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Council approves amendment to Northside Redevelopment agreement; demolition on former Careway site to finish by May 2026
Summary
The council approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an amendment with Northside Redevelopment LLC extending the timeline for blight removal and demolition at the former Careway Memorial Hospital site; the developer said demolition will be completed by May 2026 and full site buildout could take five to seven years.
Birmingham City Council on Jan. 6 approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a first amendment to the redevelopment and funding agreement with Northside Redevelopment LLC to complete blight removal and demolition on the former Careway Memorial Hospital campus.
Councilor Crystal Smitherman removed the item from the consent agenda for questions about timing and scope. Brian Wolf of Corporate Realty Development told the council that demolition has resumed and "we do not" anticipate additional delays, and that the demolition phase will be completed by May 2026. He said the project team had paused earlier while pursuing a HUD loan and later abandoned that application, allowing demolition work to restart.
The amendment ties to the demolition and blight-remediation work on a roughly 45-acre site. Wolf told the council the first phase is demolition and that three development projects are expected to break ground in 2026: cottages and townhomes, an indoor entertainment venue in the former emergency room building on 25th Street, and outparcel development near Topgolf. He estimated the full 45-acre development could take five to seven years to finish.
Council members asked for clarity about timing and project phase; Wolf confirmed the demolition constitutes phase one. After discussion, the council approved the amendment and moved the item forward.
Next steps: the amendment formally extends deadlines to allow demolition and blight abatement work to continue; the council did not provide a vote tally on the record during the meeting. The developer indicated on the record that demolition is underway and on pace to complete in early May 2026.
Why it matters: clearing the former hospital campus is a precondition for private construction and subsequent neighborhood redevelopment. The council’s approval clears a legal hurdle for the developer to resume demolition after a pause tied to a prior HUD loan underwriting process.
