Mobile Developments

[Southron]

The Mobile Arts & Sports Association, parent organization of the Senior Bowl, bought a 3-story downtown building that will be renovated to provide a location for the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame Museum. The museum will occupy the ground floor of the c. 1890s building at the southwest corner of Dauphin and St. Emanuel streets.

Mobile Press-Register: Downtown site to house sports museum

[The Dude]

The Mobile Arts & Sports Association, parent organization of the Senior Bowl, bought a 3-story downtown building that will be renovated to provide a location for the Mobile Sports Hall of Fame Museum. The museum will occupy the ground floor of the c. 1890s building at the southwest corner of Dauphin and St. Emanuel streets.

Mobile Press-Register: Downtown site to house sports museum

[Southron]

Expat, do you have a photo of the current building in that extensive image library of yours?

Edited April 24, 2007 by ExpatBaman

[elb401]

I think it is next to that new firehouse cafe place. It has a store front.

[Southron]

Update from Mayor Sam Jones

At a recent civic club meeting, Mayor Jones shared his thoughts concerning some of the major developments in the works for Mobile.

• ThyssenKrupp steel plant - he "would not trade hands" with Louisiana

• Proposed new I-10 bridge over Mobile River - northern route may be reconsidered

• Mixed-use project at old CSX site on Water Street - "on track" but air rights have to be resolved with CSX

• A second, larger cruise ship - "very, very close", announcement should come "in the near future"

• Downtown redevelopment - "more (interested) developers than (available) property"

• Airport annexation - people not involved, doesn't understand opposition

• Air fares - lack of airline competition (thanks Delta) keeps fares too high

Details in the article below.

Mobile Bay Times: Keeping up with Sam Jones: mayor likes steel plant prospects

[bayourat15]

Was reading aa article a few months back , about all the bare parking lots. and mentioned the big one behind grand central where the old crowton hotel used to be. There are phones ring off the hook for the property, but that church won t come off of it. A highrise (30stories plus) condo , with retail would look great! And will set off a major boom!

It really looks like the condos on water street will not happen

[Southron]

Was reading aa article a few months back , about all the bare parking lots. and mentioned the big one behind grand central where the old crowton hotel used to be. There are phones ring off the hook for the property, but that church won t come off of it. A highrise (30stories plus) condo , with retail would look great! And will set off a major boom!

It really looks like the condos on water street will not happen

[Southron]

The Mobile Planning Commission is considering rezoning land for a Wal-Mart Supercenter on Government Boulevard -- the third new Supercenter proposed for Mobile County this year, in addition to the existing five.

Wal-Mart would demolish a 110,000 sq. ft. former Kmart, a motel and other buildings to build a 136,865 sq. ft. store. This store and the two other proposed stores are smaller than the standard 200,000-square-foot Supercenters that currently exist in Mobile.

Mobile Press-Register: Zoning sought for new Wal-Mart

[elb401]

I'm against it because it wants to drive Food World and Winn dixie away. I think thats stupid. If Mobile was smart they would know that the Walmart might just create a couple of more empty shopping centers if it is built. By the way Most of Midtowners already go to the one off dauphin street. There will be 2 walmarts with only one I-65 exit (Airport Blvd) dividing them. Come on Walmart stop this stupid bulding!

[Southron]

I hope this thing is killed too, but I doubt that will happen. Food World and Winn Dixie tend to have more regional selections and I'd hate to see them go. According to the article, another Neighborhood Market is planned too.

[austin356]

Let the Food World and Winn Dixie die, they suck ass.

With Mobile's coming 5 years do you guys really think another Walmart (this one prob is not a grocer since is only 130k) will be the very reason these other guys go out of business?

Even regardless of the fact that I dont care about the Food World or Winn Dixie, I am much more optimistic about about them in Mobile(albeit only for a short time) and with the influx of people. If they cannot coexist with Walmart when Mobile is about to undergo such a massive influx of newbies, then they should die.

[Southron]

The planning commission approved the new Wal-Mart Supercenter on Government Blvd., and the rezoning now goes to the city council for final approval.

Residents were concerned about brights lights shining into their homes at night and late night deliveries making too much noise. The commission imposed lighting restrictions on the store, but did not curb delivery hours because commissioners weren't sure if they were legally allowed to.

Mobile Press-Register: Planning Commission approves Government Boulevard Wal-Mart

[elb401]

I would rather like to go to the winn dixie especially since it is going to be renovated and expanded to be more upscale. And I do not wish to have empty shopping centers with huge parking lots left over. I think the winn dixie will survive but not that food world. No body I know goes there anyways.

