As the inaugural project in Mobile, Ala.’s Civic Center redevelopment plan, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) new district headquarters will serve as a source of pride for Port City officials. A topping out ceremony for the building was held in April, as the project moves one step closer to its 2025 completion.
“Due to the age and condition of our current federal building, which was built during the Nixon administration, it just no longer fits the current ever-growing requirements of the district,” said USACE Realty Officer Willie L. Patterson III.
“The city is very excited, as the new Mobile district headquarters is the first of many improvements to the area to break ground.”
The structure, designed to accommodate approximately 900 employees, is located on the southeast portion of the Civic Center site, anchoring the intersection of Claiborne and Canal streets.
“The site is ideal, because we, as well as the city, wanted the USACE to remain downtown,” said Patterson. “With the
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Meta Plans $800M Next-Generation Data Center in Montgomery
Meta Platforms, the technology giant that operates Facebook, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp, among other products and services, plans to open an $800 million data center in Alabama’s capital city that will support 100 operational jobs and build on the company’s previous investment in the state.
Its data centers are a key part of the global infrastructure that brings its technologies and services to life.
Based in Menlo Park, Calif., Meta’s proposed 715,000-sq.-ft., AI-opti-
mized data center will be constructed off Interstate 65 in Montgomery, across from the Hyundai automotive assembly plant.
Meta’s new complex will be the company’s second location in the state, joining its other Alabama data center campus in Huntsville. Together, they represent an investment commitment of $1.5 billion by Meta in the state.
Made in Alabama, the online news site for the state’s Department of Commerce, reported that Gov. Kay
Ivey joined Meta officials as well as several other state and local leaders at the Montgomery Whitewater facility for a ceremony May 2 to unveil Meta’s new investment plans at the site.
“Each day, millions of people around the world use Meta’s products, and the next-generation Alabama data center in Montgomery will soon help keep the company’s popular platforms running smoothly,” Ivey said. “We’re committed to helping the company grow and prosper here.” see META page 2
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Coca-Cola United Plans New $338M Birmingham HQ
Coca-Cola United continues to move closer to building a new $338 million campus that will be a gateway to Birmingham, Ala., officials with the city and company said May 14.
“It’s going to be phenomenal,” Coca-Cola United CEO Mike Suco said after the Birmingham City Council approved incentives for the project. “It will welcome everybody to Birmingham. You’ll love it.”
Al.com reported that the city’s new development agreement with Coca-Cola Bottling Company United-Central LLC provides incentives for the soft drink bottler to keep its headquarters in Birmingham by building on the site of the former Stockham Valve property.
The new Coca-Cola campus will be highly visible from Interstate 20/59 east of downtown and also visible to air traffic flying into Birmingham.
“You’re going to be able to see Coca-Cola from the interstate and you’re going to be able to see it from the sky,” said Cornell Wesley, director of innovation and economic opportunity for the city of Birmingham.
He added that Coca-Cola’s planned investment of $338 million in a future headquarters ranks as one of the largest corporate investments in the city’s history. The new corporate facility will include a sales, distribution and warehousing center as well as offices and a customer call center.
The complex will encompass a total of about 500,000 sq. ft. of space, including the 150,000-sq.-ft. headquarters, its 300,000-sq.-ft. warehouse, and another 50,000 sq. ft. of auxiliary buildings.
Suco said Coca-Cola will add up to 50 new jobs at the campus and plans to offer certified training for multiple positions.
“We are excited about [Coca-Cola] remaining in our community, and what we’re most excited about is the new jobs that it will create,” said Wesley. “We hope they will remain here another 100-plus years.”
A formal announcement about the new campus will be made after the Jefferson County Commission addresses its planned incentives for the project in the coming days, said Linda Sewell, spokesperson of Coca-Cola Bottling Co.
United-Central.
As part of Birmingham’s incentives, the city will abate non-educational, construction-related sales and use taxes for 10 years as well as non-educational ad valorem taxes for 15 years, Wesley told Al.com.
Earthmoving Already Under Way at Site
Coca-Cola United has owned the former Stockham Valve property in Birmingham for more than a decade.
“We’ve had a vision for 10 years to do this on this site,” Suco told Al.com. “From the time we break ground it will take us about three years [to build it].”
In fact, bulldozers were seen back in March clearing trees and moving dirt on the highly-visible site’s 105 acres south of the Tallapoosa Street exit off I-20/59 and east of Birmingham’s W.C. Patton Park.
The city’s incentives include spending up to $400,000 for water infrastructure improvements and construction of an
access road to the site.
Coca Cola Bottling Co. United-Central LLC currently operates from a distribution center at 4600 East Lake Blvd. overlooking Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport. The soft drink producer continued to upgrade its facilities there over the years, but Sewell said it has run out of room at that location.
The company was established in 1902 and has grown into the third largest Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in the country and the second largest privately owned firm in Alabama, Suco noted.
The property between 40th and 42nd St. North at 4000 Richard Arrington Blvd. (formerly 10th Avenue North) served as the campus of Stockham Valves and Fittings from 1914-2007.
That company, founded in Birmingham in 1903, became one of the nation’s largest producers of valves and pipe fittings for heavy industry.
New Meta Data Hub Will Have Long-Term Economic Impact
The Montgomery facility, reflecting Meta’s latest design, will become its 24th data hub and the 20th in the United States. Once operational, the campus will be LEED Gold certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. Additionally, it will be supported by 100 percent renewable energy and reach net zero emissions, according to the company.
