The Alabama Legislature on Wednesday released images of a new State House, pictures developed as part of the plans that are advancing into the construction phase.

The Retirement Systems of Alabama will build the five-story structure on a site previously used as a parking lot that is across Ripley Street from the current State House. The RSA will lease it to the Legislature.

The current State House will come down, replaced by a green space between the new building and the rear of the State Capitol on Union Street.

The plan calls for an underground parking deck for about 300 vehicles just north of the green space, topped by a pavilion. There will be parking for about 200 vehicles under the State House.

Alabama’s current State House is a retrofitted building constructed in 1963 for the Alabama Highway Department. In 1985, the Legislature moved in for what was supposed to be a temporary stay while the Capitol was renovated. But the move became permanent.

A facility assessment conducted by an engineering firm in March 2020 found that the eight-story, 315,000 square foot building needed $51 million in repairs, renovations and replacements over 10 years. Officials have cited the limited space for public access, poor accessibility for people with disabilities, flooding and mold.

In September, the Legislative Council, a panel of 20 lawmakers, entered a contract with the RSA for a new State House.

Sen. Sam Givhan, R-Huntsville, chair of the Legislative Council, said the cost is not yet known because the interior design is not completed. The plan calls for the Legislative Council to enter a 25-year lease that would provide the RSA an 8% profit on its investment. RSA’s real estate holdings are a component in the assets it holds to support the funds that pay retirement benefits for public employees.

Givhan said he expects the new building to be finished in time for the start of the next Legislature in 2027.

The Legislature released diagrams of the second floor, which will include committee rooms, and the fifth floor, where the meeting chambers of the House of Representatives and the Senate will be.

Senate Secretary Pat Harris said the House chamber will be larger, as will committee rooms and areas for the press. Alabama Public Television will have studios in the building, and there will be a working press room.

“The participation of everybody, whether it’s the public or the lobbyists, or the press, they’ve all got much more access to what’s going on in the building,” Harris said. “So we’re real pleased with that.”

Harris said the new State House will have four entrances, down from 11 with the current building, which he said will improve safety.

Givhan and Harris have said the RSA’s experience in developing office buildings and other projects around the state, which include resort hotels and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, have helped build support for the project. The RSA’s office buildings have reshaped downtown Montgomery over the last few decades.

Givhan said the design of the interior is not finished.

“We have agreed to the basic footprint and generic floor plates of the building,” Givhan said in an email. “Details are being worked out on exterior finishes and interior divisions of offices, conference rooms and work space.  I believe that we are fairly well settled in on the committee room locations and designs, which will substantially emulate those from Virginia’s new legislative building.”

According to Givhan, the Legislative Council can unilaterally terminate the agreement up until the point that the council formally approves the design plans. In that case, the Legislature would have to reimburse the RSA for its costs plus 8%.

A year ago, the Legislative Council directed senior staff officials at the Legislature to explore the idea of a new State House and discuss it with the RSA.

In May, the Legislature approved a bill to give the Legislative Council control of the state-owned property where the new State House is planned.