At Tuesday morning's city council meeting, Birmingham leaders approved their portion of funding for the amphitheater project. The city was asked to commit $5 million in funding for the facility which would go at the former Carraway Hospital location.
The council passed this unanimously.
Back in October, Mayor Randall Woodfin put his support behind the proposal, but some council members were hesitant. We asked Woodfin what discussions happened to get to this point, where everyone was on board.
"I think this council held my feet to the fire, of walking and chewing gum at the same time, that if we are going to make this type of investment, we need to make investments across the city, city wide. we continue to do that," responded Woodfin. "I think this council is progressive. I think they support sports and entertainment opportunity and ideas but if we are going to make million dollar investments then we equally agree, let's also make multi million dollar investments in the community, and I think today proved we can do both, with the 80 plus million dollar surplus, a majority of this money is spent on communities, in neighborhoods towards revitalization."
In order for the proposed amphitheater in Birmingham to move forward, there are several other partners involved in the initial funding, including Jefferson County, Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex, and Live Nation, along with the City of Birmingham.
"Every partner that has been in the conversation in trying to put this project together, the city is one, the county is one, the convention bureau is one. Every one is important, and if any phase, any of those parties, the commitment doesn’t come to fruition, then we have to step back and think is there a different way to do it," said Tad Snider, Executive Director of the BJCC. "But the plan right now is to move forward, going back to late October, with all these different steps and it kind of takes a while and falls out of the public eye for a while, but they are all moving along kind of exactly as we thought they would."
At this time, it's unclear what the specific timeline would be to book concerts at the amphitheater in Birmingham.
"So we get through completing all those agreements hopefully in the spring, then construction would start then hopefully there's an opportunity to have an amphitheater season somewhere in 2025, 2026, somewhere in there, so that’s the path. It's solidifying the funding now, once that is complete, then you would move into the construction phase," said Snider.
The Jefferson County Commission still hasn't voted on their $5 million dollar commitment. Commission President Jimmie Stephens said there are a few things that have to happen before it can go on their agenda.
"Once we have that $5 million pledge in hand, we will be able to go to the bond market and be able to secure the financing for the additional $30 million. That $30 million is back stopped by 2/3 by the City of Birmingham," explained Stephens.
He explained the other third is by Jefferson County.
"Right now we are waiting on a 772 resolution that will clear the county for the participation to get that done. We foresee no problems. We look forward to getting it done. As soon as the processes and advertising is done, we will put it on the agenda and hopefully get it passed," said Stephens.
Stephens said he is hoping it will be on the next agenda for the county commission or the one following. He said he is confident when it does go up for a vote, it will pass.
"Without doing a pre vote, it has to be negotiated and deliberated in an open meeting, but I have had no one in conversation with me say they were not for the project," said Stephens. "I feel excited, I am very confident this will take place. It’s another project we are working in conjunction with the city of Birmingham and our private partners. It’s a public private partnership and we look forward to it. It’s to the benefit of the citizens and it will improve and increase the quality of life, it will work very well and be congruent with the redevelopment of that neighborhood and it will add to the campus of the BJCC."
If all goes as planned for the amphitheater in Birmingham, Live Nation would no longer operate in Pelham at the Oak Mountain Amphitheatre.
In October, the City of Pelham said it was surprised by the proposal and noted all the investments and improvements being made around the area. However, after that initial statement, the city went quiet on the topic.
After another attempt was made Tuesday to hear from the city about the latest developments, the city's spokeswoman said there was no new information to share.
Live Nation provided the following statement:
"Live Nation enjoys bringing shows to music fans in the greater Birmingham area. Birmingham is a vibrant live entertainment destination and that is why we are exploring additional opportunities in the region. We will operate and book Oak Mountain Amphitheatre for the 2023 season and are still evaluating the future of the venue. We are appreciative of the great partnership we have with the City of Pelham."
The proposed amphitheater in Birmingham sits a half-mile away from a church that was supposed to be developed, which the city of Birmingham recently filed a lawsuit against to get the land and money returned.
When we asked Mayor Woodfin if this was related to the development of the amphitheater, he said no.