Birmingham holds an EPA-funded brownfields meeting at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at McAlpine Recreation Center. Residents can name empty sites they want tested.

Birmingham wants Pratt and Ensley residents to point out the empty lots and abandoned buildings that should be checked for contamination first. The city will hold a brownfields community meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, at McAlpine Recreation Center, 1115 Avenue F.

The city announced the meeting on Thursday, Nov. 5, in a news release. Residents can learn about the program, meet the project team, ask questions and say what they want for the two neighborhoods.

What a brownfield is

The city defines brownfields as blighted, abandoned or underused properties that may be contaminated, or that could be reused. Its examples:

  • abandoned homes and shopping centers
  • former dry cleaners, gas stations and auto repair shops
  • closed schools and churches
  • former industrial or mining sites

The program looks for environmental problems that stand in the way of new housing, shops, community services, recreation or jobs. The city says assessments can show what a property could become, support reuse planning and attract investment.

Where the money comes from

The program is paid for by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA selected the City of Birmingham for a $500,000 community-wide Brownfields Assessment Grant in May 2025, according to the agency’s grant fact sheet.

The fact sheet says the grant is meant to pay for:

Work Number
Phase I environmental site assessments (records and site history) 7
Phase II environmental site assessments (soil and water testing) 6
Reuse plans 4

It also covers an update of the city’s brownfield inventory and community outreach. EPA notes that the fact sheet is drawn from the city’s application, and the amount and activities can change when the grant agreement is signed.

Which sites are on the list so far

The city’s Nov. 5 release names two initial priority sites:

  • the former Ensley High School
  • former U.S. Steel mining and production sites

The lists do not all match. The city’s event listing for the same meeting names the former U.S. Pipe and Foundry site and North Birmingham Elementary instead. EPA’s fact sheet, written from the 2025 application, lists four:

  • the 48-acre U.S. Pipe & Foundry site
  • the 40-acre former Carver High School
  • the 600-acre Ensley Works site
  • a 2.8-acre brick building at 2000 Pleasant Hill Road

The city says more sites can be added from public input, from properties it has already identified and from recommendations by its Brownfields Advisory Committee. That is the point of the Dec. 3 meeting.

Not the first grant for the area

The Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham won a separate $500,000 EPA assessment grant in 2022. Its target areas included Tuxedo Junction, a two-block stretch of Ensley, according to EPA’s 2022 fact sheet.

What it means for you

  • Go on Dec. 3 if you live or own property in Pratt or Ensley. It is 5:30 p.m. at McAlpine Recreation Center, 1115 Avenue F.
  • Bring addresses. The city is asking residents to name properties they think should be investigated, and ideas for what those sites could become.
  • Can’t make it? Email the city’s project contacts, Timothy Gambrel at Timothy.Gambrel@birminghamal.gov or Donald Wilborn at Donald.Wilborn@birminghamal.gov.
  • An assessment is not a cleanup. The grant pays for testing and plans. It does not on its own pay to clear or rebuild a site.

More on the neighborhood: our Ensley guide. Other city news: road construction and closures and who to call at City Hall.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Pratt and Ensley brownfields meeting?

5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, 2026, at McAlpine Recreation Center, 1115 Avenue F, according to the City of Birmingham.

What is a brownfield?

The city describes brownfields as blighted, abandoned or underused properties that may be contaminated or could be reused, such as old gas stations, dry cleaners, auto shops, closed schools and churches, and former industrial or mining sites.

Who pays for Birmingham’s brownfields program?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA selected the city for a $500,000 community-wide Brownfields Assessment Grant in May 2025, according to the agency’s grant fact sheet.