[HSVTiger]

It would be very interesting to see if a Light Rail Line could be constructed in Huntsville, reaching from Alabama A&M in the North to Ditto Landing in the South.

I know that a lot of the old L&N track has been dismantled and pulled up from the area north of Max Luther Drive but What sort of costs would be incurred to lay track back down again and actually build a new, fresh from scratch path that would go right to A&M?

I would like to see a west extension/station at Bridge Street/Research Park then UAH. Downtown station at Constellation/VBC and Medical District link.
Extend the existing Huntsville Hospital Tram west along Governors Dr.
Then a stop at Parkway Place. The idea being that a visitor could stay downtown and visit all the main shopping venues without getting in a car.
Further enhancing the dream would be to get it to Huntsville International.
This idea has been around for a long time but the time is rapidly approaching
wwhere it would work. Huntsville could be the state leader in light rail technology.
To see and hear a developer talk about it is a positive sign.

[HSVTiger]

Belks ready to begin remodel at Madison Square.

They already are adding a two story 20,000 sq ft extension and remodel at the Parisian store at Parkway Place. Now the Parisian at Madison Square
will see new alterations and putting in the new layout that Belk uses.
Should be done by August 17.The stores will be renamed Belks later this year:(
Belks has two stores at Madison Sq,so what will happen to the other remains to be seen. If they close it, Macy's would be a great replacement.

[HSVTiger]

Verizon ready to fill 1300 jobs,

From staff reportsHuntsville Times
Verizon Wireless has selected the first group of employees to join its team at the Huntsville Call Center, hiring several human resources professionals who will be recruiting hundreds of employees to fill the new state headquarters.

Connie Howell has been named the center's manager of human resources, field operations.

She previously held the same position at the company's Columbia, S.C., call center.

Joining Howell's team are seven HR professionals: Justin Jesser of Madison, Valerie Villarreal of Athens, and Huntsville residents, Felicia Colley, Karen King, Debra Dunbar, Patricia Moore and Nacole Seldon. Jesser, Villarreal and Colley have taken positions as HR analysts. King, Dunbar and Moore have joined the team as HR consultants.

The company broke ground on the center, at Thornton Research Park, in February. The building is expected to be completed in September.

When fully staffed, 1,300 employees will be housed in the facility, including customer service representatives and supervisors, tech support, government customer service teams and corporate sales employees.

The company is recruiting for the Huntsville center. Those interested in career opportunities should submit their resumes online at www.verizonwireless.com/careers.

The first class of new employees will begin orientation and training in July.

[Art-HSV]

Has anyone heard about a new mall in Madison on HWY 72 near Kohls?

[neilson]

I would like to see a west extension/station at Bridge Street/Research Park then UAH. Downtown station at Constellation/VBC and Medical District link.
Extend the existing Huntsville Hospital Tram west along Governors Dr.
Then a stop at Parkway Place. The idea being that a visitor could stay downtown and visit all the main shopping venues without getting in a car.
Further enhancing the dream would be to get it to Huntsville International.
This idea has been around for a long time but the time is rapidly approaching
wwhere it would work. Huntsville could be the state leader in light rail technology.
To see and hear a developer talk about it is a positive sign.
A Western Spur would be ideal, but perhaps something could be worked out with Norfolk Southern to use ROW on their East-West line. It would hit all the main points and in my mind that stretch of track between Decatur and Huntsville would be better served as a Commuter Rail Line, like what we're beginning to see in Nashville.

Again, it all comes down to adding a track with Norfolk Southern because the current track is highly lucrative for freight and coal transport.

Take the old L&N track for Light Rail, twin the NS track to be commuter rail and the point where both can meet up at is around the existing depot on Church Street. It's also right near where the bus depot is at too.

[HSVTiger]

Has anyone heard about a new mall in Madison on HWY 72 near Kohls?
You may be thinking of the planned new SuperWalmart, and 14 screen theater
shopping center in that area (Balch Rd area). It would be in the HSV city limits as is Kohl's and
Home Depot is now. I think construction is to begin next year sometime.

article from last December

Friday, December 22, 2006
By JOHN PECK
Times Staff Writer john.peck@htimes.com
Discounter part of $90M deal OK'd by City Council

Chalk up another Wal-Mart for Huntsville.

A giant Supercenter, a multiscreen movie theater and apartment complex are part of a $90 million-plus commercial development deal approved Thursday night by the City Council.

The project is being developed by Colonial Properties Trust of Birmingham. It is proposed for an 80-acre tract of land on the north side of U.S. 72 just west of the CVS Pharmacy on Balch Road - roughly across the highway from the Madison Bowling Center.

The development deal approved by the City Council commits up to $900,000 in city money for turn lanes and traffic signals on U.S. 72 at the entrance. Colonial has a purchase option on the land and will now move forward on closing the deal.

Mayor Loretta Spencer said the project will be good for Huntsville because it will mean yet another retail opportunity for shoppers with their sales taxes. Sales taxes make up more than half of the city's $201 million operating budget: $119 million is projected in city sales taxes this budget year.

Spencer said city annexations along the U.S. 72 corridor into Limestone County are beginning to pay for themselves with developments that generate more sales and property taxes.

"There are a lot of people that come in that route to their jobs," she said. A city study in 2000 said 8,878 Limestone County residents work in Madison County.

Bryan Ratliff, senior vice president of Colonial Properties Trust in Birmingham, said groundbreaking on the shopping/apartment/movie theater complex is slated for fall 2007. Developers hope to ramp up completion of the theater for a possible opening in spring 2008, he said.

