Proposal for future plans of Alexander IV presented

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The mayor and the Macon-Bibb Commission heard from Historic Macon Foundation on Tuesday about a plan to reconstruct an eighty-four year old building.

Historic Macon Foundation selected a proposal for the redevelopment of Alexander IV. It will create new jobs and a become a new home for the elderly.

Since 1932, Alexander IV has been in the Ingleside neighborhood. It’s a building that many residents want to see re-purposed.

In April, Historic Macon held a public meeting to gather input on future uses of the building; turning the historic building into a senior living facility was the outcome of the meeting.

“This will be an 8.8 million dollar project for Macon and it will create 30 permanent jobs at the senior living facility,” says Executive Director of Historic Macon Ethiel Garlington.

Dover Development Corporation, a firm out of Tennessee submitted a proposal to re-develop the building and build a compatible new wing.

Garlington ensures transforming the building into a senior living facility will be safe.

“There’s not a lot of traffic, there’s not a lot of parking on the parcel and so it will be a real compatible use and it will be almost similar to where it was when it was a school,” he continues.

With the help from Commissioner Mallory Jones, Historic Macon Foundation was able to purchase Alexander IV from Macon-Bibb County Board of Education using blight bond funds.

Garlington adds using the funds will have community input throughout the process.

Garlington says,”The developer will actually buy it from the Land Bank Authority and that money will go back into the blight funds and it hopefully get revolved a little bit more.”

Once the proposal is approved, Historic Macon will work with Dover Development to schedule a public meeting to present rehabilitation plans to the community.

Construction is anticipated to begin spring 2017 and expected to be completed in late 2018.