The James

The James is a 272-unit luxury apartment complex with a five level, 373-space parking garage and a small retail component located on the former site of the Highland Plaza shopping center, on the 2200 block of Highland Avenue, between 22nd Street South and 11th Court South. The complex features and outdoor courtyard and swimming pool for residents.

22nd Street Partners LLC, an affiliate of Daniel Corporation, purchased the shopping center in 2018 for $4.75 million. The partners also bought the former Baptist Hospital Nurses Home and another property behind the shopping center, representing a combined 2.5 acres stretching to Ireland Way. Originally the developer planned to bring the Western Supermarket back as an anchor tenant in a redeveloped mixed-use project. When Western closed all of its stores that year, they opened negotiations with other grocers, but were unsuccessful, in part due to uncertainties from the COVID pandemic.

In January 2023 the owners successfully applied to rezone the property. The Birmingham Design Review Committee approved the demolition permit in October 2023. The project is scheduled to open in late 2025.

References

• Godwin, Brent (January 30, 2018) "Prominent Highland Avenue shopping center bought by entity connected to Daniel Corp." Birmingham Business Journal
• Parker, Illyshia (October 26, 2023) "Demolition approved in Southside to make way for luxury apartments." Birmingham Business Journal
• Watson, Nathan (April 23, 2024) "What’s going up at the former Highland Plaza site in Southside?" Bham Now