AmStar Cinemas, a medium-sized theater chain based in Birmingham, is planning a 14-screen complex. Ratliff said Wal-Mart and the other yet-to-be-named retail stores could open by late 2008 or early 2009.

"It's a great investment for the City of Huntsville," Spencer said in justifying the city's agreement to build the turning lanes and signals.

Ratliff said the older Wal-Mart on U.S. 72 about five miles east of the planned new one will remain open. Ratliff said Huntsville's rapid growth, strong business climate and projections for huge population gains with the thousands of jobs that will be transferred here from BRAC make the project an attractive investment. The location seems ideal, he said.

"The population growth has been very prolific in the Harvest-Monrovia area and, of course, the city of Madison and east Limestone County along County Line Road," Ratliff said.

He believes more growth will fill in, lessening the chance for the development to "bleed off or transfer too many sales."

Spencer also doesn't believe the retail giant will siphon sales from established retail venues on U.S. 72. The new location follows Wal-Mart's strategy of building on major highways on the fringes of cities to capture commuters from the suburbs as they drive in. The new Wal-Mart would be the seventh in Madison County. There is even another one planned for the Chase area.

The retail component will be a $59 million investment and the apartments a $34 million investment. Colonial Properties Trust is publicly traded and is the largest real estate company in Alabama with total market assets valued at over $5 billion, Ratliff said.

[HSV79]

There is indeed a new little strip mall that may be coming to the Nance and Hwy 72 area across from Rainbow Elementary. The developer has said that it is still some ways off though. There weren't many details about the project so it's anyones guess. But it is indeed a completely different project from the Wally World one down the road.

[HSVTiger]

Bio Diesel:tup:

By BRIAN LAWSON
Times Business Writer brian.lawson@htimes.com
UAH students say production to start in fall at EnerSight

Justin Anthony, who graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville on Saturday, and fellow UAH student Drew Gentry decided about a year ago to go into the energy business, making biodiesel fuel.

The two are partners in Huntsville-based EnerSight and say they believe the biodiesel they expect to start producing in October at a Madison plant can aid the environment, reduce fuel prices and lower carbon dioxide emissions.

The plant will use waste oil, collected from North Alabama restaurants and other sources, as feedstock for the biodiesel. It will be locally sourced, and the market for diesel fuel in the region is considerable. Gentry said in the three-county area around Huntsville, 73 million gallons of diesel fuel were consumed in 2006.

Biodiesel is made from renewable sources, ranging from soybeans to oils to fats and contains no petroleum. It can be blended with regular diesel fuel in any concentration and can run in any diesel engine made after 1993. For engines built prior to that, Anthony said the engine hoses and a fuel pump filter simply need to be changed for the biodiesel to be usable.

Anthony majored in chemical engineering, and Gentry is studying business with a concentration on marketing. The alignment of skills, their friendship and a growing fascination with biodiesel convinced Anthony this was the path to starting his first company.

Gentry said the pair spent months doing research about biodiesel, potential markets, costs for development and related issues. From there, they developed a business plan and were accepted by BizTech, Huntsville's business incubator program in January.
EnerSight decided to partner with Orlando, Fla.-based Xenerga, which for a percentage of gross profits will build the plant - set for Putnam Industrial Park in Madison, provide the equipment, train the staff, locate and sell to EnerSight the necessary fuel stock and help them locate customers.

Dave Jarrett, chief communications officer for Xenerga, said the company has graduated from providing products that purify waste oils for other uses, to the biodiesel plant business. He said the company expects its first turn-key plant to open in the Kissimmee, Fla., area in the next few months. He said the company has established 136 biodiesel plants around the world through a subsidiary. The U.S. effort for operations like EnerSight's includes nine contracts for plants and 16 more letters of intent for plant construction, Jarrett said.

The growing push for alternative fuels helps the market conditions for companies like EnerSight. The federal government offers a 50 cent per gallon tax break on waste oil derived fuels and a $1 a gallon for "virgin products" like grains or fats, Jarrett said.

The Alabama Legislature is currently considering a bill supported by Gov. Bob Riley and Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks that would provide tax incentives for biofuels producers, support for infrastructure to make it available to consumers, a nickel a gallon incentive for school bus use of biodiesel and incentives for consumers to buy alternative-fuel-powered cars, such as hybrids or ethanol-powered E85 vehicles, said Mark Bentley, executive director of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition.

EnerSight's partners said the company has verbal commitments from customers for all the fuel it plans to produce in its first year. Diesel fuel distributors are expected to make up the bulk of their customer base, but Gentry said the company is also hoping to do business with the City of Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal at some future point.

EnerSight plans to run its plant 24 hours a day, seven days a week with a production goal of 5 million gallons of certified biodiesel per year. One of the challenges the product faces, Gentry said, is the perception that biodiesel is substandard. He said that is the result of "home brew" biodiesel that is never properly tested or purified before it is put in someone's engine. Their product, he said, will meet national standards before it is sold.

[daveyp]

i'd love to see light rail in the next 5 years. that would be amazing. but i wouldn't hold my breath.

i would expect something less spectacular, like a paved busway.

[HSVTiger]

Huntsville International continues expansion

The Huntsville International Airport is getting a cash infusion of $3.1 million for its expansion and improvement efforts, U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer announced today.

The $3.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation will be used to support the airport's plan to expand its terminal, recondition its taxiway and apron, make security enhancements and buy snow removal equipment, said Cramer, D-Huntsville, in a news release.

