Staff photo
Brookwood Village redevelopment begins
Motorists travel along Shades Creek Parkway toward U.S. 280 in Homewood past Brookwood Village.
For years, Homewood and Mountain Brook have shared more than a border — they’ve shared a shopping mall.
Brookwood Village took its name from the two cities flanking it — Homewood to the west and Mountain Brook to the east. Since its completion in 1973, the mall served as a central spot for residents to shop, dine and gather for community events and holidays.
But those scenes now live only in memory. A mix of shifting retail trends and the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately shuttered Brookwood Village.
For months, a common question has followed: What will happen to the former shopping center? A partial answer came in early November when the development team of Fairway Investments and Pope & Land Real Estate announced the sale of the former Belk department store at Brookwood Village to Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Center.
The 135,000-square-foot building will be transformed into a state-of-the-art medical office on the 57-acre Brookwood Village property. Homewood Mayor Jennifer Andress said the facility, which will include about 18 operating rooms, should give residents confidence that the larger redevelopment could also come together.
“I think it’s exciting,” the new Homewood mayor said. “Anytime we can see some action happening, I think those of us who live over in this area especially are really looking forward to it. I was with my friend this afternoon, Graham Smith, who is the mayor in Mountain Brook. We were both really excited to hear about this.”
Mountain Brook Mayor Smith said she had not received an update from developers prior to the Andrews Sports Medicine announcement.
“I wish I could tell you more definitively,” she said. “I have not heard anything formal from the developers. I wish I had good information to give you, but I haven’t heard anything.”
Davis Stokes Collaborative Architects, P.C.
Renderings of Andrews Sports Medicine's new facility
Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Center has proposed a plan to renovate and convert the former Belk building in Brookwood Village into a roughly 135,000-square-foot medical office.
Smith said Brookwood Village has not been a frequent topic of concern among Mountain Brook residents.
“I think that the majority of our residents don’t really see that as affecting their day-to-day life,” Smith said. “I’m sure they want it developed and want it to be a successful property and a successful development and bring tax revenue.”
“But we don’t get as many questions as you would think,” she continued. “I get more trash questions and more just individual residential concerns than I do about Brookwood.”
While Homewood and Mountain Brook are the primary stakeholders in the redevelopment, a portion of the site lies in unincorporated Jefferson County.
“It’s fascinating,” Smith said. “I’m ready to dig in and start working on it. To be honest, I’m ready for this to come to the table and get moving and start talking about it and meeting with the other [entities] and hashing it out and hearing about what the proposed plans are and making modifications. I just haven’t heard anything.”
Brookwood Village sits on 57 acres between Shades Mountain and Shades Creek. The property is conveniently located between U.S. 280 and U.S. 31.
Fairway Investments and Pope & Land Real Estate acquired Brookwood Village in 2021.
