$60 million, 40-acre Pelham development taking shape in shadow of Oak Mountain

A sprawling, 40-acre multi-use development is taking shape on a mountainside adjacent to Interstate 65 in Pelham near Oak Mountain State Park.

Developers of Canopy at Oak Mountain said the lion’s share of the $60 million project could be completed by the end of next year.

A project of GenRev Properties and Welden-Field, the contractor is Maxus Construction, with CS Beatty involved in site preparation. Talks and planning began more than three years ago.

“The whole vision was of a mountain landscape,” said Jordy Henson, chairman of GenRev Properties. “If you think of the rock and topography, this was an immense challenge. But the setting at the rear of the property is tremendous.”

Canopy is directly across the street from Oak Mountain Amphitheatre and Pelham Civic Center on Amphitheater Road.

The first leg – outdoor clothing and equipment retailer Mountain High Outfitters – should open within the next few weeks, Henson said. The store is situated in a refurbished building that was once a model home for a log cabin construction company.

The other aspects of the project include Canopy Park Apartments, which will be a 234-unit complex; The Shops at Canopy, which has space for eight different retail and dining tenants, and a hotel.

Site preparation on the apartments and retail is about 80% complete, with foundation walls and curbing beginning, and framing going up over the next month, he said.

Among the tenants already signed for the development are Taco Mac and Cahaba Cycle, which should be open by the end of the first quarter of 2023.

There’s still a remaining 12,000 square feet of space looking for tenants. Apartment units could be available by next summer.

Henson said the hotel is still in the planning stages, but work could pick up on it in months to come.

The mountain setting, with connectivity to Oak Mountain State Park as well as the surrounding properties, will help create a special energy as an exciting place to live, dine and shop, he said.

“By its very setting, it’s a special place,” he said. “We want to promote nature and outdoor- activity to fit the development and the community.”