Grants Mill Station
Grants Mill Station is a shopping center at the intersection of Beacon Drive and Kilgore Memorial Drive, just north of where Kilgore becomes Grants Mill Road in Irondale. The center was formerly occupied by a Wal-Mart supercenter, and presently largely vacant with Southeastern Salvage and Garden Ridge as its anchors.
Wal-Mart moved to the new Eastwood Village shopping center in neighboring Birmingham in 2007. Birmingham offered $11 million in development incentives for the retail center which replaced the aging Eastwood Mall.
Irondale Mayor Tommy Joe Alexander announced that a new buyer was planning to redevelop Grants Mill Station in early 2013. Plans included adding a park with miniature golf course in the existing parking lot.
In December, it was announced that Mark Gold and Skyline International Developments, owners of the nearby Crestwood Festival Center, had purchased the shopping center for $2.3 million. A dog park, which would become an Irondale city park, was scheduled to be completed by July 1, 2013, with Irondale providing $150,000 towards its construction. The city's water department as well as a police substation are scheduled to be moved to the shopping center in 2013, with the city paying rent for the water department but not for the substation. Gold also announced that the complex would be lit in green spotlights and a large billboard erected to increase visibility from nearby I-20.
In February 2013, a vintage train was brought in and installed in the center of the parking lot. The train includes a locomotive, a baggage car, a dining car, a sleeper car and a caboose, with renovations completed that May. The center's facade will be renovated to resemble a train station. A 1,200 foot, two-level zip line was also announced, with a large gorilla installed at the top of the hill, visible from Kilgore Memorial Drive.
References
- Cason, Mike (October 2, 2012) "Irondale mayor says buyer plans to revitalize Grants Mill Station shopping center." The Birmingham News
- Cason, Mike (December 5, 2012) "New owner of Irondale's Grants Mill Station says expect sweeping changes soon." The Birmingham News
- Diel, Stan (February 1, 2013) "Irondale's Grants Mill Station shopping center to get vintage train, zip line." The Birmingham News
- Gray, Jeremy (March 26, 2013) "Redevelopment of Irondale's Stations at Grants Mill expected to be complete in early May." The Birmingham News