Riverwalk Plaza Condo Registration Opens Nov. 12 as Developer Unveils Taller 33-Story Mobile Tower

MOBILE, Ala. — The long-delayed Riverwalk Plaza condo tower on downtown Mobile’s waterfront is getting taller, and its developer is now ready to start taking names. Burton Property Group on Wednesday unveiled an updated design for the mixed-use project next to the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center, showing a 33-story tower, and announced that Riverwalk Plaza condo registration will open at 8 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12.

Prospective buyers will be able to reserve a place in line with a refundable $5,000 deposit. One-bedroom units are expected to start at a pre-construction price of $790,000, according to the Mobile-based developer.

The announcement came one day after the Mobile City Council approved a one-year extension of the agreement for the sale of the city-owned riverfront land where the project is planned, giving the development team until October 2027 to complete its review of the property. Construction is still ahead: the company said it expects to spend the next 18 months completing pre-construction steps, and it anticipates another 12 to 18 months before construction can begin.

“These updated project plans and the launch of condo registration mark a major milestone for this project,” Philip Burton, president and CEO of Burton Property Group, said in a statement. “With this step, we’re moving from the design and engineering process into sales and pre-construction activities. We’re appreciative of the strong support from the City of Mobile on this project as we work to deliver this transformative landmark on our downtown riverfront.”

A bigger vision for the riverfront

The new renderings represent a bolder plan than the one first outlined in 2023. The tower would rise 418 feet, which would make it Mobile’s third-tallest building, just 6 feet shorter than the RSA Trustmark Building. The updated design also calls for expanded retail areas and more condominium units than earlier plans, the company said.

Burton said the new design grew out of market research and conversations with the city of Mobile, the state of Alabama and the Alabama Port Authority.

According to Burton Property Group, Riverwalk Plaza would become the first mixed-use residential and commercial development along the city’s waterfront. Current plans call for:

• 88 luxury condominium residences
• A full-service hotel, with the hotel brand to be announced
• Approximately 50,000 square feet of Class A office space
• Waterfront retail and dining
• A rooftop restaurant, bar and event spaces
• Hotel and residential pools
• Spa and wellness amenities
• Meeting and banquet facilities
• Structured parking

When the city first announced the project in 2023, plans called for Burton to build a hotel, condominiums, offices, restaurants, shops, a rooftop bar and a boat launch on the land beside the convention center. The project, then described as a $100 million development, was supposed to begin in 2025 but has been delayed since.

How condo registration will work

Burton Property Group is partnering on the residential side with Brett Real Estate/Robinson Development Company, better known as Brett/Robinson, a longtime developer and marketer of condominiums along the Alabama coast. Together, the companies will open registration next month for the project’s 88 condominiums.

Key details released by the developer include:

• Opening date: 8 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12
• Deposit: $5,000, refundable
• Starting price: One-bedroom units anticipated at $790,000 pre-construction
• Floor plans: Multiple layouts will be offered

Registration does not amount to buying a unit. It establishes a buyer’s place in line, and those buyers would have the opportunity to convert their reservations into purchase agreements if the project moves to construction. The company said early registration would allow buyers to purchase condos at prices below the expected market value.

Pre-construction sales are a common step for high-rise condominium projects. Developers and lenders often look for a meaningful number of committed buyers before financing and construction move forward, and refundable reservations give a developer a gauge of demand without locking buyers into a contract before final plans and pricing are set.

“Riverwalk Plaza represents an important investment in Mobile’s future and a truly unique opportunity for homebuyers,” said John Brett, managing member and former president and chairman of Brett/Robinson.

Mayor: ‘A centerpiece of our waterfront’

Mobile Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis welcomed the announcement and tied the condo launch to the question of whether the project can be financed.

“The announcement that these condos are available is fantastic,” Cheriogotis said. “It’s another step in this process to ensure that the financial viability of that project is there. I can’t wait to see the response from it, and I can’t wait to see that tower built because it will truly be a centerpiece of our waterfront.”

The project’s progress has been watched closely. Burton missed its own deadline to start construction by the end of last year, raising questions about whether the development would move forward. The company has said it remains committed to the project and has described it as complicated.