"The Huntsville International Airport is a major factor in North Alabama's economic development," Cramer said. "This funding will further enhance our airport as we aggressively recruit quality jobs to the region."

[HSVTiger]

Westin Huntsville progress
looks like they are around the 10th floor.

http://69.18.124.21/axis-cgi/mjpg/video.cgi?camera=&resolution=704x480&1179838100480

[HSVTiger]

Monaco 14 screen theater at Bridge Street progress.

This is in Cummings Research Park in the background can be seen part of
Adtran's(telecommunication) campus and SAIC, (Army, defense, space contractor)
http://www.blalockbc.com/projects/monaco1.jpg

http://www.blalockbc.com/projects/monaco7.jpg

[HSVTiger]

These were posted earlier, but bids are being taken for 3 more Publix
groceries. One at County Line and Browns Ferry Rd,(54,000 sq ft) One on Jordan Ln by Harvest, and another in Athens at East Side Junction/US 72, Lindsay Lane area(46,000 sq ft)
After construction starts it takes about 10 months to finish the store.

[HSVTiger]

Applied Science Building at UAH nearing completion. Also you can see part
of the new expanded lake and park area in front.
http://www.uah.edu/admin/camtest/latest.jpg

[HSVTiger]

John Stallworth Golf Tournament.
http://www.johnstallworth.com/golf/
Coming up June 15th
this will be a great event held at Robert Trent Jones Hampton Cove course in Huntsville. Stallworth the Pittsburgh Steeler great lives in Huntsville and is a very successful business man.
Then
John Stallworth played for the Pittsburgh Steelers for 14 seasons from 1974 through 1987. The 6-2, 191-pound speedster teamed first with Lynn Swann and later with Louis Lipps to give the Steelers unusually potent pass-receiving tandems. Stallworth caught 537 passes for 8,723 yards and 63 touchdowns, all Steelers team records.
Now
Mr. Stallworth provides overall leadership, directs strategic planning, and establishes goals and objectives for Madison Research Corporation (MRC). An insightful and astute businessman, he started MRC in 1986, prior to his 1988 retirement from professional football. He formulates marketing objectives, develops growth strategies, assesses trends in customer requirements, and interfaces with the executive staff and functional team leaders toward maintaining customer satisfaction and stimulating new business.

here is a confirmed list of attendees:
Howard Ballard
John Banaszak
Bob Baumhower
Mel Blount
Preston Brown
Jennifer Chandler
Harvey Clayton
John Clayton
Joe Cribbs
Sylvester Croom
Chris Doleman
Jeffrey Faulkner
L.C. Greenwood
Bobby Lee Harden
Anthony Jones
Joey Kent
Frank Lewis
Greg Lloyd
Woody McCorby
Nathaniel Moore
Brian Nash
Edmund Nelson
Gary Otten
Benny Perrin
James Pruitt
Gary Redus
Donnie Shell
Dwight Stephenson
Cliff Stoudt
Tim Stowers
Lynn Swann
Calvin Sweeny
Pat Upton
James Willis

[HSVTiger]

More Power! Crank it up


TVA ready to start Browns Ferry Unit 1 near Athens
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has given final approval for the Tennessee Valley Authority to restart its oldest nuclear reactor after a 22-year shutdown.

The green light came today after inspectors determined that the unit met standards to go online again.

TVA said it spent $$1.8 billion over a five year period overhauling Unit One at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant.

Units Two and Three were restarted in the 1990s. The restart of Unit One, which could come any day, will mark the first time the entire plant has been operating in about 27 years.

TVA said it has conducted more than 1,200 safety tests at Browns Ferry, and workers spent more than 15 million hours of work at the plant replacing, refurbishing or modifying systems.

Browns Ferry's Unit One will become the utility's sixth operating reactor, joining the two others at the plant, two at the Seqouyah station near Chattanooga and the single reactor at Watts Bar.

The switch has been flipped

The Tennessee Valley Authority restarted the third and final reactor at its Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant near Athens early Tuesday, ending a 22-year shutdown prompted by safety concerns at what was once America's largest nuclear plant.

TVA, the nation's largest public utility, said the restart capped an exhaustive program that brought the reactor up to modern standards. A watchdog group, however, pointed to the plant's history of problems and questioned whether the reactor should be operating at all.

The Unit 1 reactor began a self-sustaining nuclear reaction at 12:28 a.m. CST, capping a five-year, $1.8 billion renovation.
http://www.tva.gov/sites/images/sites/brownsferry.jpg

[HSVTiger]

Constellation downtown layout,
this is subject to change according to the tenants but it will probably be close to this.It will have a main street type feel with on street parking in the center.

http://www.huntsvillealabamausa.com/news/biz_news/2007/051907_heartofhsv.jpg

[HSVTiger]

Jobs announcements by a diverse mix of companies, including the largest U.S. wireless provider and a small, Huntsville-based printing business, pushed Madison County to the No. 1 spot in the state in new and expanding business in 2006.

The 2006 New and Expanding Industry Report, released by the Alabama Development Office, shows Madison County with 48 announced projects providing 4,602 new jobs last year.
The top jobs announcement last year in Madison County - and in Alabama as well - came from Verizon Wireless, which is building a 152,000-square-foot state headquarters and call center in Huntsville, a $44 million investment. That project alone represents 1,300 jobs.

In Madison County, there were 1,352 announced jobs in five projects by new companies and 3,250 announced jobs in 43 projects by expanding companies.

The total investment of the Madison County announcements: Almost $238 million.
Jefferson County was second with 59 companies announcing 2,203 jobs. Mobile County followed with 31 companies announcing 1,593 jobs and Baldwin County was next with 26 companies announcing 1,502 jobs.

