Gateway to Russell Lands Improves

Alexander City’s community additions enhance lake life.

Russell Lands on Lake Martin is accessed via Alabama State Highway 63 from the north and the south. This state highway intersects with U.S. Highway 280 in Alexander City, Alabama. For anyone coming to Russell Lands from Birmingham or Georgia, you will come through Alexander City.

Important services, shopping, medical, schools, and houses of worship are located in Alexander City. For those of us who live here full time, Alexander City is our place to go for those activities. It is where we live, shop, worship, and visit the doctor. It short, it is our home.

For decades, Alexander City has been a wonderful small southern city with a relaxed way of life. People who live here know each other and have a strong sense of community. Having Lake Martin and the growing lake community has provided economic stimulus to the city, and new lake residents, in turn, require additional services. The result is an economic revival that benefits the city and the lake while maintaining that sense of community we love.

New Municipal Complex

When a Fortune 500 textile business relocated their corporate headquarters out of state, a beautiful office building and acreage became available. With careful planning, the City of Alexander City acquired the property and engaged in a renovation project that resulted in a municipal complex that is the envy of every city in the state, if not the South.

Expansion of Russell Medical Center

We were already proud of our five-star-rated hospital and cancer center. The recent announcement of the addition of the Benjamin Russell Center for Advanced Care is sure to be a huge benefit to our community. With the aging of the Baby Boomer generation, the timing is ideal. This facility will provide medical care for those of advanced age. On the same campus as the Advanced Care Center, there will be cottages for residents seeking proximity to geriatric care as well as an assisted living facility.

Russell Marine Boating & Outdoors

Russell Marine is a leader in the marine business in Alabama. With four state-of-the-art marinas on Lake Martin, they provide sales and service unmatched in the area. The best marine company got better with the recent opening of their new Russell Marine Boating & Outdoors facility on U.S. Highway 280 in Alexander City. This facility is a 150,000-square-foot showroom for both new and used boats, pro shop for wake boarders, service center, and sales location for Can-Am off-road vehicles.

Shopping and Dining

Not quite as essential as medical services, but important to the quality of life are dining and shopping opportunities. Restaurant and retail developers have taken note of the lake traffic that comes through town on the way to Highway 63 and Russell Lands on Lake Martin. Announcements for restaurants already in the pipeline, like Wharf Casual Seafood, will be rolling out monthly through the end of the year.

A new shopping center, anchored by Publix, received a key approval at the June 1 City Council meeting. This new shopping center will be located at the key intersection of U.S. 280 and Highway 63. In addition to Publix, the developer will have space for a national retail store, space for other shops, and out parcels for restaurants and free-standing businesses.

Lakefront Annexation

Our next large community, The Heritage, will be accessed by Highway 63, and we sought to have the property annexed by the City of Alexander City. This is an unusual request since our property that comprises The Heritage (1,510 acres) is not contiguous to the city. This request required the approval of the city and an Act of the State Legislature. Both the city and the state gave overwhelming approval.

One might wonder why we would want to be part of Alexander City. Clearly, as noted above, there are a lot of positive additions to the community that we want to be associated with. But most of all, Alexander City is our home. We love living here, and we hope you will too!

If you want to know more about everything going on in Alexander City and here at Russell Lands, please give one of our Sales Executives a call at 256.215.7011 today.

Photo credit: Alexander City Municipal Complex image by Audra Spears/The Outlook