[NitekKetin]

I thought the Toulminville store was recently remodeled. That particular store is much more brighter and 'more airy' than what is was in the mid-to-late 1980s.

[nimsjus]

Article from today's PR about the New Plan for Old Mobile. It will be unveiled on Oct 27th at the Civic Center. I thought it was an odd choice for the announcement (usually these things go down at the Convention Center or Govt Plaza). I'm hoping the selection of the Civic Center as the unveiling site means that the Civic Center or its property will play an important role in the plan.
http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/122414857235910.xml&coll=3

[Port_of_Bama]

Article from today's PR about the New Plan for Old Mobile. It will be unveiled on Oct 27th at the Civic Center. I thought it was an odd choice for the announcement (usually these things go down at the Convention Center or Govt Plaza). I'm hoping the selection of the Civic Center as the unveiling site means that the Civic Center or its property will play an important role in the plan.
http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/122414857235910.xml&coll=3



I hope so !!

[SouthSky]

Article from today's PR about the New Plan for Old Mobile. It will be unveiled on Oct 27th at the Civic Center. I thought it was an odd choice for the announcement (usually these things go down at the Convention Center or Govt Plaza). I'm hoping the selection of the Civic Center as the unveiling site means that the Civic Center or its property will play an important role in the plan.
http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/122414857235910.xml&coll=3

That would be amazing.

[Musicisright]

Article from today's PR about the New Plan for Old Mobile. It will be unveiled on Oct 27th at the Civic Center. I thought it was an odd choice for the announcement (usually these things go down at the Convention Center or Govt Plaza). I'm hoping the selection of the Civic Center as the unveiling site means that the Civic Center or its property will play an important role in the plan.
http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/122414857235910.xml&coll=3

Good thinking. That makes a lot of sense.

[nimsjus]

This sounds like a step in the right direction for this building.
AmSouth tower in downtown Mobile set to be sold
Pennsylvania investor makes deal to buy bankruptcy-encumbered downtown office building for $7.2 millionFriday, October 17, 2008
By KATHY JUMPER Real Estate Editor
The 34-story AmSouth building in downtown Mobile is under contract to be purchased for $7.2 million, or about $26 per square foot, by an investor from Reading, Pa., local attorneys said Thursday.
The owners of the building at 107 St. Francis St. in May filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to halt a pending foreclosure sale.
The owners have filed a motion asking the court to approve the sale to real estate investor Alan Shuman of Reading, and a hearing is set for early November, according to attorney Doug Anderson, who represents Shuman.
The purchase price "will pay for, if not all, 90 percent of all liens and debts owed," Anderson said. "Everybody should be happy with it."
The buyer has 60 days to complete an inspection of the building and another 30 days to close on the sale, Anderson said. "My client has been in town this week to commence the due diligence, and we're moving forward as fast as we can."
Shuman said Thursday that he plans "to spend a whole lot more than the purchase price on renovations."
The six-story, 480-space parking garage was one of the biggest selling points, he said.
"The parking garage by itself is probably worth $4 (million) or $5 million," he said. "We go out of our way to look for buildings that have their own parking."
The sale could close by the end of the year, according to attorney Irving Silver, who represents the owners, Mobile Tower Limited Partnership. The partners are heirs of the late Wylie Tuttle and Herbert Papock, both of Collins Tuttle & Co. in Manhattan.
The owners of the circa 1965 building, who owed back mortgage payments, had been working with BGK Group, a private real estate company based in Santa Fe, N.M., attempting to sell a 50 percent ownership in the building.
BGK's contract had expired and "apparently they were distracted because of the hurricanes," Silver said. "They had tremendous problems in Louisiana and Texas with some of their properties."
Shuman's purchase will not be a partnership, Silver said.
"It will be the end of a continuous legacy of over four decades of involvement of the Tuttle and Papock families," he said. "They are sad about that."
The building's mortgage is held by LaSalle Bank National Association and serviced by Orix USA Corp., an investment banking and financial services firm based in Dallas. The lender is holding in escrow $2.25 million that the owners received from what is now Regions Bank when the bank canceled its lease and moved to the 35-story RSA Battle House Tower, according to the AmSouth building managers. The owners had planned to use that money to upgrade the building, according to Silver.
The building is listed for sale by Harbert Realty Services in Birmingham at $11.5 million.
The pending purchase has not stopped efforts to lease more than 100,000 square feet of available space in the 280,000-square-foot building, according to John Toomey of Toomey & Co., the building's leasing manager.

[Port_of_Bama]

That building is in desperate need of exterior renovations so this is in a good direction for the building.

[Muskavon]

My gosh 7.2 mill is a steal....I'm surprised somebody wanting a really big house with an antique car collection didn't buy it. ;)

[SouthSky]

My gosh 7.2 mill is a steal....I'm surprised somebody wanting a really big house with an antique car collection didn't buy it. ;)

Think if you made it into a one story mansion with 420+ ft high ceilings! :D

[SouthSky]

News Report from WPMI:

Austal adding more jobs with new contracts.

Link to the Article/Video
(http://www.nbc15online.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=5e309d3b-823e-4cbc-8ba2-b8affca1a783)

[phoenixboi08]

You know I was thinking...they should place a nice landmark on the old courthouse site. Like the Space Needle in Seattle or the St. Loius Arch...It doesn't have to be huge either, just meaningful. How about a huge sail with the main column being a tower with different exhibits, museum collections. And how about a rotating platform on top to offer 360 panoramic views? Their should still be room to incorporate a park into the site as well. Also, they should tie it into the Exploreum and Fort Conde (and of course the Maritime Museum) by somehow creating a large flowing pedestrian area, getting rid of the side streets around the exploreum and Fort Conde that aren't important. This would be a cool way to invigorate some development in the Fort Conde Village as well...this idea just came to me today...what do you all think?

[spookyapp]

You know I was thinking...they should place a nice landmark on the old courthouse site. Like the Space Needle in Seattle or the St. Loius Arch...It doesn't have to be huge either, just meaningful. How about a huge sail with the main column being a tower with different exhibits, museum collections. And how about a rotating platform on top to offer 360 panoramic views? Their should still be room to incorporate a park into the site as well. Also, they should tie it into the Exploreum and Fort Conde (and of course the Maritime Museum) by somehow creating a large flowing pedestrian area, getting rid of the side streets around the exploreum and Fort Conde that aren't important. This would be a cool way to invigorate some development in the Fort Conde Village as well...this idea just came to me today...what do you all think?

We can't maintain the parks we have. What makes you think we can maintain an oversized faux-historical monument?

[SouthSky]

Hampton Inn Downtown will open December 5 according to the P-R. There will also be a Quizno's associated with the property.

http://www.al.com/business/press-register/insider.ssf?/base/business/1224407802239850.xml&coll=3

[phoenixboi08]

We can't maintain the parks we have. What makes you think we can maintain an oversized faux-historical monument?

I didn't say that it had to be extremly large (or "oversized"). The mayor seems to want a Mardi Gras park....we want something useful...so I simply thought a comprimise was in order.

And if they charge a small (and I mean SMALL...MINIMAL!!!) fee for entry into the monument...or whatever you'd like to call it...then they would easily be able to curb the expense of maintaining the park. If you look at most large parks in other cities ( Central Park being the prime example ) they utilize other attractions to attract people, not just the "green space." A city is much keener on maintaining an area that they know tourists and citizens frequent.

[nimsjus]

I didn't say that it had to be extremly large (or "oversized"). The mayor seems to want a Mardi Gras park....we want something useful...so I simply thought a comprimise was in order.

And if they charge a small (and I mean SMALL...MINIMAL!!!) fee for entry into the monument...or whatever you'd like to call it...then they would easily be able to curb the expense of maintaining the park. If you look at most large parks in other cities ( Central Park being the prime example ) they utilize other attractions to attract people, not just the "green space." A city is much keener on maintaining an area that they know tourists and citizens frequent.

