Council OKs downtown retail, apartment project

Published: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 3:30 a.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 12:16 a.m.

TUSCALOOSA | An apartment and retail development for University Boulevard was approved unanimously Tuesday night by the Tuscaloosa City Council.

Planned for the current site of Broad Street Apartments, owner Phil Weaver intends to demolish the existing buildings and replace them with two buildings one will be four stories and the other will be three that will have commercial space on the bottom floors and living spaces above.

It's not like it's something new, Weaver said. You have 34 units already there, but this is going to be quite an upgrade for that area, and it's going to be a big plus for that area of town.

The new buildings will contain 85 bedrooms in one-, two- and three-bedroom units, and each of the two buildings will have three commercial spots each for a combined 7,500-square feet of retail space.

Weaver already had won approval in October to have the location at the corner of University Boulevard and 20th Avenue rezoned in order to accommodate the mixed-use development. Tuesday's vote was in order to comply with the rigors of the downtown overlay district, which regulates several areas of downtown construction including screened parking requirements and building material standards.

Councilman Bobby Howard, who represents this area as part of District 1, reiterated his opinion from last year that he believes this development will be a benefit for downtown as well as his entire district.

I think it's going to be great, Howard said, noting that it replaces blighted buildings with new ones while adding a retail component. It's a welcomed investment.

Weaver said he anticipates that the three-story building, which faces University Boulevard, will be complete within six months. The four-story structure facing 20th Avenue should be complete within 10 months.

I think it's going to be something very, very positive down there, Weaver said. And I think it will help retailers in that area by putting more people in that part of town.

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Council OKs downtown retail, apartment project