The vacant and closed Richmond Coliseum is headed for redevelopment.

City Council on Monday agreed to hand the building over the Economic Development Authority to begin the process of replacing the 51-year-old building with apartments, offices or other new projects.

The decision came as the council also agreed to hold a special meeting Tuesday, May 31, to extend from Monday, June 6, to Friday, Aug. 5, the deadline to pay personal property tax bills on vehicles.

Under the approved Coliseum plan, the EDA is to seek a developer willing to demolish the building, restore the streets the Coliseum took out and develop a new project.

EDA was granted two years to find and award the project located between 5th and 7th streets near City Hall. The goal is to have development underway within three years.

The decision comes after the council’s previous approval of a long-range plan of development for city property near the Coliseum. Among other things, the plan calls for moving the John Marshall Courts Building and City Hall to new locations

The Coliseum project follows an agreement authorizing a private developer to replace the old Public Safety Building on 9th Street.

That project, expected to start this year, is to include office and research space for Virginia Commonwealth University and replacement hotels for the Ronald McDonald House and Doorways, which house families of hospital patients.

The council also gave the green light to the administration’s plan to create the Richmond Behavioral Health Foundation to support development of a trauma and healing response network for families who have lost loved ones to violence. The foundation would initially have $366,000 to fund programs that the Richmond City Health District would coordinate.

The council also approved an administration proposal to beef up the city’s community gardening program, including authorizing the hiring of a community garden coordinator, allowing community gardens in city parks and enabling partici- pating gardeners to sell their produce.