By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – A new 75-acre shopping center slated for construction off Interstate 65 exit 238 in Alabaster has announced its first anchor tenant, and the center’s developer said the store is “one of the top-requested retailers for this project.”

Developer Alumni Properties announced on Aug. 14 it has entered into a lease with Hobby Lobby to provide a 55,000-square-foot location at the upcoming District 31 shopping center. Hobby Lobby is primarily an arts and crafts store, but also includes hobbies, picture framing, jewelry making, fabrics, floral and wedding supplies, cards and partyware, baskets, wearable art, home accents and holiday merchandise.

“They will bring the Alabaster residents and customers a premier arts and crafts destination that is not currently available in the market,” Alumni Properties Managing Partner Keith Owens said of Hobby Lobby. “We are extremely pleased to have their flagship store as one of the prominent anchor stores in the development. As we continue to work through the final steps in this project, more announcements will be coming on additional retailers joining the mix in the coming weeks and months.”

Owens’ announcement came a few days after he gave members of the Alabaster City Council an update on the project, during which he said Alumni Properties tentatively will close on the property for the shopping center in October or November.

The 350,000-square-foot District 31, which will be constructed across I-65 from the Propst Promenade shopping center, currently is “working through final approvals for the improvement district formation, utility and road extension agreements along with finishing land entitlement items at this time that will determine the initial start date. Construction is projected to start this fall/winter with the center planning to open in the spring of 2020,” Owens said.

District 31 is being leased by Birmingham-based Retail Specialists, which represented Alumni Properties, while Concordia Equity, L.C. represented the tenant.

Owens said those interested in leasing space at the shopping center should visit Properties.retailspecialists.com/item/district-31-alabaster/ or contact Beau Young at 314-0390.

Once construction begins, Parkes Construction of Franklin, Tennessee, will be the prime contractor with local firms. Williams-Blackstock and Civil Consultants Inc. is handling the architecture and civil engineering.  For more updates on news and activity at District 31, visit District31al.com or Alumni Properties’ website at Alumnicompanies.com.