Auburn Opelika News

At the International Council of Shopping Centers convention held recently in Las Vegas, Opelika Economic Development Director Al Cook ran into a number of familiar faces — including Silver Companies Chief Executive Officer Larry Silver.

Silver Companies is the Virginia- and Florida-based developer of the 500-plus acre retail and entertainment development, Celebrate Alabama, planned for a site in Opelika adjacent to Interstate 85 between exits 64 and 66.

“(Larry Silver is) still very optimistic,” Cook said after speaking to the Silver Companies CEO at the national convention. “His plans are still moving forward.”

Despite the nationwide economic downturn and the fact that the Celebrate Alabama site has remained virtually untouched since the announcement was made in November 2007, Silver said Friday that the project remains on schedule.

“I don’t think the area between LaGrange (Ga.) and Auburn has been affected by the downturn,” Silver said.

Silver Companies is in the process of taking bids from contractors to grade the site, Silver said. “We have a massive grading job,” he said, adding that it was the second largest grading project in the area, trailing only the Kia plant in West Point, Ga.

The company is also waiting on permits from various agencies such as the state highway department, Silver said. “We’re very close to getting the permits,” he said. “We can’t disturb any ground until permits are approved.”

Once the permits are approved, it will probably take up to 18 months to prepare the site before construction can begin, Silver said. It will be more than two years before the initial businesses open at Celebrate Alabama, he said.

The main features for Celebrate Alabama, however, remain the same, Silver said.

Plans for the development include a variety of retail stores, restaurants and hotels, including one with an indoor water park. There are also plans for a 100,000-square-foot expo center, a music hall and entertainment area, and a five-screen drive-in theater.

Silver Companies is currently negotiating with companies that are interested in building at Celebrate Alabama, Silver said. The various businesses and other features of the development will be built over the next 10 years, he said.

When Celebrate Alabama is complete, the development will make a $1 billion investment in buildings, roads and infrastructure, and is expected to provide about 5,000 jobs, Cook said.

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