Birmingham Business Journal: Venue at the Ballpark opens in Parkside
by BRENT GODWIN
The Venue at the Ballpark, a residential development at 200 16th St. S. near Regions Field and Railroad Park, is now open and boasts 236 apartment units.
Officials held a ribbon cutting event this week, and residents have started moving into the apartments. Venue has studio, one, two, three and four-bedroom units.
The development abuts the outfield wall at Regions Field, and offers views of the ballpark.
“All along, we knew that Regions Field, the surrounding UAB network, and the growing downtown community would spark further interest in the area, and we sought a solid development team to make this project a reality,” said Corporate Realty Development President Robert Simon. “The city leadership matched with the Venue development team and all who worked on this are a tremendous example that good ideas can become great opportunities as we all work together.”
Simon and Corporate Realty were one of the forces behind the $64 million Regions Field project, which opened in 2013.
“The Venue at the Ballpark is another great addition to the Parkside district,” said Mayor William Bell. “We look forward to even more residents moving into this area thanks to this beautiful development”.
Venue at the Ballpark has fitness facilities, a clubhouse, conference rooms with Smart Board technology, terrace-level pool deck overlooking Regions Field, wifi access throughout and other amenities.
It’s a sign that the Parkside area, which only a few years ago was just an industrial storage area, is truly coming into its own. There are now more than 460 multifamily apartment units on line in the Parkside area of Birmingham, and more on the way.
LIV Parkside opened early this year and has 228 units. Flats on Fourth is an 86-unit project under construction now, and more units are expected at other projects within blocks of the district.
University House Communities and Corporate Realty Development were the developers for Venue at the Ballpark. Golden Construction was the general contractor, BOKA Powell the architect. Walter Schoel provided engineering work, and RLG Consulting Engineers was the structural engineer. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering was done by Schmidt & Stacy. Capital One served as the lender.