Downtown Birmingham continues to build up, up and away. The latest proposal is for a new, eight-story Barclay Inn on the southeast corner of Woodward Avenue and Maple Road.Gone will be much of the 1950s-era
hotel and a couple of other nearby buildings. Coming is a 240,000-square-foot mixed-used building that will feature a new Barclay Inn, a Walgreens and a bistro.
The building features a modern, contemporary exterior composed of glass, metal and stone. The first floor will feature room for the bistro, hotel and 14,800 square feet for Walgreens. Eighty one parking spaces will available around the hotel, including angled parking on Woodward that is protected by a thin traffic island.
The second and third floors will be dedicated to parking with 215 spaces in the structure. The fourth and fifth floors will feature 60,000-square-feet of office space. The sixth, seventh and eighth floors will have 118 hotel rooms.
The building was expanded to fit in with the city's plans for the Triangle District, an area just east of downtown bordered by Woodward Avenue, Adams Road and Maple Road.
The area, which is in the shape of a triangle, is experiencing
development pressure, yet has lacked a clear vision and framework for
growth.
The new master plan for the area is expected to spur
development on surface parking lots and underutilized properties, which
dominate the landscape, to create a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly,
mixed-use district similar to downtown.
The
current hotel there started out as a Barclay Inn but eventually became
a Holiday Inn Express. It returned to Barclay Inn two years ago. Once
the site plans for the renovation/expansion are approved by the city,
the developer hopes to begin construction midway through this year and
complete work within 9 to 12 months.Source: City of Birmingham
Writer: Jon Zemke
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