ST. PAUL — Ramsey County commissioners have approved a plan to tear down the old West Publishing buildings to make room for new riverfront development in downtown St. Paul.

The county board voted Tuesday to sell $11.5 million in bonds to tear down the former headquarters of the legal publishing company as well as the former county jail, which are all built into the Mississippi River bluff. The West buildings had been used as county offices since the company moved to Eagan in 1992. County officials tried unsuccessfully to sell the properties as-is for nearly a decade.

No developer has stepped forward yet with plans to remake the six-acre site and take advantage of its commanding views over the river. But County Commissioner Rafael Ortega said making the site shovel-ready will lure developers.