jmanhsv

^ I heard that the Decatur location will be near Colonial Mall if that helps. I guess Decatur will be Starbucks #9 for the Huntsville area.

The Airport Authority today approved a 10 year concession agreement with AirHost Inc. which will open a McAlisters Deli and a coffee shop in the airport terminal. The ten year agreement will begin when the ongoing airport expansion is complete.

^Nope. US Airways made big fare cuts to cities like Louisville and Raleigh. There are no new non-stop flights; you still have to fly to Charlotte or Reagan National to get to these cities.

Who's all going/been to Big Spring Jam? I just got back from the Crossfade concert.

^I looked on the web a few weeks back, didn't find anything. Why not make a new thread about the new center?

^With the first Target proposal, Decatur was also supposed to get a Panera Bread, another restaurant that I'm confused why it hasn't come to Huntsville yet. However, site plans for Bridge Street suggest a Panera Bread will be built there, next to the Wild Oats.

^I found my information here. Click on "flyer" at the bottom left.

Yeah, Florence, Decatur and Gadsden all got stores before Huntsville. Steak n Shake has wanted to build a Huntsville restaurant for years. I don't know why they haven't done so already...

Random stuff I found today.... Red Robin will open a restaurant in Jones Valley next to Chilis. This will be Huntsville's first or second location, depending on the opening of Bridge Street. ALDI will build its first Madison County store on US 72 near Kohl's. FedEx Kinkos and Verizon Wireless are coanchors of a new shopping center at the corner of 72 and Hughes Road- The Shoppes at Lawsons Ridge.

The city is expanding to Morgan County, or more specifically, the unincorporated community of Lacey's Spring. The city council last night passed a resolution to hold a referendum to annex nearly 1000 acres in Lacey's Spring. This will be the first time the city has annexed south of the Tennessee River, or in Morgan County. The possible annexation was spurred by a large deverlopment that would be "jeopardized" by a proposed rock quarry in the area. Look out Lacey's Spring, the sprawl is coming. http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/ind....xml&coll=1 Also, on the bottom of the front page, there was an article about the council approving ads on city buses. They've been trying to do this for at least two years, and the city failed to get corporate sponsors for bus shelters earlier this year. Huntsville Times article

Cambria Suites will open a hotel on University sometime next year. I know the developers of Paramount Place were looking for a hotel. Comfort Suites, owned by the same company as Cambria Suites, has either opened or is about to open across from Target, and Vista Inns is also building a hotel somewhere along the same stretch of University.

A small development... A Microtel Inn and Suites is being built at the corner of 72 and Shields Road. This is the first Microtel in Huntsville and the first chain hotel in Northeast Huntsville.

Here comes another downtown mid-rise. A new office "village" is being built across the street from the Huntsville Depot and the city's visitor center/transit hub. A strip center was built there recently, and several restaurants are expected to open there soon. The developer also has plans for a 5-6 story office midrise on the property, or as he said in the Huntsville Times, "traditional Huntsville stuff."

CityScapes, the downtown development company owned by Hudson Alpha Biotech Institute founder Jim Hudson, is selling the Hale Brothers Furniture building. One of the potential buyers plan to covert it into apartments, another plans a restaurant. CityScapes, which was planning condos and a nightclub in the building, said the project would cost $4 million, which was too high. The 3-story building was built in the 1930s, and is close to Courthouse Square, which has been a hotspot for new restaurants and bars lately. http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/ind....xml&coll=1

Winchester Plaza is the death blow for the former Winn-Dixie shopping center down the road. Many of the tenants moving into Winchester Plaza are current tenants of Winn-Dixie. All that's going to be left is Rite Aid, Movie Gallery and Dollar General. Too bad... the center was built only 9 years ago. I wouldn't be surprised if Walgreens and Blockbuster come to the area around Winchester Plaza; the same with restaurants like Starbucks, Chick-Fil-A and Pizza Hut. I can see Publix opening a store downtown; they've built them in other cities. But Publix likes to put stores in high-income areas, so if there's ever going to be a downtown store, more mid-to-high range residences (condos) need to be built there.

I guess nobody else saw the ad in the Huntsville Times this morning about Wild Oats wanting to put a store in Huntsville? Some more news from the Times- Lockheed Martin will start construction on a new $30M facility in August. The 166,000 sq ft building on Bradford Drive is scheduled to open in late 2007. This is Lockheed's first expansion in Huntsville since 1996. Huntsville Times article A little update on the Gate 9 project on the Arsenal- The first phase of the project, the Academic and CConference center, will break ground in January. This is where the satellite offices of universities like Georgia and Florida Tech, currently on the Arsenal, will be located. Later, more office space will be built, and possibly some retail and a hotel. The size of the project could eventually be 500,000 sq ft. Huntsville Times article

The Huntsville Planning Board approved 603 new home lots at the meeting yesterday. Most of the new subdivisions are on the westside or in Hampton Cove, but one is located on Meridian Street north of A&M. That part of the city hasn't grown much in the last couple of decades, while the county areas surrounding it (Meridianville, Moores Mill and Chase) have been booming. But the promise of a new Lee High School by the 2010-2011 school year will surely prompt other developers to look north. Huntsville Times article- The article is mostly about the rezoning of an area in the Lincoln Mill neighborhood, which is part of the city's Downtown North revitalization plan.