[HSVTiger]

After rumors and teasing for 5 years, Jason's Deli is finally opening two locations in Huntsville. One next to The Fresh Market on Whitesburg opening in June and the second to open in November behind IHOP near Enterprise Way and University Dr. Their French Onion soup is the best. Interesting that they will be close to the two McAllisters Deli's in those same areas.

[HSVTiger]

Johns Hopkins; I had no idea they did this type of stuff

By SHELBY G. SPIRES
Times Aerospace Writer shelby.spires@htimes.com
Applied Physics unit will assist on several programs

Missile defense work slated to move to Redstone Arsenal paved the way for a prestigious university think tank to open an office in Huntsville, local leaders said Wednesday.

The Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory officially opened an office in Huntsville to support Missile Defense Agency work, much of which will be coming here because of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, or BRAC, decisions.

"This is really about BRAC and the work we plan to move here over the next two years," said Tim McKaig, the Missile Defense Agency manager who is organizing the moves to Huntsville. "We plan to rely on the Applied Physics Lab to support that work."

McKaig said the engineering and analysis work performed by the lab would bolster the agency's engineers. "The (Applied Physics Lab) will be integral to our work with missile defense across the board," he said.

The 3,200-square-foot lab is located off University Drive at the West Park research park. It will have six people working with the Missile Defense Agency at first, but that will grow to about 14, said David Olivares, the Applied Physics Lab's Huntsville site manager.

The lab has been working on government projects since World War II, said Dr. Richard T. Roca, lab director in Laurel, Md. "We have a historical connection to the Huntsville area. We have been involved with Army missile work since the 1950s, but it is good to have a permanent presence here," he said.

Roca and about 100 Missile Defense Agency, Huntsville and Madison County leaders dedicated the site Wednesday.

"This is one more decision that shows what our tech community has done," said Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer. "We are going forward and this showcases this community's ability to do that."

[HSVTiger]

some neat model pics of Bridge Street, most of this is in various stages of construction.


http://www.huntsvillealabamausa.com/new_exp/crp/pics/bridgestreet/model2.jpg

The Westin
http://www.huntsvillealabamausa.com/new_exp/crp/pics/bridgestreet/model5.jpg

http://www.huntsvillealabamausa.com/new_exp/crp/pics/bridgestreet/model1.jpg

[HSVTiger]

Saturn V building update. It will be fun to watch them move the actual rocket(not the one standing) into the building when it is ready.
The goal was to raise 7.5 million for the Save the Saturn V, so far 7.6 million has been raised.

http://207.111.165.30/axis-cgi/mjpg/video.cgi?resolution=CIF&dummy=1180018521116

http://207.111.165.16/axis-cgi/mjpg/video.cgi?resolution=320x240&dummy=1180018521140

[daveyp]

http://www.dosterconstruction.com/Project_Pages/project_pictures/surgery_huntsville_renderin.gif

this new surgery center is sooooooo hideous. what were they thinking?

[Shawn35816]

Has anybody thought about how nice Bridge Street would be if it didnt have all of those large parking lots but instead had parking decks. That way the open land could be used for future buildings that could be added later. It would make it feel more urban instead of like the suburban sprawl we have grown to hate. The parking lots that will go all around the development just makes it feel isolated from the rest of Research Park, to me. I wish the whole of research park would adopt a method of building instead of building as they like, because as of now it just feels spaced out.

[neilson]

Has anybody thought about how nice Bridge Street would be if it didnt have all of those large parking lots but instead had parking decks. That way the open land could be used for future buildings that could be added later. It would make it feel more urban instead of like the suburban sprawl we have grown to hate. The parking lots that will go all around the development just makes it feel isolated from the rest of Research Park, to me. I wish the whole of research park would adopt a method of building instead of building as they like, because as of now it just feels spaced out.
But there will be Parking Decks.

[daveyp]

Has anybody thought about how nice Bridge Street would be if it didnt have all of those large parking lots but instead had parking decks. That way the open land could be used for future buildings that could be added later. It would make it feel more urban instead of like the suburban sprawl we have grown to hate. The parking lots that will go all around the development just makes it feel isolated from the rest of Research Park, to me. I wish the whole of research park would adopt a method of building instead of building as they like, because as of now it just feels spaced out.

i agree whole-heartedly. and though there will be some decks i would like to see more in lieu of open blacktop.

i wish the same for constellation as well, though it is a little better than bridge street in this regard.

[HSVTiger]

MONTGOMERY -- Gov. Bob Riley today signed into law two bills that will help a proposed commercial development on Redstone Arsenal.

The new laws will assist a development planned by Montgomery-based Jim Wilson & Associates on 422 acres of Redstone near Interstate 565 and Rideout Road.

Tentative plans call for the company to build an office park with some stores and possibly a hotel.

The bills signed by the governor will exclude the debt associated with a Tax Increment Finance, or TIF, district on federal property and extend from five to 10 years the time that a city can make expenditures from TIF revenue. The extension on the time for expenditures is not retroactive to existing TIFs.

Under TIFs, the city issues special bonds for work near a planned commercial project and repays the loan with higher tax revenue from later economic growth. Schools also have been built with TIFs, with the debt paid by the revenue generated by higher property values.

Huntsville city officials said the legislation was needed in case Wilson & Associates asks the city for help in providing services such as sewers, roads and utilities. Redstone would have to ask the city to annex the site before such services are provided.

