What’s being built in Florence right now
I get asked about this more than anything else, so I’d rather just lay it out. Here is what just opened, what is under construction, and what is officially announced in Florence, with a source for every one of them. Draw your own conclusions. I’m not going to tell you what any of it does to prices, because nobody honestly knows that and I’m not allowed to guess.
- Bank Independent Stadium at UNA. The university’s first on-campus football stadium, over 10,000 seats, 13 suites, a club level. Broke ground June 2024 and opened September 19, 2026, when UNA beat Alcorn State 38 to 20 in front of 11,830 people. The football stadium construction contract was reported at $53.367 million, inside a complex the university put at roughly $65 million.
- LaGrange Residence Hall. A new UNA dorm across from the stadium, about 190 beds, roughly $29 million by permit value, with a storm shelter built in. Completion 2026, students moving in for the spring 2027 term.
- Mike D. Lane Field. UNA’s new baseball stadium, about a $12 million contract. Already open, grand opening was February 2026.
- REVERB by Hard Rock. A music-themed hotel from Hard Rock’s REVERB brand going on the old Days Inn corner at Dr. Hicks Boulevard and Court Street. About 155 rooms and over 2,000 square feet of meeting space. Announced July 2025, and it has been delayed more than once. In July 2026 the developers said tearing down the old Days Inn would start this fall and take about three months, and they now aim to open by late 2028.
- The Hotel Wilson. A separate 110-room boutique hotel under Hilton’s Tapestry Collection at 301 E Tennessee Street, on a vacant downtown lot. In February 2026 the developers said construction was waiting on city tax incentives. In July 2026 the city council held off on a $2 million tax abatement for the hotel and said it would take it up again later. I haven’t found a confirmed construction start.
- Mitchell Boulevard bridge. ALDOT is replacing the 1938 bridge where US-43/72 crosses SR-20, about half a mile north of the O’Neal Bridge. $7.2 million. Construction started March 2, 2026 and runs to roughly spring 2028. If you’re looking on that side of town, plan on living with it a while.
- Recently finished by the city. The six-story downtown parking deck at Pine and Tombigbee opened in September 2024. The tennis and pickleball complex at Veterans Park opened in October 2025, with 18 tennis courts and 20 pickleball courts, 14 of them covered.
- Southwire. Announced in June 2023 that it would expand its Florence plant by roughly 340,000 square feet, about a 30% capacity increase and around 120 jobs.
Sources: University of North Alabama, Franklin County Times, April 29, 2026, and UNA Athletics, September 2026 (stadium); TurnerBatson and Fite Building Co. (LaGrange Hall); UNA Athletics, February 2026 (baseball); Hard Rock International via PR Newswire, July 10, 2025 and WAFF, July 17, 2026 (REVERB); Hospitality Net, WAFF, February 6, 2026 and WAFF, July 21, 2026 (Hotel Wilson); ALDOT News Hub, February 25, 2026 (bridge); The Flor-Ala, September 26, 2024 (parking deck) and The Flor-Ala, November 3, 2025 (tennis and pickleball); Made in Alabama, June 2023 (Southwire). Checked October 16, 2026.
One correction I’ll make before somebody else does. People around here call it the Hard Rock, and a few think a casino is coming. It isn’t. REVERB is Hard Rock’s hotel brand. No gaming, and nothing in the announcement says otherwise.
What that actually means for your search
Practically, it means two things. Parts of downtown and the area around campus are going to be construction zones for the next couple of years, and the Mitchell Boulevard work is going to change how you get across that end of town until 2028. If you’re touring a house near any of it, go at the hour you’d actually be driving, not on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
It also means more people moving through downtown on game weekends and once the hotels open. That’s good for some people and not for others. If you like a quiet street, ask me which blocks are going to feel that and which won’t. I’d rather tell you before you buy than after.
Florence at a glance
Florence is the county seat of Lauderdale County and the biggest city in the Shoals, with about 40,200 people at the 2020 census. Italian engineer Ferdinand Sannoner surveyed it in 1818 and named it for Florence, Italy, and it was incorporated in 1826. Home addresses in Florence use ZIP codes 35630, 35633 and 35634. The Rosenbaum House, the only house in Alabama designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, is here, and so is the W.C. Handy Home and Museum.
Sources: Encyclopedia of Alabama, Florence; U.S. Census Bureau, QuickFacts; ZIP codes for Florence, AL. Checked October 16, 2026.
Downtown, campus, and the routes between them
UNA sits right in town at One Harrison Plaza, which is unusual and it shapes everything around it. The campus approaches run through downtown on Court Street, Tennessee Street and Seminary Street, and into Florence over the O’Neal and Singing River bridges.
If campus or downtown is part of your week, drive your real route before you fall in love with a house. Where you’d park, which entrance you’d use, and what the trip feels like at 7:45 on a Tuesday are things a map pin will not tell you. That goes double right now with the stadium traffic pattern still settling in.
Source: University of North Alabama, directions to campus. Checked September 17, 2026.
Older homes, and what to ask about them
Florence has a lot of older housing stock and a downtown historic district, and that’s part of the appeal for plenty of buyers. It also comes with questions you want answered up front.
Don’t assume a house is in a historic district because of its age, its street, or how close it sits to downtown. The city keeps the district information and I’ll pull it for a specific address. If you’re planning to change anything about the exterior, find out what applies to that property before you build a budget around it.
When we walk an older house, I’m looking at the roof, the foundation, the wiring and the HVAC before I’m looking at the kitchen. Ask what documentation exists for any work that’s been done. A pretty listing photo is the start of that conversation, not the end of it.
Source: City of Florence, historic districts. Checked September 17, 2026.
Outside, and the river
Deibert Park and the River Heritage Trail are the two I end up mentioning most. The trail is being extended again, from River Heritage Park out to the Patton Island Overlook, with river overlooks and interpretive exhibits along the way. McFarland Park improvements and a new pier at the Point are in the city’s design stage.
If outdoor space matters to you, look as hard at the lot as at what’s nearby. How the ground slopes, where the water goes when it rains, how much yard you actually want to keep up. I’ve watched buyers pick a house for the big backyard and then resent it by the second summer.
Source: City of Florence, current projects. Checked September 17, 2026.
Where locals eat in Florence
A few locally owned spots in Florence, open as of September 2026. Hours change, so check before you go.
- Trowbridge’s Ice Cream & Sandwich Bar, 316 N Court St: ice cream, shakes and sandwiches downtown since 1918
- Odette, 120 N Court St: a seasonal menu built on local produce and Gulf seafood
- Bunyan’s Bar-B-Q, 901 W College St: barbecue plates, BBQ chicken stew and slaw dogs
- Rivertown Coffee Co., 117 N Seminary St: coffee, breakfast and lunch
Buying your first home here
You don’t need a finished wish list to call me. Most people who reach out have three things they’re sure about and a dozen they haven’t thought through yet, and that’s normal.
Start with a lender so you know your number. It takes about a day, and around here sellers generally won’t look seriously at an offer without it. You’re free to use any lender you want. I can give you several local names if you’d rather not start from scratch.
Alabama also has down payment help that a lot of first-time buyers here have never heard of. AHFA runs programs worth asking about, and USDA financing reaches a good bit of the ground outside the city limits. I’ll walk you through which ones your situation might touch. Program terms change, so we check current details rather than going off what was true last year.
When you’re ready
Send me the addresses you’re curious about and the questions you haven’t been able to get answered. That’s usually a better first conversation than a list of must-haves.
I’m Corey Bonds, a licensed Alabama real estate salesperson with MarMac Real Estate - The Shoals. I text back the same day, and there’s no pressure from me either way.