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Right now, it's simply a mound of dirt. But come next year, the spot along the rear of Stadium Trace Village will be home to Village Green - a family oriented arts and entertainment lifestyle venue located in what's been deemed the City of Hoover's first official entertainment district.

"I'm honored to be here this morning for the official groundbreaking of village green," Developer William Kadish said during his remarks. "We're proud to serve Hoover residents and visitors as the first open-air lifestyle venue."

The project is slated to come online in 2023 and will feature an amphitheater that seats more than 500 people. The vision for the space came about more than six years ago when Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato took office. He recalled that shortly after being elected, Kadish paid him a visit regarding the area.

"And he had a great vision," Brocato said. "And, you know, we talked, we fought a little bit, we hugged a little bit, we shook hands a little bit and we might fight a little bit more, but we always came to the conclusion of what is best for the city of Hoover and what will make for the best showing for the city.

Brocato says the entertainment district will be a walkable campus. He and other City leaders acknowledge that Hoover has done a great job in becoming a destination spot in the sports tourism sector. Just about every weekend, athletes and teams from all across the country visit the Hoover Met for competitions in a variety of sports.

 "With those visitors come families - aunts, uncles, grandparents. And they're looking for something to do, somewhere to go,  walk around between those events," said Tynette Lynch, Director of Tourism and Hospitality for the City.

"This is going to be just what they're looking for, concerts and an art facility, all the entertainment that's going to go on here. It's a great time to be in Hoover. It's a great time to have a hotel restaurant and retail in Hoover and we think this is just going to add to it."