[HSVTiger]

By WAYNE SMITHTimes Business Editor wayne.smith@htimes.com
Summit brings in business, elected officials each year

With gas prices reaching record highs, it seems like an appropriate time to talk about our nation's energy supply and security.

Energy will be one of the major themes at this week's Tennessee Valley Corridor National Summit. This year's 17th summit will be Tuesday and Wednesday at the MeadowView Conference Resort and Convention Center in Kings-port, Tenn.


The corridor - stretching from North Alabama through Tennessee and into Kentucky and Virginia - brings together business and elected officials from across the region to discuss economic development.

The list of keynote speakers includes Tom Kilgore, president and CEO of the Tennessee Valley Authority, which restarted its Unit 1 nuclear reactor at Browns Ferry last week. The Unit was shut down Thursday because of a leak of hydraulic fluid from a control system.

U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Huntsville, is expected to join U.S. Rep Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., for a session Wednesday on energy security.

This year's summit, titled "New Corridor Solutions for America's Biggest Challenges,'' will also focus on health-care solutions, education, maintaining the region's technical work force and homeland security.

"The caliber of speakers, leaders and organizations represented at the Corridor's National Summit year after year is very telling of the role our region continues to play in solving some of America's toughest challenges,'' said Paul E. Stanton Jr., president of East Tennessee State University.

"The collaboration among key players that takes place at this event is essential to advance the Corridor as one of America's premier science and technology centers.''

[MDL]

1st post greetings, all. Thanks for a truly informative thread. I've been reading the last 6 months of posts in my spare time the last several days as I look ahead to a relocation, temporary at least and permanent hopefully, to HSV (though not part of BRAC).

One question: what's the timeline on a lot of these residential developments? When will they be available for occupancy? I know that's dependent on a lot of external finance factors, but I'd appreciate any informed guesses. I'm a downtown loft type of guy and would love to get into something like that as soon as I can solve dual residences or get rid of my current one.

Developments I've seen mentioned here:
Councill Court high-rise
Westin Huntsville (prices anyone?)
Roosevelt Place
Midtowne on the Park
Constellation

Thanks again for a great thread.
MDL

[HSVTiger]

1st post greetings, all. Thanks for a truly informative thread. I've been reading the last 6 months of posts in my spare time the last several days as I look ahead to a relocation, temporary at least and permanent hopefully, to HSV (though not part of BRAC).

One question: what's the timeline on a lot of these residential developments? When will they be available for occupancy? I know that's dependent on a lot of external finance factors, but I'd appreciate any informed guesses. I'm a downtown loft type of guy and would love to get into something like that as soon as I can solve dual residences or get rid of my current one.

Developments I've seen mentioned here:
Councill Court high-rise
Westin Huntsville (prices anyone?)
Roosevelt Place
Midtowne on the Park
Constellation

Thanks again for a great thread.
MDL

Welcome to the forum, follow these links for more info and contacts;
Some of these are still being developed so no info is yet available.
Roosevelt Place should see construction begin soon.
Councill Court still a year or so out
Ovation Condo next to Summit is still delayed.
301 East is available now
http://www.301east.com/downloads/301East_72dpi.jpg

http://www.enfingerdevelopment.com/pages.php?page=01/06/13/8431462
http://www.westinhuntsvilleresidences.com/

[daveyp]

there are also a few older apartment/condo towers downtown that you could look into. most of them seem to run at least 300k from what i've seen.

condos at 301 are 300k-700+

someone else may know better than me, but isn't there a condo or two going in on the second floor of the jeff sikes development/remodeling on the north side of the square?

[HSVTiger]

Coming soon:
new La Quinta Inn and Suites/Huntsville International Airport.
Longhorns Steakhouse at Valley Bend, next door to Red Robin.

[HSVTiger]

New Lee High School update..
this is a key component to new retail and housing coming to
North Downtown NorthEast HSV/Chase area. Once ground is broken
more developments will start happening.

The Huntsville school board this morning made offers totaling a little over $2.5 million on more than 17 acres to expand the Lee High School campus, and might acquire half of that property by eminent domain if necessary.

The extra land would link the campus to Meridian Street and allow students to use the present building after construction begins this fall on its $42.5 million replacement.

The board offered $1.575 million for 8.8 acres along Meridian Street. Once home to a Coors distributor, the site is owned by Dewey Brazelton and Charlie M. Smith Sr.

The board also offered $950,000 to Hardwick Properties for 8.9 acres farther north at Meridian Street and Quietdale. But the board has been unable to reach an agreement with Hardwick Properties and made plans to condemn the property.

[HSVTiger]

Huntsville's Foreign Trade Zone #83 located at Huntsville International Airport.


FTZ No. 83 is located on two non-contiguous sites.

The first site is a 1550 acre industrial park located directly adjacent to the newly remodeled Huntsville International Airport as well as the Huntsville International Intermodal Center, an air, rail and motor carrier intermodal terminal.

The second site is the Mallard-Fox Creek Industrial Park and Port, a 1000 acre industrial park located on the Tennessee River, in Decatur with water access for barge freight. This park is located only 20 minutes away from the International Intermodal Center.

Between these two sites Foreign-Trade Zone No. 83 has all modes of transportation, AIR, RAIL, ROAD and WATER

There is an 200,000 sq. ft. International Air Cargo Center located within FTZ No. 83. The International Air Cargo Center is receives direct flights from Europe, Asia, Mexico and it is preparing for more direct international flights in the near future.

