NATCHEZ — The City of Natchez is looking for a developer to renovate and utilize the former General Hospital building on Oak Street.

The Natchez Board of Aldermen initiated the process to issue requests for proposals at its meeting last week.

Mayor Darryl Grennell said developers have expressed interest in the building, which needed to be cleaned up before developers could make an estimate about renovation costs.

Grennell said the building has been subject to copper theft, as well as theft of pipes that caused flooding in the building. The city recently went in and cleaned inside the building, Grennell said.

The building was constructed in 1925 and once housed Natchez General Hospital.

Through the years, the building was the location of the Guardian Shelter and served as apartments.

Gleichman and Company formerly owned the building, which was abandoned along with Brumfield Apartments by its management company, Stanford Management, in February 2011.

The building was turned over to the state after taxes went unpaid, and the state turned over ownership to the city.

Neighboring residents previously spoke out against an affordable housing development in the building that was proposed in 2013.

Grennell said developers have expressed interest in using the building for various purposes, including upscale senior living and a youth center.

Ward 1 Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux-Mathis, in whose ward the building is located, said she would like to see the property used for a purpose that does not increase the footprint of the building, is agreeable to neighbors and does not disturb the area.

Arceneaux-Mathis said the city chose to issues RFPs rather than sell the property so city officials could ensure the building’s use is best for the neighborhood. Arceneaux-Mathis said she thinks the RFP process is the most transparent way the city can go about working with developers.

“We want to know who the people are, what they’re proposing, and we’re going to have hearings on it so the public will know,” Arceneaux-Mathis said.