First US Bank is investing $14.5 million to develop a new 40,000-square-foot building on U.S. Highway 280 that will house a branch and other banking operations for the Thomasville-based company while creating 30,000 square feet for lease to other tenants.

The company has purchased nearly three acres for the new office complex at the intersection of U.S. 280 and Pump House Road in unincorporated Jefferson County. First US Bank is the wholly-owned banking subsidiary of United Security Bancshares Inc.

The bank purchased the site between Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills in late March. It plans to use 10,000 square feet to house a bank branch along with commercial lending and executive offices for the bank.

“We are very excited to be able to move forward with the development of this high-quality office complex in the Birmingham area,” United Security Bancshares and First US Bank CEO James F. House said. “This represents the culmination of a great deal of effort by a number of individuals over the past several months. In particular, we are grateful for the efforts of the Jefferson County Commission, as well as members of the local community, who helped pave the way for this project.  Commissioners Bowman, Brown, Carrington, Knight and Stephens each helped us as we made this important decision.”

First US Bank recently opened a loan production office in the Office Park area of Mountain Brook to become the focal point of the bank’s commercial lending efforts in the Birmingham area.

“We anticipate Birmingham to be a significant area for the bank’s future growth,” said J. Samuel Henderson III, who joined First US Bank’s executive management team in January and is leading the Birmingham commercial lending team. “We already have a number of great customer relationships established in this area, and we look forward to forging new relationships as our presence here continues to mature.”

The bank expects to open the new building the second quarter of 2017 and will move the commercial lending staff and executive offices from Office Park to the new location. Services will include drive-up ATM and deposit services as well as a full line of electronic and online banking products.

The new offices will create or relocate up to 20 jobs in Jefferson County, a number officials said is expected to increase over time.

“We are pleased to be able to welcome another publicly traded financial institution to the Jefferson County area and look forward to First US Bank’s contributions to our communities,” Carrington said.

“I believe that First US Bank will be an excellent neighbor to the surrounding communities,” said Stephens, president of the commission. “The commission was happy to be able to play a role in helping bring this project to fruition.”

Birmingham firms are designing and building the office complex. KPS Group Inc. is architect and Brasfield & Gorrie will serve as general contractor during construction.

“When a community bank the caliber of First US Bank chooses your community as the launch pad for its future growth, it is further validation of the community’s reputation as a premier banking center,” said Rick Davis, head of economic development for the Birmingham Business Alliance. “Birmingham and Jefferson County have long been respected for being a top U.S. financial center, and this solidifies that reputation.”

Birmingham’s Graham & Co. has been hired to manage and lease the building.

“We are thrilled to be involved in this project, which adds new office space to the successful U.S. Highway 280 corridor, and represents the first new speculative office development in the Birmingham market in more than seven years,” Mike Graham, president of Graham & Co., said. “The bank has assembled a first-rate team that will design and build a facility that the community will be proud of for many years to come.”

The new facility will further establish the 64-year-old bank’s growing presence in the Birmingham metro area. First US Bank has 21 offices in Birmingham, Brent, Butler, Calera, Centreville, Coffeeville, Columbiana, Fulton, Gilbertown, Grove Hill, Harpersville, Jackson, McCalla, Thomasville, Taylorville, Tuscaloosa and Woodstock.

“We believe that this new office location will significantly increase the level of service to our commercial customers and to the area,” House said.  “Birmingham has a vibrant economy and a rich history as a financial center. We look forward to being a part of that in a significant way in the future.”