[Southron]

With thousands of new workers on the way, the Mobile housing market looks bright, and developers are eyeing tracts of land for new housing developments for these workers.

Like many of the workers at plants along U.S. 43, steel mill employees are expected to buy homes in Saraland, Satsuma, west Mobile, Creola and Axis in Mobile County, as well as Spanish Fort and Daphne on the Eastern Shore, according to real estate experts. The closer the workers can get to I-65 the better, and access to schools, shopping, churches and other lifestyle infrastructure will play a part in where they move.

There are waiting lists for apartments, and developers will be building more apartment complexes if the vacancy rates remain low.

Mobile Press-Register: ThyssenKrupp wave

[nitek_of_mobile]

Regarding the forthcoming Wal-Mart Supercenter on Government Boulevard, I'm somwhat on the fence. While I'm glad that abandonded K-Mart/Delchamps strip mall is being redeveloped and will serve as a catalyst for future retail growth along the G'ovt Blvd. corridor, it will surely lead to the decline of nearby shopping centers. It seems as though retail is simply being displaced. Perhaps if the Food World across the street were to go under, the building could be occupied by a more niche-oriented supermarket. This would present a wonderful opportunity for Greer's or another local grocery chain to grow larger in the market. I know I'm still mourning the loss of Delchamps.

[elb401]

I don't care anymore about the walmart thing..........

[Southron]

The Mobile Press-Register is running a three day special report on the revision of federal flood maps after Hurricane Katrina. After Hurricane Katrina, the expected storm surge for 100-year storms was raised by several feet in Louisiana and Mississippi, but not Alabama.

FEMA officials said last fall that Alabama maps weren't revised because damage wasn't as extensive as in Mississippi and Louisiana. They also said they didn't believe that Katrina's flooding exposed problems with Alabama maps. Hurricanes Frederick, Ivan and Katrina all exceeded 100-year levels in Alabama -- three in less than 30 years.

This spring, FEMA officials acknowledged problems with Alabama flood maps and said they'd fix them, but not before 2010, and local building officials expect it will take even longer. New homes and other buildings are now being built too low in the flood plain because FEMA dropped the ball. Hopefully FEMA will get the new maps done by 2010, but there will be a lot of new construction done before then.

Flood maps: in the danger zone

[elb401]

Yeah, right before katrina hit and they thought it was going to make land fall on the Alabama Mississippi state line, there were officials saying that the storm surge could go all the way to Houston street at the western end of mid town. that is 4 blocks passed my house!! but the people that built my house kind of knew that it could flood that bad (before most of the drainage system) and built my house about 5 feet off the ground. Mobile was pretty lucky!!

[Southron]

A long list of Mobile streets set to be repaved, under a contract approved last week, is available from the Press-Register:

Paving List

[Southron]

If rezoning is approved, two-story brick $275,000-350,000 condominiums, a bank and a drugstore will replace a former dairy farm on 36 acres at the southeast corner of Dauphin Street and Sage Avenue. The property is owned by the Graf family, operaters of the dairy there in the early 1900s.

Details in the article.

Mobile Press-Register: Graf property developments proposed

[The Dude]

If rezoning is approved, two-story brick $275,000-350,000 condominiums, a bank and a drugstore will replace a former dairy farm on 36 acres at the southeast corner of Dauphin Street and Sage Avenue. The property is owned by the Graf family, operaters of the dairy there in the early 1900s.

Details in the article.

Mobile Press-Register: Graf property developments proposed

[elb401]

well....I understand how you feel about the drug store and bank. But that area is already crowded with shopping centers, fast food chains, and car dealerships. not to mention walmart is a stone throw away. About the brick....I wasn't to happy about that either but it all depends on how the style of the building looks. That area when it was developing used a lot of brick. There are also a couple of brick historic apartment buildings in the midtown area (just a lot closer to downtown). But you are right....the brick doesn't sound to good. I can just picture these plain buildings that look like they could be in west Mobile or the eastern shore. But lets give them a chance. Its better than an other empty shopping center.

[Southron]

White-Spunner Construction, which renovated the Battle House Hotel, is building a new 40,000 sq. ft. office building and business park complex off I-65 and Government Blvd. Too bad they aren't building the new office building downtown.

Mobile Press-Register: Developers hope office building spurs business park

[elb401]

yeah, but its only two stories tall and they are trying to do something good for that area.

[nitek_of_mobile]

I guess this development is going to be constructed on the forested land behind that megachurch on Government Boulevard, between it and Halls Mill Road. Hopefully the frontage road running along I-65 on that side will be repaved. This project, unfortunately, is another banal exercise in sprawl.