Current Projects

Market Movers in Tuscaloosa

Our work with Tuscaloosa, Alabama began as part of the city's Tuscaloosa Forward Strategic Community Plan to Renew and Rebuild. On April 27, 2011, a 1.5 mile-wide EF4 tornado carved a devastating 5.9 mile long path through the city limits of Tuscaloosa. Within six minutes, 12 percent of the city was destroyed, 7,000 were left unemployed, and more than 5,700 businesses and homes were affected. The Tuscaloosa Forward initiative was started as an investment in the idea that through smart decision-making and careful planning, Tuscaloosa can become a better and stronger city.

We completed a 2012 Housing Needs Analysis for the city, identifying the demographics-based need for new housing, primarily within the storm impact area of the 2011 tornado. With so many factors on the table - the growth of Tuscaloosa as a college town paired with the staggering hit the low-income demographics took as a result of the tornado, the loss of local revenue as a result of business loss and population resettlement - there is a lot of separate data that must be analyzed in order to provide Tuscaloosa with the analyses needed to make the right decisions for the city as it regains its footing.

Zanola is working as part of the Alabama Center for Real Estate team, which has recently put together the following five separate studies for Tuscaloosa:

  1. Total Housing Needs Analysis – 2013 update to previously completed 2012 housing needs analysis for the city of Tuscaloosa
  2. Multifamily Housing Needs Focus – Expanded research and focused analysis for multifamily housing
  3. Low Income Housing Needs Focus – Expanded research and focused analysis for low-income multifamily housing
  4. New Homes Needs Focus – Expanded research and focused analysis for new homebuilding
  5. Business Formation Report – Expanded research and focused analysis for retail demand compared to past, present, and planned retail offerings

Zanola is proud to be part of the rebuilding efforts in the city of Tuscaloosa. Keep an eye on ACRE and Tuscaloosa, Alabama - together, we're moving the market!

 – Denise Kruse