The International Intermodal Center has two 45-ton capacity overhead gantry cranes, which helps support a broad range of services for receiving, transferring, storing and distributing air, rail and highway cargo with overnight delivery throughout the Southeastern United States. Nationwide rail service is also provided.
http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/business/060813/cargo1A.jpg

stacked and packed ready for delivery
http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/business/060813/cargo2.jpg

Mallard-Fox Creek Industrial Park and Port is a General commodity dock facility which can accommodate eight barges and a 40,000 square foot warehouse and office. A 40-ton forklift and a 80-ton crane are on site. Nationwide rail service is also provided.

The facilities and equipment at Mallard-Fox Creek Industrial Park and Port can be further enhanced to accommodate anything that moves on the inland waters of the U.S..

Both Foreign-Trade Zone Facilities are located only minutes away from Interstate 65.

Foreign Trade Zones in Alabama, Ports of entry are either Huntsville, Birmingham and Mobile in the state.

FTZ No. 82 Mobile
Port of Entry Mobile

FTZ No. 83 Huntsville
Port of Entry Huntsville

FTZ No. 98 Birmingham
Port of Entry Birmingham

FTZ No. 211 Anniston
Port of Entry Birmingham/Huntsville

FTZ No. 222 Montgomery
Port of Entry Birmingham

FTZ No. 233 Dothan
Port of Entry Panama City

[HSVTiger]

Even on the beach of good things sometimes there is an albatross,
the new Metro Jail would be that...

By DAVID HOLDEN
Times Staff Writer david.holden@htimes.com
However, safety problems repaired, city official says

Legal haggling is expected to further delay the completion of the eight-story metro jail expansion until at least fall of 2008. But safety problems in the structure have been repaired, a city official said Wednesday.

The problem-plagued jail project - beset by structural problems and work stoppages that led to a legal battle between the former contractor and the city - was originally set for completion in 2006. As recently as December, officials estimated it could be finished by spring of 2008.


Now, the completion date is between and May and December of 2008, the city's Public Building Authority learned at its meeting Wednesday.

Repairs to safety problems left by the project's former general contractor, Dawson Contracting Co., have been finished by the new contractor, Lee Builders, said Bruce Taylor, director of Huntsville's facilities projects and fleet management department.

Those problems included an unsupported concrete slab under the building's cooling towers and inadequate reinforcement for the floor in the machine room, he told the building authority.

"There were areas in the building that were unsafe for people to enter," Taylor said.

The original price tag, including architectural and engineering services and other final work, was to be more than $29.9 million. The projected cost has jumped by more than $7.8 million to $37.7 million.

[HSVTiger]

The Shoppes at Riverbend lifestyle center update, Zierdt Rd and I-565.
Until they get some kind of commitment from ALDOT(note: pay them to do it) then this project will die.
key is in bold, realistic...

Last week, DeBartolo Development shared the concept of a proposed project in Madison with thousands of retailers at an international convention in Las Vegas.

"Once they get a gauge of interest, DeBartolo will develop another more realistic preliminary design and at that point we can get more serious cost estimates on roads and utilities," Steve Raby, Breland's spokesman, said Thursday.

Breland has estimated the $500 million project will take about $40 million worth of incentives from the city for roads and water and sewer lines.

Madison City Council President Tommy Overcash said Thursday city officials haven't heard from the DeBartolo company since the convention last week, but they expect to within the next couple of weeks.

[HSVTiger]

New Lee High School update..
this is a key component to new retail and housing coming to
North Downtown NorthEast HSV/Chase area. Once ground is broken
more developments will start happening.

The Huntsville school board this morning made offers totaling a little over $2.5 million on more than 17 acres to expand the Lee High School campus, and might acquire half of that property by eminent domain if necessary.

The extra land would link the campus to Meridian Street and allow students to use the present building after construction begins this fall on its $42.5 million replacement.

The board offered $1.575 million for 8.8 acres along Meridian Street. Once home to a Coors distributor, the site is owned by Dewey Brazelton and Charlie M. Smith Sr.

The board also offered $950,000 to Hardwick Properties for 8.9 acres farther north at Meridian Street and Quietdale. But the board has been unable to reach an agreement with Hardwick Properties and made plans to condemn the property.

By CHALLEN STEPHENS
Times Staff Writer challen.stephens@htimes.com
The Huntsville school board Wednesday approved offers of about $2.5 million to expand Lee High School by 17 acres, but the board may have to acquire half of the land through eminent domain.

The new property would link the campus to Meridian Street and allow students to continue to use the current high school building after construction begins this fall on its $42.5 million replacement.

During a special meeting Wednesday, the board offered $1.575 million for 8.8 acres along Meridian just north of Oakwood Avenue. Once home to a Coors distributor, the site is owned by Dewey Brazelton and Charlie M. Smith Sr.

The board offered $950,000 to Hardwick Properties for the neighboring 8.9 acres at Meridian and Quietdale Drive but hasn't been able to reach an agreement with owner David Hardwick.

"They want front-row seats without having to pay for them," said Hardwick, referring to his access to five-lane Meridian.

Hardwick lives in the house on land that has been used as a cattle farm, bordered by the high school and the Coca-Cola bottling plant. He said he initially listed the property for $1.6 million.

The board passed a resolution Wednesday saying the system would condemn Hardwick's property if he does not accept its offer of $950,000 by June 30.

Alabama law allows a local school board to condemn and acquire land "for enlarging a schoolhouse lot" when it can't reach an agreement with the owner.

