The Citizen
The Citizen is a 6-story, 144-"micro-unit" apartment building at 300 18th Street South, on Block 150 in the Parkside District. It was proposed on the site of a former Wells Fargo drive-through by Golden Development Group, which acquired the property in December 2019 for $850,000.
The project was originally announced as a 110-unit student apartment building, with the name Canyon Lofts. Initial design plans included a 4,800 square-foot retail space and a 2,000 square-foot indoor climbing gym on the ground floor.
The design, by Creature, won conceptual approval from the Birmingham Design Review Committee in February 2020. The developer obtained funding for the $21 million project from ServisFirst Bank and a building permit in May 2021. Construction was completed in late 2022.
The 70 foot-tall apartment building's 140 micro-units are 350 square feet each with a fold-out sofa bed, full kitchen, full bath and washer and dryer. The initial leases for those units were $1,150 per month, plus an $85 per month "technology bundle fee" and additional fees for up to two pets. The building also has four loft-style one-bedroom units which rented for $1,300 per month, and another 3,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
The building, which sits opposite a Birmingham Xpress stop, is designed to encourage walking and to facilitate the use of public and on-demand transportation options, as well as food and package delivery services. Two Tesla Model 3 sedans with charging stations were provided for shared use by residents, along with storage areas for bicycles and electric scooters, but no on-site car parking was constructed.
An app called "Livly" operates door locks and thermostats while also managing food and package deliveries, a digital concierge service, and "lifestyle services" including pet care, personal trainers, dry cleaning and housekeeping. 60 of the units, managed by Mint House of New York City, operate as short-term rentals.
Retail tenants
- Ladybird Taco (tentatively announced 2022)
References
- West, Ty (October 21, 2019) "Canyon Lofts, Rotary Trail condo projects moving forward." Birmingham Business Journal
- West, Ty (December 10, 2019) "Developer buys city center site for student housing project." Birmingham Business Journal
- Van der Bijl, Hanno (February 13, 2020) "Micro-unit student housing project in Parkside gains approval." Birmingham Business Journal
- Van der Bijl, Hanno (May 28, 2021) "Developer obtains $13M loan for downtown multifamily project." Birmingham Business Journal
- Parker, Illyshia (October 3, 2022) "The Citizen nears construction completion, new restaurant eyed for site." Birmingham Business Journal
External links
- The Citizen Birmingham website