Lawmakers advance bill to sell old ABC warehouse in Madison

A bill to sell the state-owned 211,000-square-foot Alcohol Beverage Control warehouse in Madison is headed to a legislative conference committee, Magnolia Tribune reported. The sale could proceed once the governor signs off on the bill, the publication reported.

The warehouse, built in 1983, is being replaced by a $95 million, state-bond-funded, 400,000-square-foot facility in Canton, Magnolia Tribune reported. The Canton facility was scheduled for completion in August, and state officials are prepared for possible construction delays, the report said.

Senate conferees on the bill are Sen. Bart Williams, R., Sen. Juan Barnett, D., and Sen. Philman Lander, R., Magnolia Tribune reported. House conferees are Rep. Richard Bennett, R., Rep. Gregory Holloway, D., and Rep. Gene Newman, R., the report said.

“I don’t see any issues as long as the state has two appraisals and receives fair market value or better for the building,” Sen. Bart Williams told Magnolia Tribune. Williams also said, “We will make the sale,” and added that “the building cannot be occupied [by the purchaser] until the new building is occupied and running successfully,” the report said.

The Madison County Economic Development Authority has expressed interest in the property. “We think it would be a great asset,” MCEDA CEO Larkin Simpson told Magnolia Tribune, saying the facility is suitable for light manufacturing, warehousing, food production or industrial use. Simpson noted the cold storage units and proximity to a major interstate — less than a half mile away — and said MCEDA already has a customer in mind for the cold storage area, the report said.

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