That is pretty much how the Vulcan monument works for Bham. It has its own park space surrounding it and has a Bham history exhibit attached to it. Using the park space is free, entering the history exhibit is like 5$ (no admit into vulcan monument) and the like 10$ to do history exhibit and go to vulcan observation deck. Seems to me this would be an easy setup to incorporate with Museum of Mobile. I have no problem with the park and monument being Mardi Gras themed, as long as this clock tower deal is truely a landmark. In my opinion if the clock tower is not going to be a visible part of the skyline (5-10 stories tall), then it really is not worth doing. It has to be at least taller than most of the lowrise landmarks/buildings we have (Cathedral, Gayfers bldg, etc). On a side note the, realestate column also mentioned the Waterman/Wachovia building being bought as well. That building and the Merchants Bank Building can reall get hidden in our skyline from different angles and they are two of my favorite buildings downtown. That was also exciting news about Quiznos and Hampton opening. Keep the new things coming in downtown.

[spookyapp]

Why can't you realize that taller isn't always better? Sure, it would be great if our skyline looked better, but a goofy looking clock tower protruding up from the city's downtown would look nothing short of embarrassing.

[Muskavon]

Why can't you realize that taller isn't always better? Sure, it would be great if our skyline looked better, but a goofy looking clock tower protruding up from the city's downtown would look nothing short of embarrassing.


Is it really that absurd? As a Gator fan I apologize for not knowing how tall our symbolic Tower is...but I can tell you that you can't see it from many perspectives in a place with no skyline. (Steve Martin did his rendition of the Texas shooting in UF's tower in the movie Parenthood...I think that was the one). A 12 story clock tower isn't going to look stupid in Mobile. It will be lost in a sea of midrises. Well, maybe a little....everyone would want to know where the college is. That would be the part that doesn't make sense to people. Clock towers = universities. Unless it is Back to the Future. 1.21 Gigawatts.

[nimsjus]

Why can't you realize that taller isn't always better? Sure, it would be great if our skyline looked better, but a goofy looking clock tower protruding up from the city's downtown would look nothing short of embarrassing.

Im not really a "taller is better" kind of person. I just don't see any sense in putting a 25 ft tall clock "tower" up in a park and then telling everyone that it is some kind of iconic thing for Mobile. I actually support the use as a park, but I want a great park on such a valuable piece of property. Great parks have have iconic images. If this park is going to be centered around a Mardi Gras themed clock tower, then I say lets build a decent clock tower. Its not like the thing is going to rival the RSA Tower. I said somewhere between 5-10 stories. That would have it peeking out over the lowest of buildings (1-3 story buildings), without being anywhere near as tall as the Van Antwerp building (17 stories I believe). At the tallest that would make it about the size as the cathedral, which barely gets its golden domes/crosses above the lowest of buildings. At that height, you might see the top of the tower, or the face of the clock right along the top of the low rise skyline (parking decks, cathedral, hampton inn, etc). Not so big that it stands out, but not so small that you can't even see it unless you are standing in the park.

[nimsjus]

In other news... The Historic Commission has agreed to extend the boundaries of the Leinkauf Historic District. This is by far the historic district that is in the worst shape and has alot of low income families living in some of the structures. I worked in the area a while back, and there are some amazing cottages and homes. A very small portion were repaired, but most were not. I think this move will improve the neighborhoods around Leinkauf and even pushing towards Ladd, but it will lead to some issues of people being "forced" out of the area when they cannot afford to follow historic comission rules on improvements, rennovations, etc. This has been brought up with regards to Oakleighs boundaries back towrds Texas St, and it will be a just as bad in these areas, especially that Virgina St boundary nearest to Ladd. Probably a good move for the area and Mobile as a whole, but some of those low income families will get a raw deal out of this. At least if they do choose to leave the area, their house will have a little more value from being in the district.
http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/122458053919640.xml&coll=3

[MobiMan]

i think a monument of great size should be put by the battleship
in the middle of that huge lot

that way its by itself almost, and stands out, and if it were 12 or more stories or so, it would have great views from the obsevation area at the top

that would be more New York like, but it would work


i wouldnt put it in DT anywhere it would get lost

the city needs to figure out how to get people out of those hotels and into the streets DT
better shopping options would help
the department stores DT now, need a lot of work
and maybe they need to subscribe to instyle magazine and GQ to learn about todays fashion
they are truly lacking,

i notice when we have the festivals, the market in the park, the streets get pretty packed with foot traffic, maybe we should do more and do in room advertising in the hotels, let the people know whats outside the hotel

its great that we are getting more hotels DT that should help

[SouthSky]

SSAB picked the Axis mill... another steel victory for Mobile County!

$460 mil expansion... still small peanuts when compared to ThyssenKrupp but worthy of excitement nevertheless.

Link:http://blog.al.com/live/2008/10/ssab_picks_axis_mill_for_460_m.html

[10101000]

Well, I have heard a rumor, but I doubt that it is true. I heard that bell air has thought about relocating.... I really doubt that will happen. Has anyone heard this bogus comment???? The person told me that the building is for sale and that with the proceeds would move to a different area. I wonder if they want to sell it to a invetor for a highrise. Anyway, can someone clear this up for me, if not I will call the manager myself and check it out.

[SouthSky]

Well, I have heard a rumor, but I doubt that it is true. I heard that bell air has thought about relocating.... I really doubt that will happen. Has anyone heard this bogus comment???? The person told me that the building is for sale and that with the proceeds would move to a different area. I wonder if they want to sell it to a invetor for a highrise. Anyway, can someone clear this up for me, if not I will call the manager myself and check it out.

That's something I haven't heard... but it would lend credence to rumors of the large commercial development near Hank Aaron Stadium.

[10101000]

I would rather see it downtown anyway.

[MobiMan]

Target is moving from Bel Air to the location over by Hank Aaron

but i havent heard anything about Bel Air as a whole moving
that would be stupid, they just need to tear it down and rebuild as an outdoor mall or build up, i kinda prefer the build up and outdoor together approach, i think it would work, Bel Air just takes up too much space as a single floor mall

i doubt it will move, maybe renovate more
they wouldnt be leasing if they were moving

[10101000]

I hear ya, but it would be better to be downtown for urban puropses, and get the city moving in that direction.

[Port_of_Bama]

Shopping down town is greatly needed , with all the hotels down town and being neer 100 occupancy you would expect to see more people dt. Down town has entertainment for the night crowd several places that play live music. There are a pretty good deal of restaurants but shopping is a another story, I have had visitors ask me where can they go shop , I say Govt west murge into Air port and Bel -air is on your left you can`t miss it and that is sad. So hopefuly Mobile will be back to the days of Gayfers, Kress, and Jc Penny.

[nimsjus]

Because there are not alot(any..) options, noone would ever think to go downtown to shop. As it is now, you basically have to know about a store that is downtown and go there specifically (even if it is out of the way). An example of this is Parkside Home and Garden downtown, which my wife and I have shopped there several times and may eventually make a major purchase. There are only a couple of options for really getting downtown shopping going. 1) Open very unique stores where you can only find that kind of stuff (Parkside has alot of unique furniture) 2) Be the very best at whatever kind of store that you open 3) wait for more permanant resdients to come downtown to support neighborhood kind of stores or 4) have a group of merchants open together to create a sort of mini shopping destination. Personally I think option 4 has the best chance of survival. Look at what just happened at Old Shell Rd and Florida St. Namans, Taste, G Harvell, a spa, and Cezannes all just opened/relocated relatively close together within the last year or so. That intersection was not exactly a destination for shoppers a couple of years ago. Now it is a place to go and it has surely helped the few existing businesses that were there (Old Dutch, Butch Cassidy's, etc). If a group of investors opened a Mens store, Womens store, Children's boutique, Stationary Store, Make-up/skincare, a coupl of antique stores and a Wine Store/Wine Bar all located on Conti along with Parkside and Cafe 219, I think they could create a kind of mini-destination that would cater to tourist, the downtown work crew, and locals coming down to hit up multiple stores on one trip. Plus it would have a kind of Main St feel and Conti is not an overly busy traffic street so it feels slow paced walkable. I'm sure any other street would work as well. We did the same thing when creating an entertainment area on Dauphin. The entrepreneurs all came to and agreement with the city to locate close together on Dauphin. I'd say that turned out relatively well...

