Metro Roundup: Finding room for the arts: City deep in negotiations with Patton Creek for arts center

The city of Hoover is getting close to inking a deal with a developer for a new arts center in the Patton Creek shopping center, city officials said.

The deal is not final yet because terms are still being hashed out, but both the owner of the Patton Creek shopping center and city officials have a similar plan in mind, said Councilman Curt Posey, a member of the Hoover Arts Council.

“We’re very close and working with them to get it done,” Posey said.

City Administrator Allan Rice said the plan is for the owner of the Patton Creek shopping center to tear down a significant portion of the buildings there and build new structures with a different layout for the center. The plans as of mid-September included a performance hall with 1,000 to 1,200 seats, a separate black box theater with about 400 seats and a lobby that could double as an art gallery, Rice and Posey said.

There’s also the potential for some multipurpose space where art classes could be taught, Posey said.

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato told the Leadership Hoover group recently that the arts center could cost about $40 million, but that amount could change with fluctuating construction costs. Also, the project won’t be a done deal until an agreement is officially reached with the owner of the shopping center and the Hoover City Council signs off on it, Rice said.

The idea is for the owner of the Patton Creek shopping center — The Necessity Retail REIT — to handle the construction and lease the facility to the city, but the terms of that lease agreement were still being worked out, Rice said. In particular, there was a question as to whether the city would be leasing to eventually own the center or just paying rent, he said.

The idea is for the arts center to be a venue for touring Broadway plays, concerts, dance recitals and similar performances, while also having some display space for the visual arts and potentially some teaching space for visual artists, Posey said.

“I think we would be able to compete with the BJCC [Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex] for big shows,” Posey said.

This wouldn’t be as large as the Legacy Arena or BJCC concert hall, but the venue would be attractive to event promoters because of its location, he said.

The population and demographics of Hoover and surrounding areas make it an attractive place for an arts center, and there are only a few arts venues in the city, and none within a 10-mile radius of Hoover City Hall can accommodate audiences of 500 to 2,000 people, according to a feasibility study that was completed in January.

“The Met Complex has been a great thing for sports and has done wonderful things to draw people to our city. We need to do the same thing for the arts,” Posey said. “We want to foster that and bring both along at the same rate.”

The owner of the Patton Creek shopping center finds an arts center attractive because it serves as a draw to bring people into the shopping center, Posey said. The arts center will be the focal point for redevelopment of Patton Creek, he said.

The owner of Patton Creek has potential new tenants lined up, but development of the arts center is a key factor in them wanting to come, Posey said. There’s a lot of synergy in having a place where people can come see a show and shop and eat at restaurants in the same location, he said.

One of the biggest complaints that city officials receive is that they aren’t doing enough to redevelop existing shopping centers but instead just building new ones, Posey said. “I think this is going to change that,” he said.

This could be the biggest redevelopment project the city has ever had, he said.

Hoover City Administrator Allan Rice has said the proposed redevelopment plan for Patton Creek calls for taking down about 75% of the buildings that are currently there and redeveloping the area.

“It’s not a redecoration. It’s a rebuild on a significant part of it,” Rice said. “It’s really going to be transformational.”

This development represents the kind of new development the city has been seeking since Mayor Frank Brocato first took office six years ago, Rice said. City officials want to see a mixed-use development that’s walkable with residential uses mixed in with retail, entertainment and food establishments — a destination place where people want to go and spend some time, he said.

The beautiful thing about Patton Creek is that it already has a lot of the infrastructure needed for such a development, but it does need a new layout and design, he said.

The plan for the arts center includes a 3.4-acre park right in front of the center, which could serve as a location for outdoor arts events, Posey said.

The feasibility study conducted by consultant Victor Gotesman determined there is significant market demand for a new performing arts center in Hoover. He recommended a facility that can seat 1,200 people.

I think we would be able to compete with the BJCC for big shows.

CURT POSEY

A key potential user would be the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra’s music director, Carlos Izcaray, said he would like to consider Hoover as a potential home for the orchestra if the orchestra pit were to be large enough.

Other potential users identified by the study include the Alabama Dance Academy, Birmingham Boys Choir, Birmingham Children’s Theatre, Bluff Park Art Association, Mountain Brook Art Association and The Pointe Dance studio. Such a facility also likely would be ideal for corporate events, weddings and other private events, Gotesman said in his report.

He projected potential income of $2.1 million and potential annual expenses of about $3 million for a 1,200-seat venue. Any difference in annual operating costs could be covered by a direct allocation from the city budget, interest earnings off of an endowment fund, donations from corporations and individuals and/or fundraising events, the study said.

Posey noted it’s common for arts facilities not to be self-supporting. Governments often help supplement such facilities because they add to the quality of life in the area, he said. “We need to do this for the people of Hoover,” Posey said.

Paulette Pearson, chairwoman of the Hoover Arts Council, said she is very excited to see five to six years’ worth of planning starting to show promise.

“It’s actually going to happen,” Pearson said. “It’s what we’ve needed in this city for a very long time.”

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