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This artist rendition of part of the Celebrate Alabama project was released by the Silver Cos. |
Silver Cos. is taking its Celebrate Virginia concept--and some of the partners involved--to Alabama.
The developer has announced that it will build a 535-acre project called Celebrate Alabama in Opelika, which is about 100 miles southwest of Atlanta.
The retail, entertainment and attractions destination will span more than the currently undeveloped acreage along I-85, and include an expo center, indoor water park and hotels similar to those being planned in Celebrate Virginia South in Fredericksburg. It also will have an outlet mall.
Opelika "is a lot like Fredericksburg in that it's a small town, it's an historic town and it's right on the interstate. It's an incredible piece of property," said John Elkington of Memphis-based Performa Entertainment.
His company is developing the Rappahannock Ridge entertainment, retail and restaurant district in Celebrate Virginia. It is expected to break ground the first quarter of 2008. It also is involved with Celebrate Alabama.
Opelika, now home to about 25,000 people, is about an hour drive from both Atlanta and Montgomery and an hour and a half from Birmingham. It also is on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and offers some of the best bass fishing in the country.
Yet the area, which is one of the fastest growing in the state, has little in the way of shopping, hotels or entertainment.
"I think [Silver Cos. CEO Larry Silver] is being very visionary," Elkington said.
Silver Cos. expects to break ground on Celebrate Alabama in the first half of next year, and will spend about two years developing the property before the first store opens.
Among those involved is Ballantine Management Group of Fredericksburg, which owns the Fredericksburg Expo & Conference Center in Celebrate Virginia. It has been invited to develop the expo center in Celebrate Alabama.
"We're doing due diligence and all that fun stuff," said President Tom Ballantine.
No one was available for comment at Silver Cos., so it was not clear yesterday if Kalahari Resorts, which plans to open a $200 million African-themed resort and indoor water park in Celebrate Virginia, also will be a part of the Alabama project.
Carrie Leum, spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Dells, Wis.-based company, said she hadn't heard anything about it when contacted yesterday.
Celebrate Alabama is expected to cost about $1 billion and create approximately 5,000 jobs, according to Silver Cos. and Opelika officials.
The centerpiece of the development will be a greenway of monuments extending more than two miles along the project's main thoroughfare and memorializing Alabama's most notable musicians, athletes and heroes.
Those honored might include such legendary figures as Helen Keller, Hank Williams, Nat King Cole, the Tuskegee Airmen, Booker T. Washington, Jesse Owens, Satchel Paige and Bo Jackson.
"There are so many amazing Alabama heroes, many of whom have quite literally changed the world," Larry Silver, Silver Cos.' chief executive officer, said in a prepared statement. "Celebrate Alabama will provide a wonderful venue to acknowledge their contributions."
Celebrate Alabama also will feature walking and hiking trails and landscape features such as lakes.
"We think it will be a huge draw for national corporations to relocate nearby, since they will now have access to large-scale training and meeting facilities," Al Cook, Opelika's director of economic development, said in a prepared statement. "Those corporations can better recruit their existing managers with nearby entertainment, dining and shopping options on par with a major city."
Cathy Jett: 540/374-5407