Metro Huntsville Development News

[Rocket256]

Denise Vickers is Named News Director of WHNT-TV

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/08/03/1770810.htm

[HSVTiger]

Barnes & Noble to open at Bridge Street

Barnes & Noble, Inc., the world

[convulso]

I guess nobody else saw the ad in the Huntsville Times this morning about Wild Oats wanting to put a store in Huntsville?

wild oats in alabama? awesome. they rock (and i'm not even a hippie vegan type.) now, where's trader joe's?

Edited August 8, 2006 by convulso

[jmanhsv]

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

Edited August 9, 2006 by jmanhsv

[jmanhsv]

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."

[HSVTiger]

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."

yeah no one dares to break the 10 story glass ceiling over the city. It might look too good or scare people

[Shawn35816]

yeah no one dares to break the 10 story glass ceiling over the city. It might look too good or scare people

Look at it this way. With years of these 5-6 story midrises the city will become more dense and when we do start to get those highrises in place it will make for a more urban feel. Huntsville definetly needs to fill in the open spaces that are here before really getting into highrises.

[Rocket256]

Hmmmm... That pretty much mirrors what a good friend of mines said about Huntsville's skyline future on another forum...

[Rocket256]

Oh yeah.. Gotta love those midrises... Looks to be that will be all to offer in the city's skyline future the next couple of years...

[jmanhsv]

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.

[HSVTiger]

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.

thats good, I believe one may also be one planned over on University close to Super Target.

Now several hotels in the Hampton Cove area need to pop up

No hotels beyond east of the Parkway except the downtown locations

[HSVTiger]

ALDOT is under the gun

Decatur Daily - August 15, 2006

As the unofficial "mayor of Redstone Arsenal," Col. John Olshefski's job is to prepare the U.S. Army base for the massive Base Realignment and Closure procedure, which could start as early as next summer.

Olshefski, garrison commander at Redstone Arsenal, told the Rotary Club of Decatur on Monday that the Tennessee Valley area should prepare for 4,600 military employees and their families and an influx of as many as 20,000 employees of defense-contract companies.

"This is the biggest financial generator in the history of Alabama," said Olshefski, introduced by Jim Page of the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce.

Olshefski said BRAC is such a big deal in the Army that Redstone Arsenal is going from one two-star general and doing just missile and weapons systems work to a four-star general, two three-star generals and "doing everything - tanks, automobiles, communications, electronics, aviation, etc." For more details, see

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/n...0815/brac.shtml

[jmanhsv]

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.

Edited August 15, 2006 by jmanhsv

[HSVTiger]

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.

That's great news (should be downtown) The new Homewood Suites at Providence opens in a few months

110 rooms and it is super nice it looks like.

A Drury Inn downtown seems like an easy decision to make as well

Edited August 15, 2006 by HSVTiger

[HSVTiger]

Huntsville International parking deck expansion (right foreground)

1000 + spaces, 2007 completion

[jmanhsv]

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

Edited August 25, 2006 by jmanhsv

[Rocket256]

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

that's probably gonna cost the city a lot just to bring city services...

Edited August 26, 2006 by Rocket256

[AlabamaGuy2007]

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

I really don't like this idea of expanding into MorCo. It puts Huntsville uncomfortably close to Decatur. Gives Huntsville a footing to extend towards Somerville, Priceville, then Decatur. I know that no one in Decatur wants their sense of identity to be taken away. If Hville ever did decide to try and get Decatur that'd put them in power of nearly half the population of the metro area, and would put them in place to take over every other city in the vicinity.

Of course, I realize this sounds like some weird, unprobable empire, but you all understand what I mean.

[HSVTiger]

I really don't like this idea of expanding into MorCo. It puts Huntsville uncomfortably close to Decatur. Gives Huntsville a footing to extend towards Somerville, Priceville, then Decatur. I know that no one in Decatur wants their sense of identity to be taken away. If Hville ever did decide to try and get Decatur that'd put them in power of nearly half the population of the metro area, and would put them in place to take over every other city in the vicinity.

Of course, I realize this sounds like some weird, unprobable empire, but you all understand what I mean.

This is land that Decatur can't get anyway. The two cities already touch at I-65. HSV is not going to "get"

Decatur. HSV can't take over any city, They already tried years ago with Madison, (the people voted)

Now with that said, there are area's in Limestone county that are in the HSV city limits that could be extended and effect what Athen's does . But it still comes down to what the land owner wants.

[Rocket256]

the roof lighting on the embassy suites hotel isn't that impressive..

[jmanhsv]

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.

[AlabamaGuy2007]

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.

Decatur got an ALDI store before MadCo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????

Edited September 7, 2006 by AlabamaGuy2007

[Rocket256]

Decatur got an ALDI store before MadCo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????

that's not uncommon.. Florence had a Target long before Huntsville got one.. we still don't have a Macy's, a jack in the box, or a steak n' shake.. mmmm steak n' shake...

[jmanhsv]

Decatur got an ALDI store before MadCo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????

Yeah, Florence, Decatur and Gadsden all got stores before Huntsville.

that's not uncommon.. Florence had a Target long before Huntsville got one.. we still don't have a Macy's, a jack in the box, or a steak n' shake.. mmmm steak n' shake...

Steak n Shake has wanted to build a Huntsville restaurant for years. I don't know why they haven't done so already...

Edited September 7, 2006 by jmanhsv

[HSVTiger]

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...

yeah it's a mystery, they could have 4 locations without any trouble