A Mediterranean fast-casual chain is set to open its 10th Alabama location in Alabaster on Monday, Oct. 26, becoming the latest tenant to fill out the sprawling District 31 development off U.S. 31 and Interstate 65. CAVA will occupy a spot at 725 1st Avenue S.E., Suite 3101, with a soft opening planned for the weekend before its official debut, and interested customers can register for that early access through the CAVA Rewards app or online.
News of the opening date, first reported in a social media post, adds to a steady stream of restaurant arrivals at the Shoppes at District 31 this year. The development is described by WBRC as a more than $240 million investment spanning roughly 600,000 square feet at the northwest quadrant of U.S. 31 and Interstate 65, with construction having begun nearly two years before this reporting. The Shoppes make up the first phase of what ABC 33/40 describes as the larger District 31 shopping center near Exit 238, a project that AL.com reports covers roughly 80 acres.
A Crowded Year of Ribbon Cuttings
CAVA will be far from the first name to light up along Highway 31 this year. First Watch and Nothing Bundt Cakes both opened in June, with First Watch holding a ribbon cutting on June 15 for a 4,400-square-foot space that seats more than 170 customers, according to the Shelby County Reporter. It was the first restaurant to open in the development.
Chipotle was also open at District 31. August brought another wave, with Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Panera Bread and Aspen Dental all opening that month. Shake Shack was also announced in August as a tenant — a location Bham Now notes will be only the second Shake Shack in Alabama. Construction on that Shake Shack site is underway, though ABC 33/40 reports no opening date has been announced.
More Names Still to Come
Hollywood Feed has also been announced as a future tenant at District 31, joining a tenant list that has shifted and grown over the past year. Earlier reporting from the Shelby County Reporter identified Hollywood Feed alongside CAVA, Tropical Smoothie Café and Aspen Dental as businesses still to come before several of those locations ultimately opened. ABC 33/40 has reported the first phase is planned to include about 14 restaurants and retailers.
The broader District 31 project, first discussed by its developer back in 2015 before breaking ground roughly nine years later, is projected to bring nearly 75 new businesses to Alabaster, including shops, restaurants and a hotel, per WBRC's earlier reporting. Figures on the tax windfall vary depending on the source: WBRC reported city estimates of $2.8 million a year in new city sales tax and $1.4 million in new school sales tax, while the Shelby County Reporter has cited a separate projection of $18 million in first-year sales tax for the city. The developer has also pointed to roughly 8,000 homes under construction or planned through 2027 across Shelby County as part of the growth fueling demand for the development.
When CAVA opens on Oct. 26, it will mark the development's 10th Alabama location for the chain and another milestone in the ongoing development near Exit 238.
