A joint effort to redevelop historic portions of downtown Birmingham has been announced.
Urban Impact and REV Birmingham held a news conference Dec. 17 to announce their new Northwest Downtown Master Development Plan, a strategy for redeveloping the city’s Civil Rights District and Innovation District. Ivan Holloway, executive director for Urban Impact, says the plan includes specific, actionable steps to ensure these neighboring districts are growing together intentionally.
“This master plan represents a unified vision throughout the northwest quadrant of downtown, encompassing both the Civil Rights District and Innovation District,” said Holloway. “It will help create transformative redevelopment and revitalization opportunities that will encourage our citizens to connect, build, invest and grow our community.”
Urban Impact, REV Birmingham announce strategy to redevelop northwest Birmingham from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Tuesday’s announcement comes one month after Urban Impact unveiled plans for a new “Freedom Walk” to link the Civil Rights District and the historic 4th Avenue Business District with the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. David Fleming, president and CEO of REV Birmingham, said this joint effort to connect those areas with the city’s growing Innovation District helps everyone.
“This plan will help people, who feel a sense of ownership over these areas, benefit from the district’s growth while also allowing room for new stakeholders to become part of the area as well,” said Fleming. “Each district’s growth should complement each other.”
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin released a statement celebrating the partnership after the news conference.
“In Birmingham, inclusion and innovation are two sides of the same coin,” Woodfin said. “This collaboration between Urban Impact and REV Birmingham represents an opportunity to bridge our historic past with our bright future.”
Urban Impact and REV Birmingham are searching for a planning firm to guide this redevelopment process. Businesses wishing to provide consulting services are asked to submit a Request for Proposal (RFP) by Jan. 31, 2020. In addition, citizens are encouraged to share their ideas for future development plans in northwest Birmingham by visiting northwestdowntownbham.com or by sending an email to nwrfp@urbanimpactbirmingham.org.
(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)
