Hillside Circle Apartments
Hillside Circle Apartments is a 67-unit apartment complex made up of 15 one-story buildings on Hillside Circle, off Valley Avenue in Homewood. It abuts the Jefferson County Board of Education main office and Rosedale.
The complex was built around 1950, two years after the nearby Valley View Apartments.
Over the years, the complex fell into disrepair and became a minor crime haven. On November 11, 1999, a drug raid on one of the apartments by the Homewood Police Department found seven ounces of cocaine, 35 pounds of marijuana, and a sack of crack, worth an estimated total of $50,000. In March 2009, a resident was arrested after he had several pounds of marijuana delivered to him via a local courier service.
In May 2005, a developer paid $3 million for the complex. In late 2008, Florida-based developer Landology began making plans to redevelop the property as condominiums. At the time, it was said it would be two years before development began and residents would get a one-year notice before the apartments are razed. In the interim, the developer promised to make drainage improvements and repairs to the property. In 2011, Landology and partner Dobbins Group won approval for the redevelopment from both the Homewood Planning Commission and the Homewood City Council. The joint venture expects to begin work on the as-yet unnamed project in spring 2012 and complete it in about one year.
References
- "Metro Briefs." (November 11, 1999.) The Birmingham News.
- Norris, Toraine. (March 11, 2009.) "Homewood police arrest man they say had marijuana sent to his apartment through courier." The Birmingham News.
- Tomberlin, Michael. (August 4, 2005.) "Apartment property investments bloom in company's hands." The Birmingham News.
- Bryan, Kim. (September 24, 2008.) "Condos would be built in two years." The Birmingham News.
- Tomberlin, Michael. (September 1, 2011.) "Upscale apartment project near Vulcan Park hoped to be Homewood redevelopment spark." The Birmingham News.