[Electrical Porpoise]

Shopping down town is greatly needed , with all the hotels down town and being neer 100 occupancy you would expect to see more people dt. Down town has entertainment for the night crowd several places that play live music. There are a pretty good deal of restaurants but shopping is a another story, I have had visitors ask me where can they go shop , I say Govt west murge into Air port and Bel -air is on your left you can`t miss it and that is sad. So hopefuly Mobile will be back to the days of Gayfers, Kress, and Jc Penny.

There at least two very nice grocery type stores that are looking at putting a store downtown. Apparently leasing details and a few city ordinances are delaying things but the point is people recognize the demand and plan to take advantage of it.

[Port_of_Bama]

Because there are not alot(any..) options, noone would ever think to go downtown to shop. As it is now, you basically have to know about a store that is downtown and go there specifically (even if it is out of the way). An example of this is Parkside Home and Garden downtown, which my wife and I have shopped there several times and may eventually make a major purchase. There are only a couple of options for really getting downtown shopping going. 1) Open very unique stores where you can only find that kind of stuff (Parkside has alot of unique furniture) 2) Be the very best at whatever kind of store that you open 3) wait for more permanant resdients to come downtown to support neighborhood kind of stores or 4) have a group of merchants open together to create a sort of mini shopping destination. Personally I think option 4 has the best chance of survival. Look at what just happened at Old Shell Rd and Florida St. Namans, Taste, G Harvell, a spa, and Cezannes all just opened/relocated relatively close together within the last year or so. That intersection was not exactly a destination for shoppers a couple of years ago. Now it is a place to go and it has surely helped the few existing businesses that were there (Old Dutch, Butch Cassidy's, etc). If a group of investors opened a Mens store, Womens store, Children's boutique, Stationary Store, Make-up/skincare, a coupl of antique stores and a Wine Store/Wine Bar all located on Conti along with Parkside and Cafe 219, I think they could create a kind of mini-destination that would cater to tourist, the downtown work crew, and locals coming down to hit up multiple stores on one trip. Plus it would have a kind of Main St feel and Conti is not an overly busy traffic street so it feels slow paced walkable. I'm sure any other street would work as well. We did the same thing when creating an entertainment area on Dauphin. The entrepreneurs all came to and agreement with the city to locate close together on Dauphin. I'd say that turned out relatively well...

Plan 4 sound good to me and I would recomend the old Fort Conde Village as a mini-destiantion and that area realy has a very distinct mytserious vibe to it and would lure in visitors. Royal street west isn`t busy at all . The old homes could be actual retail stores they are large enough I think.

[Port_of_Bama]

There at least two very nice grocery type stores that are looking at putting a store downtown. Apparently leasing details and a few city ordinances are delaying things but the point is people recognize the demand and plan to take advantage of it.



Yeah I heard about that hopefuly they will have things up in running by the end of the year.

[Port_of_Bama]

SSAB picked the Axis mill... another steel victory for Mobile County!

$460 mil expansion... still small peanuts when compared to ThyssenKrupp but worthy of excitement nevertheless.

Link:http://blog.al.com/live/2008/10/ssab_picks_axis_mill_for_460_m.html



Yeah , but 150 jobs 60 K a year not bad at all. When we win the Degussa expansion that would only be 10 new jobs paying 58 K a year but anything will help imrove our GDP.

[MobiMan]

plan 4 is a great idea

if you ride around DT you notice wharehouses built in the eighties
just plain metal buildings
i would like to see those relocated somewhere else and tear down those ugly plain buildings and put up some upscale retail

we need a shopping distric, a street for restaurants and lots of retail shopping
with a few major retail stores and some local stores, maybe a smaller shoe station(from Mobile), or sand dollar(from somewhere else in Alabama)both local, a smaller barnes and nobles, Namans DT is established, they just need some fashion education and a major renovation(move to a street with other retail) if we could get some retail down there thats worth shopping at and keep them open until 9 or 10pm that would be great

i would also like to see a national chain restaurant(not fast food) come DT
like chilis, Olive Garden, Hooters, even Wings, atleast one

[NitekKetin]

^Well, Quizno's Subs is going to open a location on the ground floor of the new Hampton Inn and there have been rumblings of Moe's Southwestern Grille opening a Downtown eatery.

[10101000]

^Well, Quizno's Subs is going to open a location on the ground floor of the new Hampton Inn and there have been rumblings of Moe's Southwestern Grille opening a Downtown eatery.

That is awesome!

[nimsjus]

We talked about hoped for national chains entering the downtown food market for a long time. Now it is finally happening. Subway moved to a new location and nicer interior. Quizno's is coming to the Hampton. I like the idea of a Moe's downtown. The ball is rolling. Hoepfully these guys will succeed without killing any of the local guys down there. Now if we can get the grocery store and retail to follow along down there.

[10101000]

Move Bel Air in the Van building.

[Muskavon]

That's awesome news abput Mobile winning again...re: the Axis steel plant expansion. Seems like we kinda dismiss how lucky it is to be getting things like this in times like these. Keep 'em coming.

[10101000]

Retail should be boosting in a few years in the Business district because of new jobs and households down there. Like this new Mobile..

[10101000]

Amtrak Rolling Through Gulf Coast Again?

GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - Amtrak service through Mississippi
between New Orleans and Sanford, Fla., could be restored now that
President Bush has signed a five-year authorization of the rail
service.
Bush signed the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of
2008 into law this past week.
U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., says Amtrak's Sunset Limited
route is important to communities along the Gulf Coast. The route
is through Louisiana, Mississippi Alabama and Florida.
Taylor says the act provides $1 million for Amtrak to conduct a
study of the Sunset Limited route, which was disrupted by Hurricane
Katrina. Amtrak must submit the report within nine months on a
projected timeline and costs for restoring service.

[Exodus]

Move Bel Air in the Van building.Would make for a grand department store

[10101000]

Would make for a grand department store

I agree!

[Randallg223]

Hotel development planned for the former CSX site has been put on hold. Due to the credit crisis, no investment bank is willing to loan more then 15 million dollars to any project at this time.

[nimsjus]

My wife and I are going to the Downtown Living Tour tomorrow. There is no photography allowed according to the pamphlet, but I will report back tomorrow.

[elb401]

I went last year and they don't want you to take pictures of personal homes. but the ones that are empty and for sale are okay to take pictures of.

