By AMY JONES / Associate Editor

GREYSTONE — Shelby County residents who shop along the U.S. 280 corridor in Greystone will soon have a relaxing outdoor space to cool their heels.

Birmingham-based GeoStone Hardscape is bringing an 11,000-square-foot outdoor entertainment space to the Fish Market property on U.S. 280.

David Agee, vice president of GeoStone, said the space will change the face of U.S. 280 in Shelby County.

“I’ve seen (U.S. 280) grow and change and a lot of development, but really, for nightlife and outdoor entertainment, there really hasn’t been much there,” he said. “There’s nothing, especially on this end of 280, like this. It’s going to cater to a lot of people on this side of the county who really don’t want to go all the way up to Hoover.”

Agee said the space will be a changing showplace for the latest in outdoor living equipment, featuring foundations, gazebos, fire pits, fireplaces and outdoor kitchen equipment. Equipment and stone is being imported from all across the country and Canada for the space.

“It’s an intimate environment. It’s the ultimate landscape for your backyard,” Agee said. “This can be set up in your house, in your backyard, but here it’s set up in an environment where everybody can enjoy it.”

GeoStone Hardscape is providing the outdoor equipment, while Chelsea-based Dreamscapes Landscape Development, owned by Hector Hoyos, is performing the installation. Other partners are working on the project as well, Agee said.

Businesses and customers on U.S. 280 are already excited about the project, he said.

“I’ve been on site and hearing people talk about it. ‘What are they doing over there?’ ‘What is it going to be?’” he said. “I’m just amazed at all the people this is going to impact and how many people are so excited about this. It’s going to impact all those businesses over there and bring more people to those businesses.”

Agee said he hopes to see the project completed by the end of March, but it depends on the weather and other projects that come up.

“We’re very optimistic. The foundation for everything has been laid, so really, it’ll go pretty quickly after this,” he said.

He said this outdoor hardscape space will also be one of a kind within the state. Hardscape refers to hard patio materials or hard outdoor landscape materials.

“This is going to be the largest, to my knowledge, the largest hardscape display in the state of Alabama,” he said. “It’s really going to be an upscale project which has not been seen in this part of the state. I don’t think anyone can understand how grand it’s going to be until it opens.”