By Alabama Public Radio
Birmingham, AL – Birmingham's Sloss Real Estate Group has a plan to buy the vacant Pizitz department store. The eight-story building was built in 1923 and was home to Pizitz family's department store for many years. The 225,000 square-foot structure has been empty for at least seven years. The Sloss group would put as many as 100 homes there. Officials say the project could speed up other downtown redevelopment projects in Birmingham. Sloss is putting together a financing and development plan that calls for creating commercial space on the ground floor and residences on upper floors. Officials say the cost is expected to approach $35 million. Leigh Ferguson is the director of urban living at Sloss Group. Ferguson says it's going to be a major investment downtown, but a team is ready to tackle it.