By Loyd McIntosh
With the initial phase of the Cahaba Heights Gateway project nearly complete, Katherine McRee’s nearly decade-long vision for her beloved Vestavia Hills community is coming into focus.
Cahaba Heights’ entry point from U.S. 280 along Pump House Road is the first part of the project and includes landscaping enhancements, walkability and safety improvements at the intersection with Dolly Ridge Road, and a large, contemporary industrial sign welcoming visitors into the community.
For McRee, co-owner of The Lili Pad and Gigi’s boutiques and president of the Cahaba Heights Merchants Association, the progress is a positive step toward transforming the area into a dynamic, aesthetically appealing, vibrant village. “I live here, and my business is here, and I want this community to be something that everyone is proud of, wants to call home and finds their third place,” says McRee, alluding to the “third place” concept coined by urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg.
The “third place” refers to informal public gathering spots separate from home (“first place”) and work (“second place”), where people build community through casual social interaction. In his writings, Oldenburg (1932–2022) expressed concern about the disappearance of “third places” as Americans raced for the suburbs and how car culture led to uninspired, homogeneous communities absent of character and charm.
McRee, who grew up in Mountain Brook’s Crestline community, believes in the axiom “revitalize or die,” and says revitalization begins with an attractive neighborhood—after that, the rest falls into place. “It starts with aesthetics: your neighborhood looking welcoming and inviting, where you want to get to know your neighbors,” McRee says. “We want people to feel the experience, not just at The Lili Pad, but of all of Cahaba Heights.”
A partnership between the city of Vestavia Hills and the Cahaba Heights Merchants Association, the Cahaba Heights Gateway project is a comprehensive plan to beautify the community and improve quality of life for residents, visitors and business owners. Under McRee’s leadership, the association has raised thousands of dollars for the project through private donations and events like Heights Hangout, an annual community festival held in the district each spring.
Many of the district’s merchants also stepped up, contributing time, expertise and materials to bring McRee’s vision to reality. Among them: Brian Authement, CEO and creative director of Cahaba Heights-based marketing firm Devote, who designed the sign; Jamie Purcell, owner of Leaf & Petal, who donated many of the plants at cost; Champion Tree Services, which donated tree removal and trimming work and Arc Realty, Heights Village and Ann Press Hospitality, which all contributed financially, according to McRee.
Another significant improvement to the district is a development by Signature Homes, a real estate firm building a community of high-end houses on a plot of acreage behind Pipeline Road. The new neighborhood will include sidewalks—an important piece of the overall plan—connecting into the heart of the commercial district.
The long-term vision for Cahaba Heights includes signage at every entry point, expanded landscaping and improved pedestrian access throughout the district, especially along Pipeline Road. A nondescript service road running behind Heights Village and used mostly by delivery trucks, Pipeline Road has tremendous potential to become a major community asset, according to McRee and Vestavia Hills City Manager Jeff Downs.
“Long term, the follow-up plan is to improve Pipeline Road, which runs behind the shopping center and is what I call back-of-house,” Downs says. “It will turn into more of a front-of-house pedestrian corridor, because it was very challenging to place sidewalks or any pedestrian access in front of the shopping center without potentially taking away precious parking spaces for many of the businesses. So, moving the pedestrian way to Pipeline Road will be very beneficial.”
Downs says city leadership was more than willing to contribute guidance and some funding to the project. He adds that McRee’s leadership, along with the contributions of everyone involved in the Cahaba Heights Merchants Association, is not only transforming their own community but reverberating citywide. “The city of Vestavia Hills is all about collaboration,” Downs says, “and the ability to work with the Cahaba Heights Merchants Association—namely Katherine—and our Public Services team gave us the opportunity to make a fairly unique gateway a real component of Cahaba Heights.”
Downs continues, “When someone enters an area, you want them to feel—whether they’re a resident or a visitor—that this place cares about itself.”
