By David Stinchcomb
Intern EA News
On Tuesday, the City of Millbrook held a presentation that showcased the property that will be available for developers to purchase and provided updates for the 17 Springs project. Elmore County Chief of Operations Richie Beyer provided the general overview of what the meeting and provided a timeline of the project as well as the partners associated.
This is a massive project includes five partners such as the City of Millbrook, the Elmore County Commission, the Grandview/Montgomery YMCA, the Elmore County Board of Education, and the Elmore County Economic Development Authority.
A large area of land around 28 acres will be available for purchase in front of the sports complex on Hwy. 14 in Millbrook. When discussing what kind of businesses officials are intending to develop in the area, Millbrook Economic Development Director Ann Harper said, “We’re definitely looking for things like restaurants and hotels, and shops.” She also explained that they would be open to other types of businesses as well, but their primary focus is on businesses that can generate taxes such as sales tax or lodging tax.
The 28 acres of land will be known as The Marketplace at 17 Springs, and it will be a part of Phase II set to begin in January 2023. If anyone is interested in submitting a proposal, the deadline is August 25, 2022.
Stuart Peters of Landmark Engineering provided updates on the construction of the complex. Phase I of the project is nearing completion, with that area of the complex scheduled to open in October 2022. The fields expected to be completed will be 12 tennis courts, 12 pickleball courts, four multipurpose fields, and a practice facility. Other structures include an entry point for the multipurpose fields, a pavilion consisting of restrooms and concession stands, an entrance point for the tennis courts, and a two-story viewing tower for spectators.
Phase II begins shortly after the completion of Phase I, with the major features being the field house, a football stadium with a track installed, and a baseball/softball complex. The latest rendering of the fieldhouse will be an 80,000 square-foot facility connected to the football stadium. The stadium will seat 5,000 spectators, with 3,500 on the home side and 1,500 on the away side. There will also be a grass slope that will connect the home and away sides, and it will assist in handling overflow crowds.
In addition to the features of the sports complex, there will be a new 100-foot wide road that will cut in between the complex and the marketplace. It will contain two roundabouts and another road will be built that cuts through the middle of the complex and connects to Old Prattville Road. A new traffic light will also be built at the main entrance of the park on Highway 14. The roads will be completed by early 2023, and a new water and sanitary sewer will be completed in the Fall of this year.
Phase II is expected to be completed in the Fall of 2024. If you would like to see the maps of the proposed site, they are available at www.17Springs.org, and a fly through video of the fieldhouse is available at https://youtu.be/oYMdLXRYWNM.
From the website:
The History
In 2017, overlapping conversations between the City of Millbrook, Grandview Family YMCA, Elmore County Board of Education, Elmore County Economic Development Authority, and Elmore County Commission started the journey now referred to as 17 Springs. The name 17 Springs is rooted in a historic art festival hosted decades ago in the Millbrook community on the YMCA property.
Looking for an iconic name for the joint development of recreational, entertainment and retail opportunities, the partnership settled on 17 Springs as the name to serve as its brand. From the basis of 17 Springs, the recreational outdoor area has been dubbed “The Fields at 17 Springs” while the future event center has been named “The Fieldhouse at 17 Springs”.
The adjacent commercial areas planned as a dining, hospitality, shopping and entertainment district carries the name “The Marketplace at 17 Springs.”
