Workforce Alabama awards $2.5M to Broad Metro LLC for Stadium Trace Village
Federal funding will help stabilize abandoned coal mines on 82 acres in western Jefferson County before commercial development can begin.
The Alabama Department of Workforce has awarded Broad Metro LLC a $2.5 million federal grant to reclaim abandoned mine land and support infrastructure work for Stadium Trace Village’s second phase, Secretary Greg Reed announced Monday.
The grant, awarded through the Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization program, will support work on 82 acres in western Jefferson County. The property contains hazardous coal mines abandoned before 1977 that require stabilization before commercial development can begin, according to the department.
Reclamation costs across the development’s expansion phases are expected to total about $12 million.
“This grant will allow Stadium Trace Village to continue working on developing this growing area, while simultaneously improving serious environmental hazards caused by unsafe mines from decades ago,” Reed said. “We know that this area is already doing well, and it’s wonderful to provide a catalyst to spur continuing improvement.”
Mining activity from the 1800s through the 1960s left open mine entrances, vertical openings, roof breaks and ground subsidence at the site, according to the department. The agency classifies those conditions as Priority 1 hazards. Historic mining also impaired Scout Creek’s water flow and drainage.
The grant will fund compaction grouting, stabilization and preparation of grading pads. The reclamation work will prepare the property for infrastructure that includes a 2,200-foot extension of Peridot Roadway, utility and stormwater systems, five major detention ponds, walking trails and green spaces.
“For more than half a century, much of this land has been too dangerous to build on because of mines abandoned generations ago,” Broad Metro President and CEO Will Kadish said. “This second round of AMLER funding fixes a serious public safety hazard and clears the way for hundreds of jobs and more than $200 million in new private investment, bringing the total investment in Stadium Trace Village to $350 million.”
Kadish thanked Reed, the Jefferson County Commission and the city of Hoover for supporting the project.
The commission has committed up to $1.5 million for sewer infrastructure. Hoover also supports the development, according to the department, and the Cahaba River Society is collaborating on stormwater design.
The department said Stadium Trace Village’s first phase generates more than $70 million in annual taxable sales. It projects that the second phase will generate $80 million in new annual sales revenue, attract more than 1 million visitors a year and create hundreds of full-time jobs.
The department also cited nearly $350 million in projected private investment across the second and third phases.
Alabama’s Abandoned Mine Land Program addresses hazards associated with coal mining before 1977, including mine fires, subsidence and water pollution. Federal grants support reclamation work intended to improve public safety and prepare affected land for redevelopment.
More information about the program and funding opportunities is available at workforce.alabama.gov and osmre.gov.
