Inviting, small-town feel a big draw
Story by Linda Long
Photos by David Smith, Discover Staff and submitted
In the shadow of Birmingham’s metropolitan region is what had been seen as just another small Alabama town – a crossroads people passed through to get somewhere else.
Those days are quickly fleeting with Moody soaring to Number 1 on the growth charts while managing to hold on to its small-town appeal.
It is warm, inviting and a quiet escape from the frantic busyness of city life, and its population underscores that notion with its replacement of Pell City (albeit by a few residents) as St. Clair County’s largest city.
On an early morning in March, the quiet is punctuated with the raucous sound of a jackhammer. Across the way, a dump truck lumbers along to the beeping of that monotonous warning signal. The buzz of a power saw joins the chorus. Noise to some, perhaps, but to Moody Mayor Joe Lee it’s the sound of music.
“We’re actually the largest municipality in St. Clair County now,” said Lee. “According to the latest census, we beat out Pell City. We beat them by just a few, but we are the largest.”
If the Mayor sounds proud, it’s with good reason. His city is experiencing a surge in industrial, commercial and residential growth, unlike any other in the town’s history. Ribbon cuttings, groundbreakings, grand openings are all signs of the times.
It’s hard to keep up with some days, said Lee, adding that Moody’s unprecedented growth spurt can be summed up in a single word – location.
“We have easy access to I-20. Turn right and you go to Birmingham and all the activities there. Go left, and you head toward Pell City, the Honda plant and the Talladega Speedway. We’re also convenient for folks to live here to go outside the city to work.”
Couple the city’s location with the city’s ownership of large and small commercial properties having interstate and major highway visibility and/or access, and it’s a winning combination for prospective business and residents.
One such property under development is a 60,00-square-foot family entertainment center off I-20. The center boasts a trampoline park, an arcade and a 16-lane bowling alley. Fall of 2024 is the projected opening date.
The entertainment center sits on acreage where “we think it will help us promote the rest of the property where it’s built, here at the crossroads. The area is built for outparcels
Two coffee shops are new in town. 7 Brews, a national chain, opened on March 6 and is located on the Moody Parkway, featuring only drive through service. Moody Chamber of Commerce Director Andrea Machen has observed that so far, business there has been “very good.”
Also debuting on the coffee scene is Starbucks, set to open on June 6. It will feature its traditional drive-through and in-house service. Appropriately enough Dunkin’ Donuts has opened nearby.
Making old new again, the mayor said, “We’ve also back-filled a 25-year-old shopping with the Fresh Value grocery store. It’s the old shopping center, where Fred’s used to be here at the crossroads. We expect more development. There are many possibilities in that shopping center. The developer is already looking at one potential investment.”
While business development is going gangbusters, residential development is not far behind.
According to Lee, 425 new homes have been built in recent years. Presently, seven subdivisions are under construction, and 137 lots are left for development.
“People are looking at Moody all the time to open new residential subdivisions,” said Lee. “So, that market will continue.
Also under construction “even as we speak,” said Lee, “is a new 18,000 square foot Moody police station.” It will house Moody’s 30-member police force.
The city has taken on several ambitious infrastructure projects, including a $7 million sewer system, which will double its present capacity. “We had to have it to take care of the growth,” said Lee.
Plans also call for four major road improvements, including $2.2 million in improvements at County Road 10 and US 411. This project will provide turn lanes and traffic signals to upgrade Moody’s main crossroads.
Other projects will upgrade the intersections at Highway 411 and Kerr Road and Washington and Verbena. “These upgrades will improve traffic flow into the city. We’ve got to do that,” Lee said.
Perhaps the crown jewel in all this expansion is Kelly Creek Commerce Park – the only facility of its kind in St. Clair County, the mayor said. Undeniably, the park is big – 172 acres with 1.4 million square feet of building space. According to Lee, “the site is ready to lease.”
When completed the new commercial park is expected to bring with it 600 new jobs.
Those are the kind of stats Machen likes to hear. “Those 600 new jobs are what will keep our people right here in Moody and St. Clair County, so they don’t have to go outside to work. There may be some job transfers so people can be close to home and close to their kids.”
While there are no tenants yet for the park, Machen said, the ribbon has just been cut, and “we are working to fill it right now.”
