By AMY JONES / Associate Editor

BIRMINGHAM — Trinity Medical Center recently purchased the former HealthSouth building on U.S. 280, moving forward with plans to relocate to the building.

After years of legal battles with Brookwood Medical Center and St. Vincent’s Hospital, the Alabama Supreme Court paved the way for Trinity to relocate in May 2013 after ruling against hearing further arguments against the move.

According to a statement from Trinity Medical Center CEO Keith Granger, Trinity purchased the hospital building and 14 acres of land, to be developed for parking structures and a medical office building, for $36 million.

Also according to the statement, Trinity also paid $1.6 million for approximately 14 acres of vacant land, adjacent to the hospital building, to be held for future development.

“We are pleased to have completed these transactions as we move forward with our plans to begin construction,” Granger said in the statement.

Once construction — expected to begin later this year — is underway, the hospital is expected to take 18-24 months to complete. Trinity will be the anchor of the Cahaba Center at Grandview campus, which will also include hotels, office buildings, parking decks and retail businesses, according to previous reports.