Mark your calendar for the end of 2023.

That’s the new opening date for the relocation of the Stivers Ford at the Palisades Shopping Center in Birmingham, according to Eddie Stivers III, President of Stivers Ford Birmingham.

After outgrowing its present address at the former Adamson Ford location in downtown Birmingham, Stivers Ford announced in July 2021 it was moving to the abandoned Virginia College site.

Joined by Mayor Randall Woodfin and his economic development team at a news conference back then, the company outlined plans to invest $23 million toward redeveloping the eastern end of the Palisades Shopping Center.

Construction delays

In a wide-ranging interview with Bham Now, Stivers described some of the challenges the site has faced since the announcement, which has been delayed for a few months.

“The risk that you always run into in Birmingham is running into rock and we ran into rock. A lot more rock than we had expected.”

Stivers estimated additional excavation and rock removal alone added 120 days to the project.

Despite the delay, the newly relocated Stivers Ford will be a state-of-the-art facility. What can you expect?

Alabama’s first standalone Bronco Lifestyle Center in the southeast
State of the art Electric Vehicle stations/chargers throughout the facility; stations available to customers 24/7 and public-facing chargers
The new development expects to create 80 new jobs and employ a total of 150

EVs are coming

Stivers praised Alabama Power, the city of Birmingham and local city councilor Valerie Abbott for supporting his company’s efforts to build a premiere auto showcase facility.

For example, the “electrification” of the facility for Ford EVs of the future is groundbreaking.

According to Stivers, Ford has massive electrification plans and we should expect soon the introduction of a whole slew of next-gen vehicles that are designed from the bottom up to be an electric vehicle.

It is why Stivers Ford has worked closely with Alabama Power.

“When we began the project we were certainly one of the first dealerships to engage Alabama Power about it (electrification). Electric transportation is moving so fast and furious right now, you’d really have to say that we’re part of the first wave of dealerships preparing for it,” said Stivers

“Alabama Power has been an absolute pleasure to work with. Many Ford dealers in many markets are struggling with their local utilities. For us that is very far from the case. We found Alabama Power to be innovative and helpful every step of the way.”

He also told Bham Now, ”Our business within Birmingham has exceeded our expectations,” which he credits to Mayor Woodfin and the city’s economic development team led by Cornell Wesley.

More to come

More good news — Stivers shared that his company is working with the city of Birmingham on an additional project which will be announced in the coming months.

Meanwhile, be on the lookout for the new Stivers Ford at the Palisades by the end of the year.

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