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This map shows the proposed location of a 20-acre, 200-square-foot commercial development with a big-box grocery wholesaler at the corner of Valleydale Road and Inverness Center Drive in Hoover, Ala. (shown here next to the Danberry at Inverness retirement community).
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This map shows the revised truck route for a 200,000-square-foot multi-use development in Inverness along Valleydale Road next to Inverness Plaza and across from Inverness Corners.
The developer working to bring a 200,000-square-foot retail shopping center with a big-box grocery retailer to Inverness has made changes to the development plan in an attempt to address neighborhood concerns — and now has received approval for the project.
Two years ago, Alumni Properties and Investments sought approval from the Hoover zoning board for a 103,000-square-foot big-box wholesale store with a tire center, 16 gasoline pumping stations and at least eight other retail buildings on 20 acres of wooded land at the corner of Valleydale Road and Inverness Center Drive.
The property is across from Inverness Corners and next to Inverness Plaza. Significant neighborhood opposition led the zoning board to reject the plan in April 2023.
Since then, developers have made numerous adjustments to the plan that no longer require a zoning change — and that they hope will address residents’ concerns.
First, Alumni Properties removed the gasoline station and liquor store originally proposed, both of which required special zoning approval.
They also redesigned the site to move truck traffic off Inverness Center Drive, which leads to residential neighborhoods. The delivery truck entrance and exit on Inverness Center Drive was eliminated, and a turnaround was created to direct truck traffic to either Valleydale Road or U.S. 280 via a route behind Inverness Plaza.
There is still a vehicle entrance on Inverness Center Drive, but it now allows only right-in, right-out, and left-in turn movements. Vehicles exiting the development will not be able to turn left onto Inverness Center Drive, said Gary Owens, managing partner of Alumni Properties. Additionally, the developer worked out an agreement for a second traffic connection to Inverness Plaza, which has its own traffic lights.
The developer also received approval from the Alabama Department of Transportation for changes to the intersection of Valleydale Road and U.S. 280, including converting the eastbound U.S. 280 right-turn lane onto Valleydale into two lanes instead of one, Owens said.
Additional landscaping buffers were added to screen the development from Inverness Center Drive and the Danberry at Inverness senior living community, Owens said. More brick was also added to the primary building.
The red brick is expected to nearly match the material used at Inverness Corners, and the building’s architecture was modeled after some in the adjacent Beaumont community, he said.
Owens said non-disclosure agreements won’t allow him to share the name of the big-box wholesaler or other potential tenants yet. Thus far, he has referred to it as a “big-box membership grocery concept.” Several residents who met with the developer identified it as a BJ’s Wholesale Club, and Owens did not dispute that identification.
The development — to be called 280 Valleydale at Inverness — includes space for 20 to 25 smaller shops, which are expected to include a full-service restaurant, cafes, boutiques, a shoe store, collegiate apparel store, and a bookstore with a café, Owens said.
The city of Hoover has approved the site plan, and the city, Shelby County and ALDOT have approved traffic plans, Owens said. Clearing should begin between July 4 and Labor Day, and earth work should start in the late third or early fourth quarter, he said. Building pads and buildings should start going up in the spring, and store openings are anticipated by late 2026, he said.
