Last year in Central Alabama saw several major economic development announcements, other impressive accomplishments and multiple causes for celebration. Check out our 2022 year in review to learn more about what made headlines.
Worth the Wait
After months of pandemic- and supply-chain-related delays, Ravello Ristorante opened in July 2022. Owned by Vintage Hospitality Group and housed inside the carefully restored City Federal Bank building downtown, the restaurant features simple and thoughtful dishes rooted in the flavors of Italy’s Amalfi Coast made in a gleaming open kitchen helmed by chef Eric Rivera. It has exceeded the lofty expectations. Since opening, close to 200 diners a night routinely pack its lovely spaces.
Other New, Notable Eats & Drinks
Hilltop Public House: On the edge of the city’s oldest residential neighborhood near downtown, this casual joint serves up coffee and pastries during the day and transforms into a hip pub at night, offering craft beer and cocktails.
Red Bluff Bar: This alfresco bar on the banks of the Alabama River has fast become a beloved watering hole for residents and visitors alike with tasty bar grub and fun specialty cocktails like the Lake Famous Bushwhacker.
Chuck’s Fish: Montgomery said goodbye to a local culinary icon when Bud Skinner died in 2021. His beloved Cloverdale restaurant Jubilee, where Bud hand-picked and broke down every fish for the seafood-heavy menu himself, exited with him, leaving a void in the restaurant scene. But not for long. Chuck’s Fish opened in the space last fall and honors Skinner’s legacy, adding a few Jubilee favorites to its menu and naming its bar area the Jubilee Lounge.
Bubbly Hen: The folks behind the Cork & Cleaver opened this spot that’s dishing out creative takes on breakfast and brunch staples, plus boosted bloody Mary’s.
Downtown Doings
Montgomery’s Downtown Plan Update continued throughout 2022, with leaders collecting thoughts and perspectives from downtown business owners and others closely tied to and affected by additional development in the area. The final plan will be adopted in 2023.
Center Stage
Last year, the Alabama Shakespeare Festival celebrated its 50th season of engaging, moving and entertaining audiences with its diverse array of productions. On both the theatre’s stages the curtain rose on the Bard’s classic “Macbeth,” family favorite musical “Cinderella” and an uplifting play sharing the story of the Civil Rights Movement’s Freedom Riders.
Grade A
The Montgomery Public School Board hired a new MPS superintendent, Dr. Melvin J. Brown, to replace Dr. Ann Roy Moore who retired in June 2022. It was one piece of a multi-pronged plan to improve education in the capital city, which should also get a boost from an influx of tax revenue this year thanks to the increased ad valorum tax. The money will fund an approximate $400 million bond issue to be used for critical improvements across all MPS buildings and facilities.
Award Winning
The Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum in Montgomery was named the 2022 Attraction of the Year by the Alabama Tourism Department, beating out multiple other spots in the state. The museum, opened in fall 2021, continues to spotlight racial injustice and make a powerful call for healing alongside the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. Both have hosted thousands of visitors from across the country and the globe.
Increasing Access
Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie Jr. noted his city’s emphasis on wellness and outdoor activity in 2022. The City received a $50,000 Blue Cross and Blue Shield grant for its first fitness court in the state. “This outdoor court provides free, world-class fitness access to our community,” he said. In addition, Child\’s Place at Pratt Park, an all-inclusive facility that allows children of all abilities to experience a playground, underwent a renovation. The city also recently completed a pedestrian bridge to create a one-mile walking trail downtown.
Economic Development Scores
The 2021 news of Amazon’s $100-million, 650,000-square-foot facility locating in Montgomery was followed by several major new announcements in 2022.
- Fed Ex Delivers: FedEx Ground Package Systems, Inc. is working now on a $52- million expansion of its 250,000-square -foot distribution and logistics center in Montgomery. It will employ approximately 150 people.
- Inland Port Docks: The Alabama Port Authority is constructing an inland container intermodal transfer facility (ICTF) in Montgomery County to extend intermodal rail service from the Port Authority’s container intermodal terminal at the Port of Mobile in support of Montgomery’s regional growth in manufacturing, retail, distribution and agribusiness sectors. The project will generate 2,618 direct and indirect jobs, $340 million in business revenues and more than $14.2 million in state and local taxes.
- Hyundai Mobis Expansion Energizing: Hyundai Mobis is investing $205 million in an EV battery module plant in Montgomery that will eventually employ at least 400 people. Once it reaches full production, the 450,000-square-foot facility will be able to supply over 200,000 EV batteries annually to HMMA in Montgomery and the Kia Georgia plant.
- Heaven Sent: Manna Capital Partners is investing nearly $600 million to construct an advanced beverage production and distribution complex in Montgomery. The minority-owned business and investment firm said its Montgomery “beverage park” will create 280 full-time jobs and will be owned and operated by its affiliate Manna Beverages & Ventures (MB&V). Montgomery’s centralized location offering easy, direct access to Southeast markets helped it stand out.
