BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — Plans to turn the Hallmark Farms property off I-65 in Warrior into a destination agriculture and event center are one step closer to reality.
Alabama’s newly created agriculture authority plans to close on the purchase the 500 plus acre parcel of land on March 21, according to Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight.
Knight is a member of the Hallmark Cooperative District, which owns the property.
“It’s a beautiful piece of property,” Knight said. “It’s been well taken care of over the years. Once we acquired the title to it several years ago, we’ve kept it up, kept it clean, done some repairs, whatever we needed to do.”
Knight says Jefferson County plans to contribute $16.5 million through an in-kind donation by helping with modifications to the property. The new Agriculture Exhibition Center Corporation (AECC) plans to purchase the land for $13.5 million dollars, according to Matthew Durdin with the Alabama Farmers Federation.
“It is a significant step,” he noted. “The AECC Board will now actually control the property, they’ll have agreements with the county, agreements with the state, and you know chose and hire our contractors and our architects and those type of things.”