[nimsjus]

I did not snap any pictures, but here are my reviews from the DLT. The day started at Parkside (which is sadly going out of business). THe condos above are asking about 300k. Very nice finishes, but some shotty workmanship on tile/sheetrock could be seen. Looked like someone did alot of the work themselves, but overall pretty nice space. We went on the O'Gwynn project which is still pretty preliminary. They left as much of the original structures in tact as possible. Lots of cool frosted glass doors and windows with original stickers/numberings/names from its days as a law office. The condos were again good sized. They are done by the Carriage Works people so they should have nice/similar finishes. Mattress Factory was intersting. I could not do a loft (especially not at those prices). It is interesting to see how people arrange their space in a loft. The townhomes there are more my style. THey would be worth every penny (low 300K). Crescent Theater penthouses were less finished than I expected (just sheet rocked with no finish work done). I think they are off base if they think they are going to get 1 mil for 2nd floor and 1.2 mil for the top. Private elevator and huge balcony were nice features though, but parking was a few reserved spots in the sketchy lot behind the building. They were not much bigger than any of the other 1 and two br units we saw too so I think this is a stretch no matter how high end the finish. Carrige Works was nice. There townhome were not open and still are about a month away from done. The townhouses have garages and the others do not. More depressin news,the developer there told me that the Gayfers project never got off the ground thanks to the economy and the building is back on the market. St Francis Place was very nicely redone (former convent). The property is great too (pool, workout rooms, conference rooms, etc). Common spaces kind of had a hotel feel (like walking the common areas of the battle house). The apts above Noja were older and pretty small, but tey would be an awesome place for a single person and might work for a couple if they downsize on some of their possessions. They have nice porches on front and porch/walkways on the back that over look the Noja courtyard. Im sure you could beg for scraps from the restaraunt too. St louis lofts were probably the worst of the new projects. They do have interior parking, but the finish work was nothing special and the interior common spaces were really dark and creepy. There was one other apartment on St. Francis in a old house/duplex. For renters they were very good sized. I wish I could remember the name, but I would highly recommend them if someone was looking. We ate at Dauphin St Taqueria (sp?) at the Bicycle Shop and it was amazing. Great salsas. My wife had a beef empanada and I got the chile relleno. Intersting stuff like duck quesadilla special, 2 different ceviches, etc. I would go just for the salsa and the lime magerita (all fresh ingredients). Sorry no pictures, but if you guys had questions Ill be happy to answer. Looking forward to seeing the New Plan for Old Mobile today...

[Musicisright]

Dauphin St. Taqueria is my new favorite restaurant downtown. Homemade guacamole and delicious tacos!

I am so bummed to hear about the Gayfers project falling through. Hadn't they already started on preliminary work?

[nimsjus]

Dauphin St. Taqueria is my new favorite restaurant downtown. Homemade guacamole and delicious tacos!

I am so bummed to hear about the Gayfers project falling through. Hadn't they already started on preliminary work?

Not sure about that. I was under the impression they were getting started as soon as they bought the building, but it doesn't look like they have done a thing. I guess that info technically came from a competitior so I don't know what to make of that. I hope he wasn't right.

[10101000]

So much hear say about a lot of things.

[Port_of_Bama]

Good news for Africa Town !

A Nigerian trade group wanted to visit Africa town and have plans to invest in it. Africa town is another factor that realy unique about Mobile




http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/1225098926116200.xml&coll=3

A delegation of Nigerian representatives toured south Alabama last week, hoping to find spots where they could bring in new business and establish trade with the region.

The group of about a dozen people — which included lawyers, engineers and businessmen — met with Mobile officials, including Mayor Sam Jones, and faculty at the University of South Alabama.

While the meetings were mostly informal, Jones and members of the delegation said they laid the foundation for the possibility of new international business. The major industries that we have in Mobile are global industries," Jones said. "We would love to have a relationship with them."

Some of the men in the group, part of what they called the Friendship Network International Association, were from Lagos, a coastal city that is also Nigeria's largest town, and they said the Port City appealed to them in its similarities, even though

Lagos has millions more

people.

After they talked potential international trade, they toured Africatown, a slice of north Mobile along the Mobile River dedicated to those who were believed to have been the last slaves smuggled into the United States.

While the property is privately owned, Jones said Africatown could become a "very good tourist attraction in the community."

Some of the people in the Nigerian group were visibly disturbed by the conditions in the area. The grass was overgrown, and at the cemetery on a sloping hill, part of one tomb was cracked open, exposing a casket. Still, they said they felt a connection to the area and their ancestors who had been forced a world away decades ago. In 1860, more than 100 people from Nigeria's neighboring country of Benin were brought in the ship Clotilda to the Mobile area as slaves, and they settled in what is now Africatown.

Andy Igboekwe, a lawyer in Nigeria, said he was interested in restoring Africatown.

"Even though I'm not particularly happy with the unkempt way the cemetery is preserved, it's something very sentimental to us," Igboekwe said. "For us, these are our brothers. ... These are people who could have been living with us. We are delighted to be reunited again." Diane Cameron, the executive director of the Alabama Benin Forum, which hosted the group in Mobile and Montgomery this week, said the tour of Africatown helped reinforce a connection to the area.

"We thought it would not be complete unless we brought them here to see where their ancestors were buried," Cameron said.

Meanwhile, Igboekwe envi sioned building a hotel on the site that would welcome tourists from Africa, while his associates, like Sylvester Ngini and Clement Aguiyi, saw opportunities for shops and restaurants.

"We want to do business with Alabama as a whole," Igboekwe said.

Aguiyi agreed.

"There are a lot of things we can learn from Alabama," he said. "And we, as a group, would like to invest in Africatown."

Just outside the Africatown offices, there are busts of Cudjo Kussola Lewis and late Prichard Mayor John H. Smith.

Lewis was the last surviving slave from the Clotilda. He died in 1935. Smith took a major role in the establishment of the Africatown Folk Festival.

Felix Eklu of Togo, who donated the busts last year, said he was disappointed by the upkeep of Africatown. But he was not concerned so much about those buried at the cemetery because, he said, their souls were in Africa.




I realy hope they are serious about investing in this part of Mobile.

[Port_of_Bama]

The city realy needs to do something about the civic center the New Plan for Old Mobile that I read had options of selling it or destroying it becasue the city says it is to costly to operate it. I believe they should renovate the whole thing and attract better concerts and performances ,but on the oteher hand that site could be the retail district that we are all wishing for.

[10101000]

The Bull runs in LoDa(

There are some in the restaurant community who are positive about these economic times, with openings underway.

First, the Bull, Wendell Quimby’s latest venture, on Dauphin Street in between Café 615 and Wintzell’s opened this past Saturday. The interior is done in shades of chocolate with modern oversized shade fixtures. The Bull will feature South American/Latin food such as flank steak – those who have sampled some items report positive comments.

Also downtown in the former Little Kitchen on Dauphin Street just before Royal Street, Time to Eat, the popular restaurant out by the Dog Track, will be opening soon serving sandwiches and down-home cooking favorites.

In MiMo, at the Loop on Government Street across from Little Flower Catholic church the French Market Café has begun serving Creole and Cajun food straight from New Orleans. The owner previously was at Luizza’s on the Track in New Orleans, and his po-boys were named by Esquire magazine a year or so ago as the best in New Orleans. They will also be serving beignets in the morning along with items such as crawfish bisque, gumbo and other specialties.

Out in Springhill, Camille’s Sidewalk Café has opened just west of University on Old Shell Road. This small chain is similar in scope to Panera Bread and Atlanta Bread but with a bit more upscale surroundings and slightly more gourmet touch – check out their menu at www.camillescafe.com. I have eaten several times at their location in Destin at the outlet mall.

The Palette Café at the Mobile Museum of Art had begun serving a prix fixe dinner on Friday evenings – I expect that dinner will be as fine as their lunches.

Roly Poly, the wrap sandwich chain out of Florida will be opening a new location on Hillcrest Road and there are rumors I could not totally confirm that Serda’s will be opening a location across the street.

Another expansion comes from Bay Gourmet, the caterer to the social set that works out of a building in MiMo. Since Memories, the take out café that closed last year (Ashland Midtown Pub is located in their former Old Shell Road location), the ladies at Bay Gourmet have had repeated requests to open up take-out for casseroles, soups and the like, and this week have opened up a shop in the Market on Old Shell, east of the Dew Drop across from Old Shell Road School. The grand opening is this Thursday, Oct. 24 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. I had them make a breakfast casserole for me with egg, sausage, fontina cheese and carmelized onions that was out of this world.

Speaking of the Dew Drop, Gourmet magazine has a feature in each issue called On the Road that reported on the Dew Drop a year or so ago with a glowing review. In the current issue they named the top 10 locations in the country that have been written about and the Dew Drop made the list.

