Metro Roundup: City of Birmingham approves Southtown redevelopment

The Birmingham City Council — after a public hearing at its regular meeting for Tuesday, April 13 — voted to rezone the Southtown Court public housing community, clearing the the way for a mixed-use redevelopment.

The redevelopment will include multi-family housing with 220 affordable units, 850,000 square feet of office and commercial space, multiple pocket parks, bike lanes and restaurant space, according to a council news release.

Demolition is expected to begin in June and construction of replacement housing will begin in the fall.

Southtown is located on several blocks near the Red Mountain Expressway and St. Vincent's Hospital.

During the hearing, the council heard from Southside Development Co., representatives of the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District and members of the public.

Current residents were able to apply for housing vouchers to return to the site. 

“I’ve been quite pleased with the process, and I know a lot of residents were excited about the voucher program and to be able to return to the site,” said Councilor Darrell O’Quinn, who represents the district.

Residents who did not wish to return have worked with HABD to relocate to other communities across the city.

Councilor John Hilliard, chair of the Economic Development Committee, said projects like this are important for Birmingham’s growth. 

“I see developments like this all the time in other cities,” Hilliard said. “We’re going to have to continue to work with public and private enterprise to keep this momentum going.”