was located in Saks. Kind of like how the Subway/McDonalds in Walmart is its own thing. I'm pretty sure that the LV operates independently of Saks. It's just taking up space. The LV store has its own managers and eveything. Kind of like how the Saks in NOLA has Louis Vuitton and Prada. The Polo section in Belk does not have its own staff lol. It's very much a section in Belk.
And what high-end electronic store left Bham?
Gotcha, you're probably right.
What high-end electronics stores left bham? All of them ha. Gosh I cannot remember all the names but there are no showrooms to view/demo fancy electronics/speakers. Likis Audio was probably the best in town, AV Specialists in homewood. They might still exist but they're only installers. If I want to play with high-end equipment I have to go to other cities. There's just not a large high-end market for this or other similar hobbies in Birmingham.
Best Buy finally got a Magnolia Home Theater but they don't have hardly anything good in the store.
There are also no Camera stores either I don't believe. Best buy is as good as you'll get.
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