Bob Baumhower’s Wings Sports Grille has formed a real bailout plan for Main Street. According to a press release, former NFL All-Pro Miami Dolphin Bob Baumhower may not have the answer to Washington’s problem, but he’s got a plan that’s sure to leave a much better taste in your mouth. The owner of Baumhower’s Wings Restaurant, has announced the addition of “Bob’s Bailout Plan” to the menu. The plan features $5 Lunch Specials available Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“People tell me all the time that they are having to really cut back these days,” Baumhower said, “and I just wanted to make it a little easier on them.”

Baumhower is featuring several comfort foods in his $5 Lunch Specials, as well as several Wings favorites and highlighting several Southern, homemade comfort foods on the menu in hopes it will take some stress off customers. Such menu items include a 4-veggies plate and a pot roast with two sides – the good down-home kind like mom used to make at a good down home price! The menu is also full of sides such as mashed potatoes and gravy, sliced tomatoes, green beans, field peas, turnip greens, black beans and many more of your favorites.

“In times like these, every little bit helps,” Baumhower said. “These $5 Lunch Specials are something we can have fun with. Hopefully, they’ll help our guests in the pocketbook, and maybe even lift their spirits a bit. If only our friends in Washington could take that attitude.”

I did not receive the release until after the last issue, but you have one more chance to try out the Fall 2008 series of Progressive Dining Tours in Fairhope/Daphne. The last walking dining tour will be in Daphne on Tuesday, Nov. 11 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. You will begin at Camellia Café, then go to Uncorked! Fine Wines and end at Will Hughes Catering and Market, all in Old Daphne. The cost is $45 per person – for more information or to reserve a spot call Beth Anne McCormick at 401-1772 or visit their website at www.eat-beat.com.

If you are looking for a private dining room, I strongly suggest that you consider the one at True located in the Legacy Village Shopping Center in Springhill. I recently attended a dinner party that had a special menu with two choices for three courses along with some passed appetizers with drinks. We had our own server and enjoyed a leisurely meal and I am guessing the price was affordable for such a nice meal.

Another tidbit is that I have enjoyed two lunches at Michael Ivy’s lunch place located in the old Uncle Simie’s location downtown a block north of Bienville Square – a well prepared chicken and artichoke pot pie with the best crust ever, his long time staple of red beans and rice and a friend had the spaghetti Bolenaise.

He is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and only takes checks and cash.


http://www.lagniappemobile.com/article/1772

http://www.camillescafe.com/

Camille's is a good place to eat. We have on here in B.R. I like it. Go try it.

[bayou15]

Hotel development planned for the former CSX site has been put on hold. Due to the credit crisis, no investment bank is willing to loan more then 15 million dollars to any project at this time.

What were the details ? Sounds like B.S to me:shrug:

[SouthSky]

This is all I could pull from a news report by WKRG about the unveiling of the downtown plans.

Taking out that Water Street overpass does wonders... along with the Civic Center's parking lot replacement. Unfortunately, it looks like the Civic Center is staying.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e36/ellisb123/downtownconcept.jpg

News report here:
http://download.wkrg.com/10-27-2008_curth.mp4

[10101000]

Awesome news!

[10101000]

Mobile presents plans for dinner cruises, medical research corridor, other ideas
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 By DAN MURTAUGHStaff Reporter


A revamped Mobile Civic Center, a medical research corridor and a boat slip near Dauphin Street for dinner cruises were all part of the new plan for downtown Mobile unveiled Monday.

City planners spent nearly two hours explaining the many details of the plan, which recommended more than 150 actions for the city to take.

Some of the changes could start taking place as soon as a few months from now, said Russ Archambault, one of the planners, while others could take more than a decade.

Win Hallett, the head of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, sat through the presentation, held at the Civic Center. He said the amount of detail in the plan was overwhelming.

"You get a little dizzy trying to figure all that out," he said.

The city paid urban planning firm EDSA Inc. $400,000 to revise the city's 12-year-old master plan, which covers an area bordered to the east by the Mobile River, the south by Interstate 10 and Duval Street, the west by Houston Street and the north by Three Mile Creek and the neighborhoods north of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.

The entire plan will eventually be posted on a Web site the city created for it, www.newmobileplan.com.

Here are just some of the details:

The Civic Center would remain intact, but the city would partner with a developer to replace the building's massive parking lot with a parking garage. The extra space would then be turned into a mixed-use commercial and residential development.

The part of Water Street just south of the Interstate 165 entrance would be home to several mid-rise office buildings, making it the city's "skyline office district," according to planner Keith Weaver. The post office on the corner of St. Joseph and Congress streets could move into one of those buildings, freeing up that land for a park.

St. Stephens Road and Spring Hill Avenue would become a medical-technology corridor, Weaver said. The city would install high-speed broadband Internet lines down the street and partner with local universities to move medical research facilities there.

The city would create a "wireless cloud" over downtown Mobile, offering free wireless broadband Internet access throughout the Hank Aaron Loop. That would help encourage young people to move downtown.

The Alabama Department of Transportation would tear down the onramps leading from Water Street to Interstate 10 and the Wallace Tunnel. Motorists would drive farther down Water Street until they reached the Canal Street entrance. That would allow Fort Conde Village to expand with more homes and businesses.

A boat slip would be built at the north side of the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center on Water Street. The slip would be home to a dinner-cruise ship or water taxi.

The city would target a few intersections, such as the corner of Broad Street and Spring Hill, and offer incentives to businesses, such as grocery stores, to move there.

Barton Academy would be transformed into either a culinary arts or performing-arts school.

A new quasi-governmental organization would be formed to help put together large developments by purchasing and combining smaller lots.

The city would create new historic districts for the Oakdale and Maysville neighborhoods.

The city would turn the old Hickory Street landfill into a sports academy and park.

In November, the planners will give their final draft to Mayor Sam Jones, Archambault said. The city's Planning Commission and then the City Council would make the downtown plan part of the city's master plan, he said.

After that, city leaders would likely begin finding funding sources for the different actions the plan recommends, he said.

[Bayside]

This idea is way overdue and the old landfill may turn out to be a viable location IF done properly. We especially need lighted soccer fields in Mobile.

[10101000]

I am ready for this. I just hope that I am here to see it.

[10101000]

Question:

I know this is not a development question, but those of you who live in Baton Rouge, would you buy a copy of the press if we had it here in Baton Rouge?

[SouthSky]

I would.

I was thinking of subscribing to the Sunday edition recently (cheaper) and just forgot about it.

Speaking of the paper, Thursday will have a story about the Crescent Theater that is opening downtown. According to this press it opens Friday night.

http://blog.al.com/live/2008/10/arthouse_film_venue_crescent_t.html

[SouthSky]

More details on the north-south interstate(?) between Mobile and the Shoals.

http://www.timesdaily.com (http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20081029/ARTICLES/810290321/1011/NEWS?Title=North_south_freeway___5_3_billion)

$5.3 billion projected.

[Port_of_Bama]

Good to hear I wonder how long it would take for completion.


What`s the deal about the bypass in west Mobile how is that coming along ?

[10101000]

More details on the north-south interstate(?) between Mobile and the Shoals.

http://www.timesdaily.com (http://www.timesdaily.com/article/20081029/ARTICLES/810290321/1011/NEWS?Title=North_south_freeway___5_3_billion)

$5.3 billion projected.

Awesome!

[phoenixboi08]

The Alabama Department of Transportation would tear down the onramps leading from Water Street to Interstate 10 and the Wallace Tunnel. Motorists would drive farther down Water Street until they reached the Canal Street entrance. That would allow Fort Conde Village to expand with more homes and businesses.



YESS!!!! Been dying for that to happen!!!!! They should relocate the jail as well!

