The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday ended an agreement with a firm that initially planned to turn the site of the former Ensley High School into a mixed-use affordable housing development.

“They were depending on a status from the state, which they applied for twice but did not get,” mayor Randall Woodfin told the council. “They were never able to close their capital stack to go with vertical construction. After four years we thought it was important to open the process up and continue to move along with other possible developers to honor what we want to do with this site.”

Councilor Sonja Smith, whose district includes the property, said the vote is an encouraging move toward the property’s being put back to use for the community.

“It’s my understanding that the same goal remains: to turn this into a mixed-use development, with housing, retail and community space,” she said. “It is time for this area — the western side of Birmingham — to see this kind of development and investment move forward. This has been sitting for five years, and it’s great to see something happening. I look forward to the full potential of this site being brought back to life.”

The school closed in 2006 and sat vacant until it was damaged by fire in 2018. In 2021, the council sold the property to Missouri-based Zimmerman Properties for $50,000. That same year, the council approved the use of a $1.5 million federal housing grant for a planned 244-home, $55 million project.

According to the mayor, the developer received $1 million of the grant to demolish the structure. That work is now complete, and the remaining $450,000 had not been transferred, Woodfin said.

The measure ending the agreement passed unanimously.

ACIPCO Expansion Incentives Approved

The council on Tuesday also approved an incentive package for American Cast Iron Pipe Company’s $793 million planned expansion of the company’s manufacturing facilities and corporate headquarters.

Council President Pro Tem LaTonya Tate, whose district includes the ACIPCO site, said this kind of investment has the potential to transform the area.

“When you’re talking about this kind of investment from a company that has called Birmingham home for over a century, this doesn’t happen often, and I think it will have a positive ripple effect across the community,” she said. “ACIPCO has been a tremendous partner and has really given back to the community over the years — whether through volunteer work or investing in local projects. We could not be more excited to see the additional opportunities that will come from this. Offering high-quality jobs, with a focus on local hiring, can really transform this community for decades to come.”

The agreement states that the city will provide “an incentive of $2,500 per each new full-time employee, not to exceed a total of $200,000.” The city will also abate all construction-related taxes associated with the project as well as all noneducational property taxes imposed by the state and county for 10 years.

The Jefferson County Commission in January also approved a performance-based incentive package valued at $320,000 for the project.

According to County Commission officials, the company expects to spend $793.1 million to convert its furnaces to electric-fired furnaces, reducing emissions by more than 90%. The work will take between four and six years, leaders say.

ACIPCO has operated since 1905 and has become the largest manufacturing employer in the region. According to city officials, the company currently has approximately 1,687 employees at the site, and it generated more than $303 million in payroll in 2024.

In other business, the council:

• Approved paying Daktronics Inc. $345,000 to “provide replacement equipment and installation of the scoreboard and results displays in the CrossPlex natatorium.”
• Voted down a measure to change zoning ordinances to allow for a motorcycle training facility at property on 1700 31st Ave. N. and 1701 32nd Ave. N. Councilors Darrell O’Quinn, Josh Vasa, Hunter Williams and Clinton Woods voted for the change while councilors Brian Gunn, Sonja Smith, Crystal Smitherman, LaTonya Tate and Wardine Alexander voted no. The vote followed a public comment section in which the majority of the speakers opposed the establishment of the training facility.
• Set a public hearing for a new solid waste treatment facility at 4400 7th Ave. N. That hearing will be held on April 7 at the Birmingham City Council meeting starting at 9:30 a.m. Harvest Solutions, a medical waste disposal company, filed the application. Developers will hold a public awareness session at the site at 5 p.m. on Feb. 23.