“We are thrilled to announce our newest data center will be located in Montgomery,” remarked Brad Davis, Meta’s director of community and economic development. “The city — and our specific location — offers great access to infrastructure and renewable energy, a strong pull of talent, and most importantly, an amazing set of community partners. We look forward to having a strong partnership for years to come.”
The Montgomery site that will house the data center is already being cleared for con-
struction to begin. More than 1,000 workers are expected to be onsite at the peak of construction, according to Meta.
The facility is expected to go online at the end of 2026.
“Meta is a globally recognized brand and having this world-class technology company launch another investment project in Alabama clearly demonstrates the state’s attractiveness to the high-tech sector around the world,” explained Ellen McNair, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “We look forward to building on the close relationship we’ve developed with Meta to set the stage for even more growth in our state.”
MetaÊs Presence Another Win for
Montgomery Area
Montgomery area officials also applauded Meta’s investment project and predicted it
will have a massive long-term economic impact on the region.
“Meta’s decision to expand into Montgomery with a state-of-the-art data center showcases how our region is diversifying into a knowledge-based economy and highlights the competitiveness of Montgomery and our economic development team,” said Mayor Steven L. Reed.
He added that the project is a “pivotal moment” for the state’s central region and is a likely impetus for more high-tech companies to come to the area and hire an educated workforce.
Montgomery County Commissioner Doug Singleton said the project “is truly a victory for Montgomery as we experience continued economic growth year after year.”
“The significance of this announcement being made at our Whitewater Park facility
cannot be overstated,” he continued. “The Meta team was introduced to Montgomery Whitewater early in the recruitment process, and I am glad to see that they have chosen to come back again as this venue has become instrumental in attracting world-class businesses to our community.”
Meta announced plans for its first data center in Huntsville back in 2018, when the company was still known as Facebook, and the facility began serving traffic three years later. Since then, the company has added new buildings to the campus’ footprint, expanding its workforce to over 300 operational jobs, according to Made in Alabama.
Meta’s sustainability practices have generated investments in renewable energy projects, and it has also supported Huntsville area schools and educational organizations with over 85 grants and sponsorships exceeding $4.2 million since 2019.
META from page 1
Coca-Cola photo
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FD Stonewater Building New Six-Story USACE District HQ
new Civic Center and further expansions, the entire area will be a central hub for Mobile in the future.”
Prime contractor FD Stonewater, a northern Virginia-based real estate firm, is constructing the 190,000 sq.-ft. structure, which it will own and lease. According to Patterson, winning approval for the multi-million-dollar building involved a fair amount of red tape and a decade of planning.
“It took quite a few steps to make the new building a reality, from the Mobile district leadership justifying the need, to several reviews and approvals by regional leadership, all the way to Washington, D.C., at the headquarters to push this forward,” said Patterson.
He added the headquarters will be a dramatic change from the existing 1970s building on Saint Joseph Street.
“The new building is six stories, consisting primarily of concrete, steel and glass. The finishes and interior design of the building took influences from the work we do, with nature, earth tones, water and steel predominant throughout the building.
“While it is slightly less square footage, it’s a state-of-the-art facility,” he added. “We will have ample meeting rooms, team rooms and a break area on each floor. We will also have a multipurpose room with showers and lockers.”
“USACE has had a connection to Mobile since the early 1800s, and we are thrilled to see the Mobile district investing in our community and the future of the Civic Center property,” said Mayor Sandy Stimpson. “USACE is a strong partner that will play a key role in future developments of the prop-
erty. It took a lot of hard work and planning to get us to this point in their construction project, and I’m very excited about the future of this facility and the entire Civic Center property.”
In February 2024, local dignitaries broke ground on the nearby parking garage. Mobile-based White-Spunner Construction (WSC) is the general contractor for the $38 million project.
“Our team’s successful completion of subsurface structural piling operations marks a crucial milestone, as we form 76 pile caps on 348 structural cast-in-place piles, strategically designed to uphold the weight of the parking facility,” said project manager Wesley Tripp. “With the slab on grade scheduled to begin in approximately three weeks, our focus is now on casting the south-end elevated decks 2-6 in place. After the south end is complete, our team will begin construction on the north-end elevated decks.”
The six-story deck is located on the Civic Center campus and will add more than 1,000 spaces for patrons, downtown businesses and USACE employees. It’s expected to be finished by early next year. WSC is working with city officials on the project, along with the architectural firm Evan Terry Associates and Volkert, the project manager of the entire Civic Center rehabilitation.
As work continues on the USACE building, there is growing momentum from those who will directly benefit from the construction.
“The staff is excited about the new facility,” said Patterson. “You can’t miss it, due to its location from I-10, along with how quickly construction is going. Everyone can’t wait to see their new workspaces.” CEG
USACE from page 1
D’Ambro Chatman/City of Mobile photo
The structure is designed to accommodate approximately 900 employees.
Emily Schultz photo
As the inaugural project in Mobile, Ala.’s Civic Center redevelopment plan, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) new district headquarters will serve as a source of pride for Port City officials.
White-Spunner Construction photo WSC is working with city officials on the project, along with the architectural firm Evan Terry Associates and Volkert, the project manager of the entire Civic Center rehabilitation.
White-Spunner Construction photo As work continues on the USACE building, there is growing momentum from those who will directly benefit from the construction.