[BlessedMobile]

I think many things in the development plan are lame. Why remodel a pink elephant (civic center)...tear the tomb down. Any large venue needed can be at the Mitchell Center. We need land for residential and commercial development which can best come from the area around the Civic Center. As for the ramp, who are we kidding, there is no one willing to fork over the millions to make a ramp closure and replacement happen. Most of us want a bridge which we know will relieve most of the heavy tunnel traffic so why spend all the money to relocate a ramp. I could have done better than these guys did with ideas and for a "little" less money. Oh yea, that jail is going nowhere and we all know it...if anything, it will only get bigger. They have to keep it near the courthouse area anyway. I love Mobile but we wasted our money with these guys.

[CottonCity251]

I think many things in the development plan are lame. Why remodel a pink elephant (civic center)...tear the tomb down. Any large venue needed can be at the Mitchell Center. We need land for residential and commercial development which can best come from the area around the Civic Center. As for the ramp, who are we kidding, there is no one willing to fork over the millions to make a ramp closure and replacement happen. Most of us want a bridge which we know will relieve most of the heavy tunnel traffic so why spend all the money to relocate a ramp. I could have done better than these guys did with ideas and for a "little" less money. Oh yea, that jail is going nowhere and we all know it...if anything, it will only get bigger. They have to keep it near the courthouse area anyway. I love Mobile but we wasted our money with these guys.

In regards to that, the New Plan of Mobile (http://newmobileplan.com/pdf/NewPlan2.pdf) is now online. It has alternate plans for the Downtown Core area which includes relocating the Civic Center north of the Convention Center on the riverfront connecting them with a hotel leaving the theater at the current site surrounded by multi-family complexes plus office/retail. It also adds office/retail at the very beginning of MLK Ave., changes to the Skyline Gateway district, and riverfront park north of the Convention Center and Fort Conde Village with the interstate ramp. I happen to like it better.

[10101000]

I think many things in the development plan are lame. Why remodel a pink elephant (civic center)...tear the tomb down. Any large venue needed can be at the Mitchell Center. We need land for residential and commercial development which can best come from the area around the Civic Center. As for the ramp, who are we kidding, there is no one willing to fork over the millions to make a ramp closure and replacement happen. Most of us want a bridge which we know will relieve most of the heavy tunnel traffic so why spend all the money to relocate a ramp. I could have done better than these guys did with ideas and for a "little" less money. Oh yea, that jail is going nowhere and we all know it...if anything, it will only get bigger. They have to keep it near the courthouse area anyway. I love Mobile but we wasted our money with these guys.

Well move somewhere else, I am so sick of most mobilians being a donkey about new development. Who cares what you think, who cares what I think. Ever city needs a major center for entertainment, who's to say this will not spark major names to the civic center. The Mitchell center is too far out of the way. There are other places in downtown Mobile for residential development. You must be blind in one eye and cannot see out of the other if you think we do not have enough room. Tearing the civic center down would be a waste of money.

[LHG]

My two cents:
I think the plan is great. You have to start somewhere and any city of any size has plans like this updated on a regular basis. Nashville has several (9, I think) planning zones and each one of them is updated every year. It unites the neighborhoods and gets the regular folk involved.

Here's a question: how many more people are talking about development than before? Any city worth it's salt needs to have a "Master Plan". As we grow, out-of-town developers and money will look at us and use this plan as proof that we are a city worth investing in.

The interchange idea is spectacular - for me it was one of those "duh!" moments. The state is tired of maintaining the overpasses and will play an active role in supporting any reconfiguration. I do agree that the reconfig will have to be part of the larger "bridge" discussion.

Also, I hate to break it to you, but the powers-that-be will never let anything happen to the main civic center structure. Mardi Gras Societies function out of there every season. I do agree that we would be better without it, but it'll likely never happen. Additionally, the size/capacity of the structure just isn't functional for today's entertainment business model. It will forever be a boon to the city budget.

With all that said, I think it was money well spent. Keep in mind that a portion of it was funded through private sources.

[pkp]

I think the plan is a good idea. The civic center is needed for more than just concerts - Mardi Gras is one of our most important events and most of the balls are held there. the biggest problem with the CC is the parking lot - like most surface parking, just a waste of space and an eyesore, and this plan addresses that. Otherwise, it is a good size and with good management can attract the acts it should. The I-10 ramp is a major problem. Nobody wants to develop next to an interstate. Moving the ramp back to Canal will take care of this and free up some valuable land for development. Let's face it, the interstate caused a lot of the problems we have right now. The medical facility is also a great idea. This will be an extension of the Infirmary and USA, which is turning into a damn impressive urban medical facility - lets keep that going. The only thing I think is a stretch is this skyline district - I like the idea, but it seems like a tough investment. I think that is where future highrises need to go, but its is tough for government to force it to happen - would be nice though.

Barton - performing arts school is the way to go - lets focus the culinary stuff at Bishop, since they have an existing program and need something to latch onto.

The bottom line is, we have to think big - and smart. One thing that will really need to be addressed very soon is transportation. We need to look at all options - mass transit (rail, ferry, streetcars, etc...), green transit (walking, biking, etc... - my favorite), and better traffic plans. the traffic in Mobile is getting very congested - especially on main arteries. Myself and a very few others walk or bike to jobs in the CBD. I think the major obstacle to increasing this that downtown is made for car traffic. Crossing Government seems dangerous, "5 tag" motorists and folks from out west (and even people from the midtown area) run lights, roll though crosswalks, right turn on green without stopping, litter terribly (especially Broad and Government), and are generally rude to pedestrian and cyclists. Wearing a $1,000 suit to work, I get looks like I must be a homeless guy that just robbed someone. We need longer lights, better medians, better intersections, bike paths, etc... The argument is that this may somehow impede traffic. I don't think that it will, but if it does, why should I really care. This part of the city should primarily be built for the people who live here, not the people who commute to work and go home at 5 everyday in the suburbs (this would be akin to me complaining about there not being sidewalks on Schillinger Rd. Any thoughts on this?

[pkp]

I think many things in the development plan are lame. Why remodel a pink elephant (civic center)...tear the tomb down. Any large venue needed can be at the Mitchell Center. We need land for residential and commercial development which can best come from the area around the Civic Center. As for the ramp, who are we kidding, there is no one willing to fork over the millions to make a ramp closure and replacement happen. Most of us want a bridge which we know will relieve most of the heavy tunnel traffic so why spend all the money to relocate a ramp. I could have done better than these guys did with ideas and for a "little" less money. Oh yea, that jail is going nowhere and we all know it...if anything, it will only get bigger. They have to keep it near the courthouse area anyway. I love Mobile but we wasted our money with these guys.

Sorry Blessed, but I can't agree with you. Especially on the bridge item. Why should I further support a bridge that primarily serves a base of auto commuters (non-interstate traffic). Its not that I mind what it looks like, but I think mass transit would be a more sustainable, smarter, and more inventive way of handling URBAN traffic. Anyone who says that interstate traffic is causing the delays in the tunnel is either lying or dumb. Most of I-10 nationwide is 2 lanes each way. Where it is more lanes, it is used for commuter traffic - I think large road systems are history - society needs to move away from them - lets not be playing catch up to Atlanta from 30 years ago - lets think ahead. In addition the overpass being an eyesore, it takes up a BUNCH of land, and creates a barrier between downtown and the waterfront. I am not sure it would cost that much to get rid of it. Canal is capable of handling the traffic - tear down the ramp, add some lights - done.

[BlessedMobile]

I assume all of you who don't agree haven't seen the CC go downhill for 30 years. "New management" won't make any difference when the acts prefer P'cola or the MC. The CC cost the city one million per year. Keeping the elephant alive to serve a few weeks of Mardi Gras is a giant waste of taxpayer money; It's a crappy place for a party anyway. Let private developers put it back on the tax rolls. And, as for the bridge traffic, I doubt the feds and state would want to fix the interstate if most of the problem was commuters. I do favor a county occupational tax that would encourage the "5" crowd to move where they work (Mobile county) or start their own fruit stand in lovely Fairhope. We're too small for mass transit; just look at the buses for starters. Most people drive as a convenience so they can run errands and move on their own schedule. We may not like their choice but that is the case. All else aside, I like to hear everyone's opinion...especially those with a different point of view. I do prefer downtown as a more resident friendly place.