The combined tracts would expand the current campus to more than 51 acres, giving Lee the second-largest high school plot in Huntsville after Columbia High, which sits on 56 acres in Cummings Research Park. However, Lee's new campus would be divided by railroad tracks.
About 25 trains pass along those tracks each day, said Susan Terpay, a spokeswoman for Norfolk Southern.
There are plans to build a $1.5 million pedestrian bridge at least 23 feet above the rails, said Herbert Wheeler Jr., director of finance for the school system.

[HSVTiger]

Retail news

By MARIAN ACCARDI
Times Business Writer marian.accardi@htimes.com
McLain gets 'a lot of bites' for project at retail convention

Just back from his 22nd trip to the International Council of Shopping Centers annual spring convention, Huntsville commercial developer Scott McLain is optimistic about the local retail scene.

"We're well-positioned and well-recognized in the region as a profitable and prosperous retail market," said McLain. "Retailers have discovered the Huntsville market and are very interested in investing here.
"We're clearly on the map."

That's good news for McLain, who's searching for retail tenants for a planned $150 million development at the old Market Square site near downtown Huntsville. The proposed Constellation complex is to include two hotels, restaurants, shops, a condominium or apartment tower, offices and parking.

McLain spoke Thursday at the first North Alabama Real Estate Market Symposium, which drew nearly 200 bankers and lenders and real estate appraisal, development, brokerage and management professionals.

For the Huntsville retail market, "the infill (development of underused space) and specialty markets hold the most promise," McLain said. The city already has a regional mall and neighborhood mall - Madison Square Mall and Parkway Place - and two "power" shopping centers - Valley Bend at Jones Farm and Westside Centre on University Drive, McLain said, and eight Wal-Marts in the area.

As for the grocery store market, "the holes are huge," McLain said. Though Target and Wal-Mart have entered the grocery business, "only Publix and sometimes Kroger are the only players," he said.

McLain believes that his Constellation project will be successful because Marriott Courtyard and Springhill Suites are lined up for the project and 160,000 cars a day on Memorial Parkway pass the site. The location also has a 40-year shopping history.

At the shopping center convention in Las Vegas, "the project was very well-received," McLain said. "I got a lot of bites."

[HSVTiger]

and on the office market side, looks like the time is ripe for downtown
office construction,

The local commercial office market is dynamic, said Kyle Collins, senior vice president of Colonial Properties Trust.

Figures show some 13.5 million square feet of office space in downtown Huntsville, the emerging Madison and Jetplex Industrial Park area and Cummings Research Park.

In Research Park alone, Collins said, 1.5 million square feet of office space is under development or has been developed in the last 18 months, he said.

The overall occupancy rate in Huntsville for Class A and Class B office space is 94 percent to 95 percent, Collins said.

Spike in vacancies

"Anything above 90 percent is healthy," he said. "There's been a spike in vacancies," but Collins believes that's a result of companies consolidating here.

"I don't think we're overbuilding today," he said.

In the industrial market, the vacancy rate is running about 4.8 percent in the Huntsville area, said Jeff Wilke, vice president of Graham & Company Southeast LLC.

That company tracks the market for buildings of 20,000 square feet and more.

More than 350,000 square feet of speculative - no tenants signed - industrial space is being built or soon will be under construction, he told the group.

That development is in Jetplex Industrial Park and Jetplex Supplier Park, part of the Port of Huntsville. Graham & Company is developing a 208,000-square-foot spec distribution center in the northern part of the industrial park, and Huntsville-based Triad Acquisitions Group is developing a 146,000-square-foot spec warehouse distribution center and a two-story office building in Jetplex North.

In Jetplex Supplier Park, Industrial Properties of the South is building a 42,000-square-foot warehouse distribution building.

[HSVTiger]

hopefully this will be the end of this wasted effort to build a barge terminal in the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge, no means no way..
Huntsville needs to get with Decatur and promote their existing port and develop plans to make it what it needs to be

By JOHN PECK
Times Staff Writer john.peck@htimes.com
Decision follows Wheeler rejectionof canal permit

Huntsville's Ditto Landing marina board is giving up its effort to win approval for a major fuel barge port near Huntsville International Airport.

Several Ditto board members said Thursday that the board should focus on other matters in the wake of federal rejection of a right-of-way permit for a canal through Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge.

"My view is, Ditto does not have the financial resources to appeal the process," said Wally Kirkpatrick, president of the Huntsville-Madison County Marina and Port Authority, which governs the Ditto marina complex along the Tennessee River.

Kirkpatrick said the barge port idea still has merit, but some other group that can build a convincing case should take it on. "Ditto really doesn't have the resources in terms of financial capacity or staffing capacity. The board needs now to face up to what its priorities are," Kirkpatrick said.

Marina General Manager Ed Mitchell identified the airport as a logical agency to resume the port push. Kirkpatrick echoed that recommendation Thursday in an e-mail to Ditto board members suggesting that Mitchell immediately cease all Ditto involvement in the port idea and transfer appeal rights to the airport authority.
Board member Jada Leo also welcomed turning loose the port project loose, saying the board's central mission should be on boaters and other recreational interests at Ditto.

"There are some who believe it's (fuel port) consistent with running Ditto because it could potentially bring in so much needed revenue," he said. "But the reality is, if community efforts from various city councils and the airport couldn't bring this to reality over the last 40 years, who are we to believe in this day of heightened environmentalism we could make this a reality?

"It's folly."

(Your right about that)

Wheeler Manager Dwight Cooley notified Mitchell earlier this week that he had finalized his position on Ditto's request for right of way through the refuge. "As we discussed, I found that construction of a barge canal across Wheeler NWR was not an appropriate refuge use and as such, the (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) cannot issue a permit," Cooley wrote.

