City plans for more development
will continue to boost local economy
Story by Paul South
Photos by Graham Hadley
and contributed photos
Earlier in this century, this city on the Coosa River looked to be on its last legs.
Gadsden’s two largest employers – Republic Steel in 2000 and Goodyear in 2020 – closed their doors, taking with them thousands of jobs.
The city’s riverfront on the Coosa was an overgrown tangle of trees, weeds and brush. “We didn’t even know we had a waterfront,” Gadsden Director of Economic Development and Governmental Affairs John Moore said.
That was then.
This is now.
Spearheaded in large part by riverfront revitalization, Gadsden is seeing an economic resurrection. The riverfront is booming, thanks to a mix of hospitality, healthcare and recreation.
Gadsden City Council President Kent Back summed it up in two words: “Gadsden reimagined”
It all started with the cleanup of the waterfront.
“It’s been remarkable,” Back said. “Just the removal of the bushes and the trees that blocked the view has created a whole new vibe, if you will, that before you hardly knew was there.”
Another boost, Back said, will come from Mayor Craig Ford’s vision to move U.S. 411 in Gadsden off of the river, a herculean task involvinfg a snarl of federal and state bureaucracies.
“What it will do, it’ll open up development on the river. There’s a plan to create a really nice boardwalk that would stretch that whole stretch of road. And then you would have greenspace where you could have commercial development.”
Ford envisions a mix of upscale restaurants and bars connected by the boardwalk to a hotel, located on the current City Hall site. The city is also planning the development of the area near Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant and the Venue at Coosa Landing, transforming the area into an outdoor recreation area surrounded by outdoor dining.
On the recreation front, Gadsden has partnered with Gadsden State Community College to build the Gadsden Sports Park. The expected cost of the project is an estimated $25 million. Part of the park – made up of baseball, softball and soccer fields – includes a field for kids with disabilities, giving them opportunities to compete. Back spearheaded the idea.
“I see it all the time with these Challenger leagues, Field of Dreams and that concept. I really thought we needed to do that, and the mayor agreed with me,” Back said.
The completed and projected projects along the river are fueled by citizen demand, Ford said, not just among Gadsden residents, but also those in neighboring towns.
“I think the growth is just the demand of not just the people in the City of Gadsden, but surrounding communities that want to see Gadsden develop the river and give people something to do in Gadsden,” Ford said.
City officials have identified several parcels of city-owned property now targeted for future development. In turn, Gadsden is making its pitch to developers across the Southeast.
The relocation of Highway 411 will be critical to the development of the riverfront, Moore said.
“I see the City of Gadsden in a few years thriving off riverfront development in the way of tourism, once we relocate Highway 411 to create more greenspace along the river as well as restaurants, shops, bars and outdoor activity,” Moore said. “These developments will all be centrally focused around a four-star hotel with a rooftop bar, pools and spa.”
Moore sees the city as “the home of the three-day getaway, where people from 120 to 150 miles will want to come and play.”
Ford, who often envisions Gadsden reimagined as a “fun town,” says a city that not so long ago was given up for dead is today “growing and thriving in a post-COVID world, which can’t be said for a lot of cities.”
He added, “We are working aggressively to become an entertainment town that offers visitors a riverfront experience, natural waterfalls for hiking and multiple golf courses for leisure.”
The city, thanks to picturesque Noccalula Falls, is fast becoming a popular fly fishing and kayaking destination. The surrounding park is also home to arts and craft fairs and other events. The city has invested $16 million in that area.
Gadsden, home to two hospitals, is also growing its healthcare footprint near the Coosa. Tuscaloosa-based Alabama Cancer Care has invested $6.5 million to construct a new cancer treatment center. Serving a 10-county area, the new facility with its riverfront view means cancer-stricken residents of the region will not have to make the taxing trip to Birmingham for treatments as they battle the disease.
The facility is located at the old armory site in Gadsden, a deal closed shortly after Ford took office. Healthcare was among the targeted sectors by David Hooks when he became executive director of the Gadsden-Etowah Industrial Development Authority.
The new facility will mean some 16 good-paying jobs for city residents. Ford says the city is following Birmingham’s example as a health care hub in the state. After all, Birmingham transformed its once smokestack economy of iron and steel into a service-based economy.
“With two hospitals located inside the city, healthcare is a target for economic development,” he said. “We are constantly looking for ways to grow this industry in Gadsden and recruit companies that offer different types of services and treatments,” Ford said. “Look at Birmingham and what a great job they have done with UAB and how that complex has really grown that area in the city.”
The growth along the banks of the Coosa, fueled by the current administration’s vision, means a flood of optimism in the city.
“In reimagining ourselves, Gadsden is taking advantage of the natural gifts that we have in a river that comes right down the middle of our city and we’ve never really done that before. … Cities would kill to have a 90-foot waterfall and a riverfront in their city. We’ve got both.”
Ford sums up the beehive of activity along the river and across the city, an effort aimed at improving the quality of life across the board for locals and putting the economic setbacks of the past in Gadsden’s rearview mirror.
“Gadsden is back.”
