Equal Justice Initiative obtains permit for $30 million 'cultural center' in Cottage Hill

The Equal Justice Initiative's new venture in Cottage Hill came one step closer to fruition last month when the city approved its construction permit.

A statement from an EJI representative Wednesday clarified that the project is part of a "cultural center" the nonprofit is planning. According to the Montgomery documents on file with the city, the project's construction value is estimated to be $30 million. EJI paid the city less than 1% of that number as the required permit fee.

Few other details of the project are publicly available at this time, including design specifics, overall budget and timeline for opening. One of the most important elements, though, is the location: 600 Montgomery Street, the former site of the Hilltop Arms apartments.

Currently, a skeletal structure stands at that address, overlooking downtown from its vantage point near Hilltop Public House. Instead of demolishing the existing structure, EJI's permit states that it will undertake the necessary renovations to convert the building for use as part of the cultural center.

The project is part of a larger venture, according to plans that the Montgomery City Council approved in a July meeting that include construction across the street and a sky bridge to connect the two buildings.

Montgomery's chief building official Kippy Tate said the city has been in communication with EJI throughout the entire planning and design stage to ensure a streamlined process for both entities.

"Our involvement with them was from an economic development angle, and then once we began to understand more about the project, we actually participated in some of the life safety, building code-related items that they needed to resolve before they actually got started," Tate said. "We worked out all issues that could be in place for the developer like that, which would cost them time and money."

From electrical and mechanical codes to plumbing and fire codes, Tate said there are many potential hindrances that can come along with bringing an existing structure up to date, and his team works with developers to catch them before they become problematic.

"The reason why we want to get involved with these major economic development projects is so that developers will feel good about doing business with the city of Montgomery," Tate said. "When you get involved with inspection departments, sometimes it could be a lonely walk through hell, and you don't recover from that a lot of times because it will cause your own or your develop money. We're doing just the opposite. We want the relationship with the people who want to do business in Montgomery to be a pleasant one."

The land where EJI is building the center has long stood vacant, and projects have been started and abandoned there. One developer bought the former Hilltop Arms for an unspecified project in 2006, but dumped it without many changes in 2014.

The location continued to sit empty until industrial developer Sys-Con bought the property in 2016 and announced a luxury development called Hilltop Suites and Spa. Sys-Con publicized lofty plans for multiple on-site restaurants, a rooftop bar and other amenities in 2017.

Just a few years later, the location was once again up for sale.

At the city council meeting in July, representatives from EJI said the nonprofit is fully aware of 600 Montgomery Street's history.

"I think there have been highly publicized but never realized plans that all of us are aware of," EJI senior attorney Sia Sanneh said. "Others think only of their economic benefit and how things can create benefit to their businesses, and we think that’s important, but our approach has always been different. It’s always been unique, and we feel like the results speak for themselves."

While EJI founder and executive director Bryan Stevenson has not yet spoken publicly about the development in Cottage Hill, he expressed his commitment to Montgomery as a whole in his keynote address at the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce annual meeting on Tuesday.

"We have a hope in this community to be something great," Stevenson said. "We have the opportunity in this city to create an identity that speaks not only to this state, but to this nation."

This story was updated at 7:45 p.m. Dec. 13 with a statement from an EJI representative and to clarify the nature of the project.

Alex Gladden contributed to this story. Hadley Hitson covers children's health, education and welfare for the Montgomery Advertiser. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com. To support her work, subscribe to the Advertiser.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery approves EJI construction permit for new cultural center