Birmingham
Woodfin seeks development proposals for Ensley’s Ramsay-McCormack Building
After abandoning his predecessor’s plans to turn the building into a public safety center, mayor seeks new input.
Photo courtesy of BhamWiki.
Earlier this year, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin confirmed that he would not be continuing his predecessor’s plans for Ensley’s Ramsay-McCormack building. Now, he’s asking developers to submit new ideas for the 89-year-old building, AL.com reports.
William Bell had planned to spend $40 million turning the building into a public safety complex that would house the city’s courts, police, and fire departments. In January, however, Woodfin said that plan “is not something that we want to go forward with.”
“We believe that public safety facilities should exist in the city center,” he told BirminghamWatch. “What we do with that building is our choice, and we have not made a decision yet on how we want to move forward.”
The new competitive request for proposals is reflective of a court-mandated timeline, which says the city must renovate the building by Feb. 10 of next year. Developers will be eligible for economic development incentives from the city.
Read the full report at AL.com.