Council extends the land deal to 2027

The City Council agreed in 2024 to sell the 1.8-acre waterfront parcel north of the convention center to One Water LLC, the entity tied to the project, for about $3.3 million. The city and the developer signed the original purchase and sale agreement in October 2024.

A first amendment in July 2025 extended the buyer’s inspection period to October 2026. On Tuesday, Oct. 20, the council approved a second amendment that extends the agreement by one more year, to October 2027. As South AL News reported when the amendment was proposed, the change pushes the end of the inspection period from Oct. 26, 2026, to Oct. 26, 2027, and does not alter the price or the planned uses of the property.

In a commercial real estate deal, the inspection or due diligence period is the window in which a buyer examines a property, including its title, environmental condition, utilities, zoning and access, before its commitment becomes firm. During that period, the buyer can generally walk away under the terms of the contract. Extending it keeps the developer engaged on a high-profile downtown site, while leaving the land tied up for another year without a final commitment to close.

Water Street and the rail line remain key hurdles

Over the next 18 months, Burton Property Group said, it expects to complete its remaining pre-construction milestones. Those include:

• Transitioning condo registrations into reservations
• Finalizing commitments from office tenants
• Selecting and announcing a high-end hotel brand
• Completing permitting
• Resolving remaining access requirements involving Water Street and the CSX rail line

“The development team also expects to complete permitting and resolve remaining access requirements involving Water Street and the CSX rail line during that period,” the company’s statement said.

Access has been a recurring issue for the site. In September, the Mobile Chamber said the city and the project team were working through infrastructure needs, including how people would get into and out of the development. The riverfront property sits between busy Water Street, active rail lines and the approaches to the Interstate 10 tunnels, a combination that complicates traffic flow, parking and pedestrian connections.

Cheriogotis told reporters after Tuesday’s council vote that the development depends in large part on the city’s ability to make Water Street more pedestrian-friendly.

“The infrastructure around it matters,” he said. “A redesign of Water Street, specifically at or near that project, I think if you talk to the developers and the designers, they would see that as absolutely integral.”

Water Street is the busy downtown thoroughfare connecting Interstate 10 with Interstate 165. The city is pursuing a separate effort to reshape it. A $829,923 study by the engineering firm Volkert is examining the possibility of reducing the number of lanes along Water Street to calm traffic and better connect Mobile’s waterfront with its historic downtown and the Dauphin Street entertainment district.

Earlier this year, the city applied for $25 million in federal grants to install a linear park down Water Street’s median and reduce the street’s traffic lanes, but that application was not successful. Cheriogotis said the city will continue seeking grant funding for the proposed transformation.

Burton’s new renderings reflect that vision. Some of the images show Water Street incorporated into a park-like setting that links the convention center area with downtown, and the updated designs show the street reduced to one lane in each direction at the foot of Riverwalk Plaza.

Riverwalk Plaza timeline

• 2023: The city announces Burton will develop a hotel, condominium and commercial project next to the convention center.
• 2024: The City Council agrees to sell about 1.8 acres to One Water LLC for about $3.3 million; the purchase agreement is signed in October 2024.
• July 2025: A first amendment extends the inspection period to October 2026.
• 2025: The original groundbreaking target passes, and the developer misses its goal of starting construction by year’s end.
• Oct. 20, 2026: The council approves a one-year extension, to October 2027.
• Oct. 21, 2026: Burton Property Group unveils the updated 33-story design.
• Nov. 12, 2026: Condo registration opens at 8 a.m.
• Next 12 to 18 months: Pre-construction work, including tenants, hotel brand, permits and access issues.

Part of a changing downtown

Riverwalk Plaza is one of several major projects reshaping downtown Mobile and its waterfront. A new downtown arena is set to open next spring, Mobile International Airport’s new commercial terminal at Brookley is scheduled to open next year, and construction has begun on the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project, which will carry I-10 across the river just south of downtown.

City leaders have long viewed the riverfront land beside the convention center as a key opportunity to draw more visitors, residents and businesses downtown.

For now, the next milestone is Nov. 12, when the developer will get its first look at how many buyers are willing to put money down. The response to registration, along with progress on Water Street and the rail access questions, is likely to shape how quickly the project can move from renderings to construction.