New plans made for Carraway Medical Center

What promises to be an economic jump start for Birmingham's Druid Hills neighborhood launches today.

Partners unveiled plans for Metro Plaza Wednesday morning in the long-shuttered Carraway Medical Center.

For years, the medical center has been a focus of community groups looking for something to serve the community in the large facility.  Now, the non-profit Lovelady Center is spearheading a $15-million campaign to develop the former Carraway Hospital.

Organizers unveiled plans on Wednesday morningto turn the campus into an educational and community-support center. The name for the 52-acre site will be ‘Metroplaza.'

It includes plans for college classrooms, healthcare providers, retailers and community greenspace. It will be the base for Lovelady Center, which provides training and transitional services for women and children.

Lovelady Center Director Brenda Lovelady Spahn says the idea is to raise the $15-million over three years. She expects Metroplaza to be the catalyst for the Druid Hills neighborhood.

 "We have worked so hard. It's not altogether open yet, but it's a chance to let the public know what's going on over here in this big ol' beautiful building," said Spahn.
 
Among the proposed developments in Metroplaza is a neighborhood grocery store. That has been a priority in Druid Hills and other Birmingham neighborhoods deemed under-served by grocery stores.

WBRC-August 17, 2011