The city of Tuscaloosa recently proposed a new project intended to bring growth and revitalization to the storm-damaged Cedar Crest neighborhood, including retail development and a vehicular and pedestrian bridge.

Alumni Development & Construction LLC of Clanton, Ala., and Tuscaloosa-based H.A. Edwards Inc. released a site map of the envisioned shopping center, named “Tidal Town,” at the May 20 meeting of the city’s Planning and Development Commission.

The proposed area of the 257,000-square-foot shopping center situates the development in the cleared lots behind Krispy Kreme and Full Moon BBQ. A series of single and two-story commercial buildings alongside parking lots and a two-story garage have been designed to one day fill the now-vacant space. The project will open up multiple venues for new restaurants and retailers.

Brendan Moore, development ombudsmen for the city of Tuscaloosa, said four to six stores and restaurants are in talks with the developers, all of which would be new to the Tuscaloosa market.

“It will be a great step forward to promote economic growth and stop sales-tax leakage in the area,” he added.

The economic growth of the city and surrounding area is a driving force behind the support of developments like Tidal Town and The Lofts at City Center, a multiuse residential and commercial development under construction nearby.

“We want people who live in Tuscaloosa and west Alabama to stay here and shop,” Donny Jones, chief executive officer of the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce, said.

By enabling residents to shop locally instead of traveling elsewhere, the money spent on goods, fuel and food would remain in the area.

“Tuscaloosa has always had a strong market, before and after the tornado. … The city is on the radar screens of many developers and retailers in the Southeast,” Jones added.

Moore said the new developments will help continue the development of unique shopping destinations for people in Tuscaloosa and West Alabama.

“We’re just getting started with our economic growth, and we’re very optimistic about that,” Moore said.

But commercial development is not the only change intended for Cedar Crest. City officials are seeking to obtain a U.S. Department of Transportation TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) grant for the purpose of widening Dr. Edward Hillard Drive as well as constructing a vehicle and pedestrian bridge over the Norfolk Southern and Kansas City Southern rail lines.

“This bridge will bring many positive benefits to the town, including lower vehicle emissions and shorter travel time,” Savannah Howell of the mayor’s office of recovery options said. “Also, this bridge would help connect the city and promote a healthier, pedestrian lifestyle.”

When constructed, the bridge would link The University of Alabama campus with the Tidal Town shopping center and The Lofts at City Center developments through the Tuscaloosa City Walk, a project with the goal of linking various neighborhoods and commercial areas through pedestrian and biking trails.

“This growth shows a lot about [the] strength of the city’s recovery,” Moore said.