Seven Springs
- This article is about the residential development, for the wildlife refuge, see Seven Springs Ecoscape.
Seven Springs (formerly Westhaven) is a proposed residential subdivision of 47 houses, on the east side of 24th Street Southwest, between Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church and Nabors Branch, near Arrington Middle School in Birmingham's Jones Valley neighborhood.
The project was first proposed in 1989 by Rick Bentley of Business Realty Investment (BRIC). He was granted a city-backed loan of $320,000 to develop the subdivision with the property secured by mortgage.
No progress was made and, in 1997 the city declared BRIC in default and foreclosed on the property. Bentley filed suit claiming wrongful foreclosure and alleging that the city caused his firm intentional harm. The case was appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court where Bentley prevailed.
After he won the suit he shelved the redevelopment plans until 2008 when he went before the Birmingham City Council to request public investment in infrastructural work for the project. On March 25, 2008 the council approved spending $988,469 for sidewalks, sewers and other infrastructure for the project.
As planned, the first 10 of the 1,300-1,650 square-foot, 3-bedroom, 2-bath houses would be completed by 2011 with the remainder completed in 2012. As of 2021 only one double-wide trailer occupied the property.
References
- Bryant, Joseph D. (March 18, 2008) "West End house plan back on track." The Birmingham News
- Bryant, Joseph D. (June 20, 2011) "Birmingham housing venture planned as 'fresh air' to renew southwest part of city." The Birmingham News