Birmingham reshapes Shain Park expansion plans

Birmingham city officials are just about ready to put the shovels in the ground for the Shain Park redevelopment project, but they won't be going as deep as originally planned.

The City Commission approved a revised plan for the project this week. In is an extension of the park to a vacant lot next to The Townsend Hotel. Out is the idea of building a parking structure underneath it.

The original plans called for a 210-space parking garage beneath the park. Estimates called for spending $7.5 million of the $11 million project on the parking deck.

"The prices came back and they were over budget so they got rid of the underground parking," says Jana Ecker, planning director for the city of Birmingham.

The city still plans to expand the park south onto a surface parking lot across Henrietta Street. The revamped park will include an ampitheater for performances. About two-thirds of the lot will become park, while the remaining third will be maintained as parking.

The lot currently holds space for 150 vehicles. However, city officials are engineering the remaining parking spots and those on the street so there will only be a loss of 63 spaces.

Construction is set to begin in June and wrap up by 2011.

Source: Jana Ecker, planning director for Birmingham
Writer: Jon Zemke

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Birmingham reshapes Shain Park expansion plans

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