[Musicisright]

Let's make this easy: All we need to do is dig up the entire Wharf complex and plop it down on top of the civic center, ferris wheel and all. That's retail, condos, restaurants, and an A-list music venue all in one.

[bayou15]

Geauxing to wharf 2nite....Hank Jr.

Ill give my 2cents on this later.....But this new plan was big waste of money




Glad to see the board alive again!!

[BlessedMobile]

Let's make this easy: All we need to do is dig up the entire Wharf complex and plop it down on top of the civic center, ferris wheel and all. That's retail, condos, restaurants, and an A-list music venue all in one.

Music...I totally agree with you. The Sandollar people told me that this was their best store. The second floor of the Wharf is empty and most of the shops are starving but it belonged in our downtown. I still have your photo 3'x7' in my reception area but I would sure like to get another one with an updated photo. I did see the fire escape where you shot the first one and can see how you got such a great angle. I get compliments on the print from many who come in and I always tell them about you....me print...you shoot!

[nimsjus]

Two articles in the PR today regarding downtown. The first is about the interest already expressed by ALDOT about getting rid of the Water St. The article sounds like if they did not have to see about the whole bridge issue they woudl start work on this immediately. Aside from increasing the size of Ft. Conde Village, removing the ramp improves the entrance to the Wallace Tunnel by eliminating those last entrances/exits in the curve of the tunnel. It is also one less overpass for them to maintain. It will be interesting to see what impact the bridge decision has on this. I can't really see any reason not to do this one. It will increase Ft. Conde Village size and make it more connected to the Cruise Terminal/Maritime Museum. If they do some nice landscaping this could be a beautiful stretch of prakway.
http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/1225793740299790.xml&coll=3
Second article is on the bridge projects status. Not much there, but an article none the less.
http://www.al.com/news/press-register/metro.ssf?/base/news/1225793783299790.xml&coll=3

[pkp]

I am giddy about the thought of getting rid of that ramp...

hehehehe

[BlessedMobile]

Larry Posner has told me that the ramp is a hindrance to Ft. Conde development because of the noise and confinement. He is pretty much maxed out for rehabbing the buildings there except the one for the B&B. His plan to put in a large B&B would happen faster if he knew that his guest would have a more restful night. That last entrance to the tunnel is always a pain for everyone. I had no idea that ALDOT wanted that ramp gone but...hey...if they want it done and spend the money. I did think the federal highway people were not too enthused by a northern bridge route; they so much as said "prove we are wrong". Build the bridge...build it now. A bridge adds to our skyline.

[Bayside]

Lagniappe, Mobile's alternative newspaper, is often quoted here on this forum. In reading this morning's issue I was a bit taken back by their cynical attitude toward downtown planning (see Rob Holbert and Ashley Toland's columns.) What say you about this attitude?

[MobiMan]

Ashley Toland is an idiot... she thinks she is witty, and charming, but she is more like anoying and has no class,,,if you feel like she feels why even be in Mobile, just move...she is always negative about Mobile ...but she has the right to feel the way she does and she can write what she wants
we know the truth

[bayou15]

At least she writes a column in every issue, unlike that geek that tries to 4 da county view.:breakcomp: Im geauxing to throw up AGAIN if i hear about another park for the downtown area!! We need more condos to bring in more people. The only park i wanna see is in a garage.



Mobile votes against the winning president sh*t happens.......

1) 1960's Brookley Airforce Base .......gone
2) 1992 Naval station Mobile......ha ....gone

3) 2008 KC-45 Tanker.....lol....bye bye Blues

Yes this election was historic !! :hell:

[10101000]

Ashley Toland is an idiot... she thinks she is witty, and charming, but she is more like anoying and has no class,,,if you feel like she feels why even be in Mobile, just move...she is always negative about Mobile ...but she has the right to feel the way she does and she can write what she wants
we know the truth

She thinks she is funny, but she sounds childish. Her collums are nothing more than a third grade report.

[nimsjus]

I have been too busy to post since the plan revealing, but here is my take. I liked that there were things that can be done short term (Dauphin St boat dock and Maritime Museum Completion) and then some more long term ideas (Civic Center remodel). There are also some ideas that are cheap/free for the city (new historic districts, ramp removal by ALDOT, etc) and expensive ones (civic center private public partnership, barton redevelopment, etc). The boat dock at Dauphin should be done easily since the convention center has that land. It would be nice to have the dock's land too to get started on improvements there. I don't know why they were so critical of all the waterfront taxi, dinner cruise, boat dock talk. I have sat at Cooper Park and watched the river. There is no concern abotu heavy boat traffic and falling containers like they talk about in that article. There are not a ton of boats coming/going. THe container dock is well south of the downtown riverfront. Ive seen everything from tugs to container ships to oil rigs to bass boats go by the park. Not to mention we already have a dinner cruise riding the river. All they are doing is building it a visible dock from Dauphin so that it isn't hidden behind the convention center. I really like the ramp removal also to open up such a cool area. It will be much more easily accessed by people from the cruise area. I think the B&Bs/restaraunts could flourish that close to the terminal. Now Posner just has to run out the current tenants (law offices). My only dissapointments were with regards to the lack of specific promises. I think Toland was right in mocking all of the "commercial corridor" kind of stuff on pretty much every decent sized sreet in donwtown. I think the maritime museum completion will be the first improvement. Personally I believe we could see a huge improvement if the museum, ramp demo/ft conde village expansion, and civic center redevelopment occur. Those projects would creat another full strip of positive development from the waterfront radiating west just like we currently have on Dauphin. I think the most farfetched stuff was in the northern district. That area is in the worst shape to begin with. Plus, USA already opened a research park on campus so I am not sure how keen they will be on encouraging medical research along Springhill Ave. I do really like the landfill redevelpment as well, even though I would have no clue how to get to that area. Lastly, I love the idea of Barton as a culinary school that they mocked in the article. Bham has a culinary school and it has resulted in them having some nationally recognized restaraunts and renowned chefs. It would provide training/education to some of our citizens that are not college bound, provides the city with top quality restaraunts/chefs, and creates a new draw to pull in new people to the city who come in for training and stay. Most of the quality cities in the US have a culinary training facility. I also like the extension of the historic districts and creation of new ones. HD's do nothing but improve the areas included. Lastly I liked the additions of sigle family houses on alot of lots within the Hank Aaron Loop. THese were barely mentioned in the presentation, but I think it is cool that we still have some single family homes with yards in our "downtown" area. I think adding more is a good idea. It has all the positives of urban living (close to downtown, walkable, etc) with all the positives of more surburban living (full house, yards, etc). Hopefully the mayor gets moving quickly and hopefully some projects that had been awaiting this plan will now move forward with plans. I think we will boom if we could get the economy to get back on an upswing. Hopefully we can get the EADS thing to go our way still too. Mike Dean said after his re-election that they have 6-9 other projects in a holding pattern in case EADS falls through.

[CottonCity251]

At least she writes a column in every issue, unlike that geek that tries to 4 da county view.:breakcomp: Im geauxing to throw up AGAIN if i hear about another park for the downtown area!! We need more condos to bring in more people. The only park i wanna see is in a garage.



Mobile votes against the winning president sh*t happens.......

1) 1960's Brookley Airforce Base .......gone
2) 1992 Naval station Mobile......ha ....gone

3) 2008 KC-45 Tanker.....lol....bye bye Blues

Yes this election was historic !! :hell:

I wouldn't say that...actually, I think it is a high possibility that the democrats will split the contract. I think Obama will keep Robert Gates as Defense Sec., which will get right to work on the tanker contract because he understands the need for new tankers. The tanker competition is simple compared to the other issues at hand the Obama administration will have to tackle and I think he will do a good job at getting them done. I support President-Elect Barack Obama.

