Restoration Edgewood

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Restoration Edgewood is a massive redevelopment proposal from Jacksonville, Florida-based The Iron Group for the Edgewood Urban Renewal District at Broadway and Oxmoor Road. Their proposal for a new 400,000 square-foot, $100 million mixed use "urban town center" includes approximately 100,000 square feet of retail, more than 300 condominiums, and five parking decks with a total capacity of 500 cars. Iron Group CEO Frank Keasler, Jr has also said that the project would include updating utilities to the area and providing rainwater recycling and energy efficient design elements. The project would be The Iron Group's first development.

The proposal has been met with strong opposition from residents and business owners in Edgewood. In December 2006 the Homewood City Council passed an ordinance limiting new buildings in the district to 35 feet and two stories. Two citizens groups have formed since the project was first announced. One, the Citizens for a Livable Homewood successfully lobbied the city to commission a master plan from KPS Group and hopes the city will use the plan to channel development toward shared community goals. A second group, HomeOwners for a Progressive Edgewood (HOPE) acts on the assumption that denser development is inevitable in Edgewood and seeks to act as a liaison between residents' concerns and developers' goals.

The Iron Group is planning to conduct a 6-day design charette beginning February 22, 2006 to involve the community in details of the project's public spaces. Town Planning and Urban Design Collaborative of Nashville has been hired to coordinate that process. Keasler hopes that the charette will help foster community support. He plans to bring the proposal to the Homewood Planning Commission in March 6. The long-term schedule calls for Phase I demolition to begin in early 2008 with project completion in 2011.

References

  • Jordan, Phillip (February 1, 2007) "Restoration or desecration?" Birmingham Weekly.
  • Tomberlin, Michael (February 4, 2007) "Developer pushes Edgewood plan amid holdouts, concerns." Birmingham News.

External links

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