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In the next few days, leaders from Huntsville and surrounding counties will hold a "town hall" meeting in Northern Virginia to recruit as many Department of Defense workers as possible to the area. For those who don't know, Huntsville/Redstone Arsenal is expected to gain about 5,000 direct civilian military jobs as a result of BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure), most of them from Fort Belvoir south of DC. It is predicted that up to 5000 more subcontractor jobs will follow. If all goes well this week, the Huntsville area could have the largest population boom since the 1960s.

Here's the Ovation building next to the Summit tower, expected to open later this winter:

^Yes, I know that. But are they developing brand new stores?

Oops, I forgot about this. Crestwood is planning a 2-floor, 115,000 sq ft expansion for a wing of their hospital campus. The cost will be $25M, and should be finished sometime in 2007. Huntsville Times article: Panel Gives OK for Crestwood to add 2 floors

Finally! Wow, somehow I knew PF Changs was going to Bridge Street. I wonder what the anchor stores will be. The only ones not in Huntsville that I can think of are either too high end (Nordstrom, Nieman Marcus) or going under (Saks, Macys). Anyone have any predictions?

I like the development, but there needs to be more hotels down in Orange Beach. They've been tearing down all of the hotels for these massive condo developments. The last time I was down there I stayed at a hotel that was about to be demolished for another Phoenix (do they really need that many Phoenix buildings?)....

^I think there was a "modernization" of the airport in the 90s, but I'm not sure about how much it cost. The remodeling came at about the same time the airport changed its name from Huntsville Jetport to Huntsville International.

Huntsville's airport is getting a needed facelift. For the next 3 years, the airport will spend $32.8M to expand the public waiting area, the baggage claim and the concession area. The airport will also spend $25.7M on a new parking deck east of the terminal. Huntsville Times article: Airport undergoing $32.8M facelift

I heard on WVNN this afternoon that a company has announced it will locate in North Huntsville's "eco-friendly" industrial park. GEO Solutions has announced that they will build a 20,000 sq. ft office building there, with construction beginning this spring. For those who don't know, this park is also home to a Toyota engine plant that will employ about 800 when finished.

World Famous Bridge Street is no longer "world famous". The developers have changed the name to Bridge Street Town Centre. Also, they said that they will make the "big announcement" about tenants soon. However, they said the same thing back in June, so it might be a while folks.

Groundbreaking was held today for Main Street Lofts, a 5-story development in the Providence community. This will be the latest addition to the Town Center currently under development there. The bottom floor will be restaurants and retail, the other floors residential.

I checked out the Decatur Daily today and found three articles on the city's own downtown revitalization. The first article is about an architect's "vision" for the area. The next article talks about ideas to bring more residents and retailers downtown. The last article is about Calhoun Community College's proposal to move its fine arts center to downtown Decatur. Visions for a vibrant downtown Healing an ailing area: Restoring downtown Fine arts classes in heart of city?

Yeah, parking is going to be a major concern, especially if they put it around Big Spring Park. Marketsquare would be the best place to put it. It has lots of parking and is in a visible location. And it would be a great addition to the "river" walk they are building there.

This week has been big in downtown development. Now Sci-Quest wants to get in on the fun. For those who don't know, Sci-Quest is the local hands-on science museum, like Creative Discovery in Chattanooga and Adventure in Nashville. It is currently located in Research Park, but the city wants it to move downtown soon. Huntsville Times article: City eyes Sci-Quest for downtown

Starbucks is probably not far behind....

^I live in North Huntsville, and I agree that there needs to be some type of Bridge Street development here. But Bridge Street is in West Huntsville because there are 8,000 homes being planned or built there right now, and the average income is in the $60,000s. Developers are attracted to these locations. But very soon, North Huntsville's day will come. You heard it here first! A Huntsville Times article in today's paper made the announcement that I mentioned here about a month and a half ago. Since the article is short, I'll post it here (this is not the whole article) Lowe's plans new store in southeast Tuesday, November 22, 2005 From staff reports Huntsville Times There's an improvement on the horizon in southeast Huntsville - home improvement, that is. Lowe's announced plans Monday to build a store at Sutton Road and U.S. 431, where site work is already under way. The 117,000-square-foot home improvement warehouse store is expected to open next fall, according to the company. It will include a garden center with more than 31,000 square feet of space. According to the company, a store of this size can create up to 175 jobs and represents an average investment of $18.5 million.

Normally, I would not post anything here about a 200-lot subdivision in Huntsville. But this one is unique because of its location. Hunter Homes, a local subdivision developer, is building a 178-lot subdivision along Meridian Street in North Huntsville, just north of Alabama A&M University. It is the biggest residential development in years for this part of town. Most of the development north of Huntsville has been concentrated in Meridianville, Hazel Green, and in recent years, along the AL/TN border. Hunter Homes says they are "ahead of the curve" with this development. I hope they are right. Huntsville Times article: Growth will go in new direction

Here's my virtual map..... The blue dot at the bottom is where the Metro Jail complex is being built. North Downtown BTW, if anyone has any pics of downtown Huntsville development, please post them.

Here's how the major projects are shaping up: Big Spring Summit- They have "topped off", and right now they are working on the windows. The project should be complete by February at the latest. Embassy Suites- They are at the 9th floor, and the ground floor is shaping up. Work on the skywalk linking it to the VBC South Hall should begin any day now. It is scheduled to be completed in mid 2006, but I think it will be finished sooner. 301 East- It is at the 3rd floor, making it visible from 565. Construction is moving on smoothly, and it should be done in Fall 2006. Metro Jail- They are on the 6th or 7th floor. The 8 story building should be ready be next year. Not much information has been made public about this project, mainly b/c it is a jail and will not be used for residential or commercial. However, the city wants to revitalize the area around the Metro Jail, or North Downtown. This area is the main focus of a revised Downtown Master Plan, introduced last night. The city wants more residential/commercial development here, similar to what is happening downtown. Someone suggested that the area under the 565 overpass should be parking, though I think it should be made into parkspace or a greenway. Huntsville Times article: Downtown Update Looks North

^That is Bicentennial Park, which is right behind the EarlyWorks museum. I haven't gotten down there yet, but I hear it's very nice. A time capsule, which will be opened in 2055, is the centerpiece of the park. The renderings can be found here. NOTE: This is a pdf file.

^I haven't found one yet. But as soon as I do, I'll post it on here.

The Comprehensive Cancer Institute is building a new headquarters on the west side. The $29 million, 3-story building will open next October. The institute is currently located in the Medical District. I should have a rendering for the building on Monday, but in the meantime, here's a map of the location. The red dot is where the institute will be located.

The owners of the Embassy Suites have said that they are negotiating with Ruth's Chris for a restaurant inside the hotel. If the negotiation is successful, then Ruth's Chris will be the first chain restaurant downtown in many years. The article: Hotel, Ruth's Chris Talking

The Southern Bypass has become the city's "major focus". With 5,000 jobs coming to Redstone Arsenal in the next 5 years, commuting will become a hassle. The Southern Bypass will run across the Arsenal, from 565/Research Park Blvd. to Memorial Parkway/Green Cove Road. This was part of the mayor's State of the City adress yesterday. The article: City's focus now shifts to bypass

The man who opened the Montgomery Brewing Company a decade ago is now getting ready to open a brewpub in "downtown" Madison. Madison Station Brewing Company will be inside of an old cotton gin. It will feature a brewery, a 300-seat banquet room, an upscale restaurant called the Bier Garden, and a pub. The $1.4 million brewpub is expected to open sometime next year. Huntsville Times article: Hoist a glass for Madison