Hoover Sun’s Top 10 Stories of 2024 #1 Riverwalk Village

The city of Hoover’s plan for a new outpatient surgery and diagnostic center in Riverchase was a key issue throughout the year. The Hoover Health Care Authority filed an application for a certificate of need from the state in January. By March, the Forest Park Group, led by health care attorney Loree Skelton, contested the application, requiring an administrative hearing that pushed legal bills for the application over $1 million. In September, the Forest Park Group withdrew its opposition, and Hoover won approval from the state, setting things in motion for the health care anchor of a development projected to have a $2.5 billion economic impact.