Work To Begin On New Stadium This Year

BIRMINGHAM, AL - After a bond sale Tuesday to support a $300 million stadium and renovation at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, construction on the new facility will likely begin this year.

According to a report by the Birmingham Business Journal, the bond sale will bring both a new 45,000-seat stadium and significant upgrades to the BJCC campus. The bond sale is scheduled to close Aug. 7.

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Site work is expected to begin by the end of this year. The stadium is expected to be completed in 2021 and upgrades to Legacy Arena are expected to be finished by 2022. The BJCC has been working with Populous on the design of the facility.

Funding for the stadium has come from a variety of sources. The Birmingham City Council in March voted to approve a resolution that would commit $90 million over 30 years toward a new stadium. The city's pledge added to the BJCC Authority's $10.7 million to the annual debt service on the project. The Jefferson County Commissison has committed $1 million a year for 30 years. UAB and corporate partners have committed to a combined $4 million a year for 10 years through a lease agreement, sponsorship and naming rights. The state legislature also approved a bill that would use car rental tax funds to help pay for the stadium.

The expansion of the BJCC will reportedly generate close to $500,000 in additional revenues to the city each year. Additional city revenues could reach $9.9 million a year with the BJCC expansion, two new hotels near the BJCC and the former Carraway Hospital being redeveloped into a retail and entertainment district.
UAB's football team, which enjoyed its best season its its history in 2017, would move to the new stadium from Legion Field, and UAB coach Bill Clark has been a vocal supporter of the project to build the stadium.

With the announcement in June by the Alliance of American Football that Birmingham would be one of the eight cities that will field a team in the new pro football league, this just adds to the momentum for downtown Birmingham.

Birmingham joins Atlanta, Memphis, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego and Salt Lake City as AAF locations. The league will kick off its 12-game season February 9 and the currently unnamed Birmingham team will play its home games at Legion Field before moving to the new downtown stadium upon its completion in 2021.

Image via BJCC

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