|
Contact: Robin Oliver
BJCC to team with developer on entertainment district
Date: February 23, 2007
The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Board of Authority entered into an agreement today with Performa Entertainment Real Estate, Inc., to develop an entertainment district adjacent to the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex.
The board met with Performa executives to finalize plans during its annual retreat, being held this week in Salt Lake City. Plans for the new development, to be located on Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard North, include 100,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space including restaurants and performance venues, 100 residential apartments and a 140-150 room hotel.
An ongoing challenge for us and for our patrons has been the lack of restaurant and entertainment options within walking distance of the complex,” said BJCC Executive Director Jack Fields. “We are thrilled to have Performa investing private dollars to improve the appeal of the BJCC. We see this as an opportunity to entice more visitors to our city and to be a part of the downtown renaissance that is already happening in Birmingham.”
Executives at Performa said the company will not announce how much it will invest in the development until it secures tenants for the space and finalizes build-out plans. Performa was founded to develop and manage the Beale Street Historic District in Memphis, Tenn. The company focuses on mixed-use developments in both urban and suburban markets. In Performa’s urban developments, the company works to secure tents in keeping with the personality of the city.
“Performa is excited to be working with the BJCC on a fantastic opportunity in a wonderful location,” said John Elkington, Chairman and CEO of Performa. “Birmingham is already a great destination, and the entertainment district will only enhance that. Performa developments emphasize local flavor in the mix of tenants, the food music and atmosphere – what makes the area distinctive. There’s so much Birmingham music, history and culture to promote. … We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work.”
Fields said a date for groundbreaking has not been set, but the BJCC and Performa aim to complete the project in the next 18-24 months.
###
“An ongoing challenge for us and for our patrons has been the lack of restaurant and entertainment options within walking distance of the complex,” said BJCC Executive Director Jack Fields. “We are thrilled to have Performa investing private dollars to improve the appeal of the BJCC. We see this as an opportunity to entice more visitors to our city and to be a part of the downtown renaissance that is already happening in Birmingham.”
Executives at Performa said the company cannot announce how much it will invest in the development until it secures tenants for the space and finalizes build-out plans. Performa was founded to develop and manage the Beale Street Historic District in Memphis, Tenn. In 25 years under Performa's leadership, Beale Street grew from an urban wasteland into one of the biggest tourist attractions in Tennessee. The company focuses on mixed-use developments in both urban and suburban markets. In Performa’s urban developments, the company works to secure tenants in keeping with the personality of the city.
“Performa is excited to be working with the BJCC on a fantastic opportunity in a wonderful location,” said John Elkington, Chairman and CEO of Performa. “Birmingham is already a great destination, and the entertainment district will only enhance that. Performa developments emphasize local flavor in the mix of tenants, the food, music and atmosphere – what makes the area distinctive.”
"There’s so much Birmingham music, history and culture to promote,” Elkington said. “We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work.”
Fields said a date for groundbreaking has not been set, but the BJCC and Performa aim to complete the project in the next 18-24 months.
###
Performa Entertainment Real Estate, Inc. is a privately owned real estate development and advisory firm located in Memphis, TN. The development of a mixed-use urban retail/entertainment district is a highly specialized niche of the development industry. In two decades, based on its experience with Beale Street in Memphis, Performa has become the nation’s leading developer and consultant in this field. Performa’s current projects are urban entertainment districts in Jackson, MS, and Trenton, NJ, and a regional retail/entertainment/recreational project in Fredericksburg, VA. For more information, visit www.performaentertainment.com.
|