[10101000]

Obama does not care about Mobile, he cares about the middle east. I do not trust him. All of you that wanted change, you got it, he did not say what kind of change, but you got a Half white/Black man in the white house. I am sure that the Arabs will be able to enter the country for free now and not have to lift a finger like most folks that live off the government.

Thanks

kind of funny, when I do spell check it says his name is Osama!

[10101000]

Hillary has more balls to stand up for America than he does.

[DruidCity]

Lastly, I love the idea of Barton as a culinary school that they mocked in the article. Bham has a culinary school and it has resulted in them having some nationally recognized restaraunts and renowned chefs. It would provide training/education to some of our citizens that are not college bound, provides the city with top quality restaraunts/chefs, and creates a new draw to pull in new people to the city who come in for training and stay. Most of the quality cities in the US have a culinary training facility.

I like that idea, too. It's not just the citizens who aren't college bound, either.
Some students at culinary schools are people with "regular" college degrees such as mothers who left the full-time workforce who want just a part-time deal owning a catering business or making desserts for a restaurant as a sideline.

Mike Dean said after his re-election that they have 6-9 other projects in a holding pattern in case EADS falls through.

Might as well break the holding pattern and get those projects rolling. If you have 6-9 "sure things" on hold in this economic environment, then take 'em.

[OCA REP]

Obama does not care about Mobile, he cares about the middle east. I do not trust him. All of you that wanted change, you got it, he did not say what kind of change, but you got a Half white/Black man in the white house. I am sure that the Arabs will be able to enter the country for free now and not have to lift a finger like most folks that live off the government.

Thanks

kind of funny, when I do spell check it says his name is Osama!

You know Tim, I have generally enjoyed reading your posts and thoughts on here, but with the comments you made above, you come across as a sore loser and as a racist.

Suck it up and act like a big boy. Your candidate lost and you need to deal with it... don't belly moan about it on here because no one wants to hear it!

[10101000]

Funny you say that, I am not racist, I voted for Kip Holden and Sam Jones both are Black, hmmmmmm! Let me see here, you are wrong my friend. I would rather Sam Jones be president, at least he is honest about a lot of things. Do not judge me buddy, or big boy! LOL

Thanks

[DruidCity]

It is worthwhile to try to discuss as rationally as we can without getting too personal the economic implications of living in one of the "reddest" states during one of the "bluest" eras nationally.
Alabama does indeed have lots of industry that could potentially be affected by changes in DC - non-union factories, military-related research and employment, medicine, agriculture, forestry, water resources, coal and steel, etc.

Other than EADS, what implications are there for the Mobile-area specifically ?
Which parts of Mobile's economic base will benefit ? Which parts will suffer ?
Which will remain the same ?

[Port_of_Bama]

I`m for Obama all the way .I don`t think Tim is racist I do think his comments are a little far fetched I am a 23 year old African Amarican and I do`nt know why people think that Obama is a terrorist. That idea is just crazy to me all I have to say is God`s will was done and I do`nt think God would have allowed a terrost to run this country. I` am sick and tired of caucasins saying Obama won becasue of Black and this does not refer to you TIM. Statisticaly The white working class made up the majority of Obama`s votes not Blacks if itwere only Blacks Obama would have never won .


I can understand were OCA REP is coming from because Wednesday after history was mad I have gotten all kinds of weird looks here in Mobile. It doesn`t bother me but peopel need to get over racism.

I do believe with all my heart that change is coming to America and Obama is the man that will bring that change.

[10101000]

Your right might be the end times, we will all see. As far as it goes, I do not see him caring for and about Mobile. I think Sam Jones could have done a better job, and Obama is not all black, he is half, what's the big deal with all that? Any who, since the economy is in the situation that it is in, I do not see Obama digging in the petty cash to help Mobile with our plans. This would have to be bought and paid for on the local end. Mark my word, it will never, ever happen. Mobile is on its own, and kiss the tanker completely good bye... Obama is based out of Illinois, so Boeing will get the complete and packaged deal. See, Obama is about redistributing the wealth and higher taxes, not what is going to be fare to the hard working part of our country.

[OCA REP]

Funny you say that, I am not racist, I voted for Kip Holden and Sam Jones both are Black, hmmmmmm! Let me see here, you are wrong my friend. I would rather Sam Jones be president, at least he is honest about a lot of things. Do not judge me buddy, or big boy! LOL

Thanks

I was not judging you Tim... just pointing out how you were coming across.

If you are not a racist, that is good. However, the fact that there is now (and these are YOUR words) a half white/black man in the White House is irrelevant. He is an AMERICAN and he is the PRESIDENT-elect of this country.

I guess enough said on this subject.

[10101000]

I`m for Obama all the way .I don`t think Tim is racist I do think his comments are a little far fetched I am a 23 year old African Amarican and I do`nt know why people think that Obama is a terrorist. That idea is just crazy to me all I have to say is God`s will was done and I do`nt think God would have allowed a terrost to run this country. I` am sick and tired of caucasins saying Obama won becasue of Black and this does not refer to you TIM. Statisticaly The white working class made up the majority of Obama`s votes not Blacks if itwere only Blacks Obama would have never won .


I can understand were OCA REP is coming from because Wednesday after history was mad I have gotten all kinds of weird looks here in Mobile. It doesn`t bother me but peopel need to get over racism.

I do believe with all my heart that change is coming to America and Obama is the man that will bring that change.

Your right change is going to come, bad or good it is coming. Secondly how do you know he is not a terrorist, the man just came on the scene and is willing to sit with foreign enemies without consent. Please

[OCA REP]

Your right might be the end times, we will all see.

End times? GREAT... he must be the anti-christ too for you to type something of that nature.

This is a development thread; not for political views. You are a sore loser and need to move on. You are still holding on to the mean-spirited, religous-right bull crap that the conservatives tried to use during the campaign to discredit Obama. It did not work then and it is not going to work now!

If you want to bitch and moan about the presidential election, take it to the appropriate area of Skybar (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=334) and get it out of here!

[10101000]

Ok, I was talking about development in Mobile, go take a picture.

[elb401]

I feel like the city has lost a lot of steam in the downtown redevelopment area. I hope the banks start lending again. I hope this plan isn't a lot of wishful thinking.

I voted for Obama last Tuesday concerned about the tanker project. I still voted for him knowing that when he made those comments he was talking to a union. I just can't vote on one issue. He has since changed his opinion to the best plane for the war fighters. I'm still unsure about how he feels. I watched a video of the European Commission President talking about possible protectionism from Obama. He said that the Europeans will fight him on that issue. So expect a lot of pressure from europe and asia to keep the markets open. So that helped ease my mind a little. Mobile will be okay.....we have been here for 306 years. the city has seen a lot worse.

Sorry if I kept this conversation going.

[buckett5425]

Tim.....

Your political comments on this forum are some of the most ignorant things I have read during this entire election. Your comments coming from someone who I assume is an intelligent person. Try reading up on the facts before posting such blatant nonsense in a public forum, it makes you look stupid and people will call you out on it, as you can see above.....

In other news Tim, did Winston say "hey" to you for me, I went to yalls office to drop him off a check two weeks ago.

[10101000]

No he did not. I have not been at my office a lot, I had a death in my family and I have been back and forth to Alabama, and was out three days this week due to my automobile accident. Thanks, hey back.

[Port_of_Bama]

Tim your cool with me bro but I have to disagree with you on Obama being a terrorist.


Any way back to Mobile, What is the name of the ship I see out in dry dock around Atlantic Marine ? That thing is huge I was able to see it coming down hill on Airport Blvd east bound. Close up it looks to be the same size as the Triumph that is coming to New Orelans and this ship doesn`t look like a Carnival ship it looks more upscale to me.

[Electrical Porpoise]

Tim your cool with me bro but I have to disagree with you on Obama being a terrorist.




Be careful out on that limb there pob. :)