^Sorry about that Spartan. Huntsville is planning yet another Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district. This new one in Northeast is primarily for the construction of a new high school, but some of the money is going to construction projects and expansions downtown. Some of the proposed downtown projects: Von Braun Center- $4 million major renovation and upgrades Huntsville Museum of Art- $2 million expansion New parking garage- $4 million, to be located near the old Times building (under renovation) and 301 East condo project. Madison County Courthouse- $2 million for new offices on the top 2 floors (the county jail was located there) Downtown Fire Station-$4 million, relocation See the complete list of projects Huntsville Times article

This would be a good place for a small amusement park, though it does flood a lot down there. Huntsville Times article City hopes waterfront land attracts fun, food Hearing to zone tract for business, recreation Aug. 24 Friday, July 14, 2006 By JOHN PECK Times Staff Writer Do no paste articles on UrbanPlanet. We are not a news site, we are here to discuss the issues. I suggest you review the rules regarding this issue. They can be found using the link in the yellow bar at the top. -Spartan

The Huntsville Museum of Art plans to expand. Along with it comes Huntsville's first underground parking garage. From the Huntsville Times Art museum growth plan gets boost from Shelby $10M to $12M expansion includes gallery, auditorium Thursday, July 13, 2006 By RYAN HICKMAN Times Staff Writer Do no paste articles on UrbanPlanet. We are not a news site, we are here to discuss the issues. I suggest you review the rules regarding this issue. They can be found using the link in the yellow bar at the top. -Spartan

I did a little Google research on some of the airlines (the ones I bolded), and here's what I found out: Frontier Airlines Hub- Denver Closest Service- Nashville (3 Flights to Denver, 1 flight to Cancun daily) What can Hsv expect?- 1 flight to Denver daily. Allegiant Air Hub(s)- Las Vegas, Orlando Closest Service- Shreveport, St. Louis (both several times weekly to LV), and Roanoke (several times wkly to Orl) What can Hsv expect- 3 flights weekly to Las Vegas, and a couple of flights to Orlando AirTran Hub(s)-Atlanta, Orlando Closest service- Memphis (to Atl only) What can Hsv expect- 4 Flights to Atlanta daily United Hubs- Chicago, Washington-Dulles (the one we really need) Closest service- Nashville (flights to Chicago, Dulles and Denver) What can Hsv expect- 2 flights to Dulles daily Southwest is not coming, no matter how hard the Airport Authority might try, and Transtates is a small business carrier. AirTran and United are our best bets; Frontier might be good too in the future.

I know this story's a few days old... Tennessee Valley Agri-Energy has plans to build Alabama's first ethanol plant in Decatur, according to the June 7 edition of the Birmingham News. The size of the plant and the amount of jobs it will create is uncertain right now, but most plants produce 50 million-100 million gallons of ethanol per year. Last year, Alabama harvested 23.8M bushels of corn at a value of almost $56M, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. In the US, there are approximately 100 plants in operation and another 32 under construction. Most of these plants are in the Midwest.

A $20M riverfront condo project is getting underway in Southwest Limestone county. Two Rivers at the Pointe will have 5 floors and 61 condos, the largest riverfront condo project in N Alabama to date (though that 7-story building in Guntersville should top this). 70% of the condos have sold, mainly to second home buyers, BRAC transfers, and people leaving the Gulf Coast. Features of the peoject include boat slips, waterfalls, a fountain and a hiking trail. Decatur Daily article: River condo developer breaks ground

Two small Huntsville Times articles on Madison growth. City's residential growth shows no sign of slowing Wednesday, July 05, 2006 By THOMAS R. TINGLE For the Madison Spirit Commercial developers eye County Line for ventures as strip malls near completion Wednesday, July 05, 2006 By THOMAS R. TINGLE For the Madison Spirit Do no paste articles on UrbanPlanet. We are not a news site, we are here to discuss the issues. I suggest you review the rules regarding this issue. They can be found using the link in the yellow bar at the top. -Spartan

Todays Huntsville Times article on the development: The square takes shape I really like the idea of sidewalk dining. It does work well in Europe, but it will be interesting to see it being utilized in a hotter, more humid climate.