Five years after announcing a $55 million redevelopment of the former Ensley High School site, Birmingham has officially terminated the project. The plan, initially proposed by Mayor Randall Woodfin, would have created a 244-home mixed-use neighborhood.
City council ends redevelopment agreement
During a Tuesday meeting, the Birmingham City Council voted to end the redevelopment contract with 2301 Ensley LP, affiliated with Zimmerman Properties. As part of the termination, the developer will return the property to the city for $50,000 and return $450,000 in unused funds from the original agreement.
The 2021 agreement had required the developer to demolish most of the blighted school building and convert the former gym into a produce market or grocery store. The rest of the nearly ten-acre site would have been redeveloped into apartments, carriage houses, and an early childhood learning center.
Ensley High School’s history
Located at 2301 Avenue J, Ensley High School opened in 1908 and served generations of Birmingham City Schools students. It was one of the city’s “Big Five” high schools, alongside:
Phillips High School (Central City)
Ramsay High School (Five Points South)
Woodlawn High School (Woodlawn)
West End High School (West End)
The school closed after the 2005/2006 academic year. A fire on July 17, 2018, heavily damaged the building, leaving it a blighted shell.
Future of the site
Although the redevelopment never materialized, 2301 Ensley LP completed demolition of the old building, leaving the property open for new proposals. The city now owns the nearly ten-acre site and can explore future development opportunities.
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