Liberty Park’s ‘700 acres’ headed for multipurpose development
In the coming years, developers are hoping to make Liberty Park a one-stop-shop where anyone can live, work, play and everything in between.
Starting later this summer, one of the largest remaining projects for Liberty Park will finally get underway as another part of the master plan begins to take shape.
The area known as the “700 acres,” adjacent to the new HealthSouth headquarters under construction and in the northwest sector of the development, will begin getting some of the amenities that Shawn Arterburn — Liberty Park Joint Venture’s vice president of development — said residents have been long awaiting.
“Our long-term plan is to diversify our product mix at Liberty Park,” Arterburn said.
The 700 acres is slated to include a variety of new retail and commercial spaces, as well as additional dense residential offerings such as condominiums and townhomes.
In Liberty Park, Arterburn said, the goal is to offer a master-planned community with residential, commercial and recreational options.
“And right now you can do a lot of working and a lot of living, but it’s time to add the component of play,” he said.
The development will eventually include a “town village,” where there will be condominiums above mixed-use retail, as well as a grocery store. Arterburn said over the next few years they hope to be able to offer more than100,000 square feet of retail space, with even more office space available.
In the closings months of 2017, he said, they hope to see the opening of a gas station, as well as some of the initial retail options and a bar-and-grill restaurant.
As 2018 gets underway, Arterburn said, work on additional retail space, townhomes and condominiums will commence as the project makes its way toward the farthest section of the 700 acres, where the town village will be.
“It’s going to be exciting times,” he said.
Arterburn said the details for the development, such as which grocer or restaurants will be filling the spaces, are still being worked out, but that so far residents have shown support for the development.
“We had positive reviews,” he said after the development was discussed at the annual homeowners’ association meeting. “Lots of questions, lots of concerns that hopefully were addressed. I think unanimous excitement over something they’ve all been hoping for.”
To make accessing the amenities more convenient, Arterburn said, Liberty Parkway will be widened to four lanes in the area around the development. When that time comes, he said, Liberty Park residents should check their HOA pages and those who frequent the area can likely look for updates from the city’s Facebook page.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that if you can work here, live here, play here and go to school, all in one masterful planned community ... I don’t know how you can compete with or beat it,” he said.