[HSVTiger]

Huntsville's living museum, Burritt on the Mountain
http://www.burrittonthemountain.com/
tonight a great Jazz concert part of the City Lights and Stars series

Burritt on the Mountain-A Living Museum’s 2007 City Lights and Stars Concert Series continues Friday, June 1st, at 7:30 p.m. The featured group for the evening is Karen Johns and Company. The entire City Lights and Stars concert series is sponsored by Knology; Karen Johns and Company is sponsored by Teledyne Brown Engineering. The Huntsville Times and WLRH Public Radio are media sponsors.

Advance tickets for the City Lights and Stars Concerts are $12 for adults and $8 for students; at the gate all tickets are $15. Tickets for Burritt members are $10. Tickets may be purchased at Josie’s on the Mountain (Burritt Museum Store), AB Stephens Music, Shaver’s Bookstore, and the Fret Shop. To order tickets by phone, call Burritt on the Mountain at (256) 536-2882. Audience members are encouraged to dress casually, bring a jacket in case of cool weather, bring a blanket or lawn chair, and enjoy a spectacular nighttime view of the city of Huntsville. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. and the gate opens at 6:30 p.m.
Make your night extra special and let us do the cooking. Guests can choose from many dining options for individuals or groups. New this year to City Lights and Stars is our Barbeque Buffet. Enjoy a Southern style barbeque buffet with all the fixins in the beautifully renovated Trillium Room, or enjoy it out on the lawn on your favorite blanket. Cost is $12.50. Order now or call 536-2882 with your order by the Wednesday before the concert.
We can provide a private dining experience in our charming Old Country Church. We can accommodate both small and large groups from 2 to 60 and the menu can be custom designed to appeal to many different tastes. This is a great way to celebrate a birthday, an anniversary, reward your staff, or have a girl’s night out. Call 512-0144 for more information.
A traditional favorite are our gourmet dinners in the Burritt Mansion. Elegant dinner packages are available for individuals or groups of up to 40. This package includes a gourmet dinner in the Burritt Mansion prior to the concert, a private viewing area on the mansion’s west terrace, and delicious desserts during intermission.
Making their City Lights debut is the group Karen Johns and Company, an acclaimed Nashville jazz band featuring vocalist/songwriter Karen Johns, percussionist Austin Bealmear, guitarist/songwriter/producer James Johns, pianist Kevin Sanders, and upright bassist Brook Sutton. They specialize in sultry, swinging jazz standards and originals and have performed across the Southeast region. The combo's debut CD, Lucky Day, features standards as well as originals co-written by Karen Johns and noted Nashville songwriters, and includes performances by leading Nashville session players.

[HSVTiger]

Before it was Huntsville it was Twickenham, the Rocket City has a rich
southern heritage.
Twickenham Historical District Downtown
Alabama’s largest antebellum district. Federal, Italianate and classical architecture. Also 1819 Weeden House Musem,(second photo) Alabama’s oldest house open to public.

1814 to present Structures: 297

Listed: 1/4/73
a few samples

http://z.about.com/d/huntsville/1/0/1/m/1/yarnhouse.jpg
http://www.weedenhousemuseum.com/images/weeden_house-cutout_-_framed.jpg
http://www.huntsvillepilgrimage.org/images2007/1_612-adams.jpg
http://www.huntsvillepilgrimage.org/images2007/2_604-adams.jpg
http://www.huntsvillepilgrimage.org/images2007/4_500-randolph.jpg
http://www.huntsvillepilgrimage.org/images2007/church_FirstMethodist.jpg

[pkp]

I had no idea Huntsville had anything remotely old in it. Neat!

[HSVTiger]

Maple Hill Cemetery just outside of downtown and adjacent to the historical districts is rich in history,

There is some confusion as to the exact year Maple Hill Cemetery was established. Most agree that it was around 1822, when LeRoy Pope sold two acres to the City to establish a municipal cemetery. However, there is no dispute that Maple Hill is one of the oldest cemeteries in Alabama and was registered by the Alabama Historical Association in 1962. Maple Hill has expanded to its present size of almost 100 acres and over 80,000 burials.

Many of Huntsville's most prominent citizens are buried at Maple Hill. Among them are five (5) of Alabama's governors, LeRoy Pope, Mollie Teal, Dr. Thomas Fearn, and Albert Russel Erskine. Veterans from the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Operation Desert Storm are also buried at Maple Hill.

A noteworthy landmark--the Huntsville Meridian--also makes its home in Maple Hill Cemetery. This is the stationing point from which all land in north Alabama was surveyed. A marker identifying this site is located in Block Four of the Cemetery.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/fd/Maple_Hill_Cemetery_Huntsville_Alabama_Front1.jpg/300px-Maple_Hill_Cemetery_Huntsville_Alabama_Front1.jpg

[HSVTiger]

Old Town Historic District Downtown
Huntsville loves it's history

Old Town Historic District was the second historic district in Huntsville, Alabama. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 18, 1978. Roughly bounded by Dement and Lincoln Sts., and Randolph and Walker Aves., It features homes in a variety of styles including Federal, Greek Revival, Queen Anne, California Bungalow, and even Prairie School with homes dating from the late 1820s through the early 1900s.

Late 19th and early 20th century Structures: 264

Listed: 7/18/78

http://z.about.com/d/huntsville/1/0/q/n/3/oldtowntoursign.jpg
http://z.about.com/d/huntsville/1/0/B/t/1/111calhoun1.jpg
http://z.about.com/d/huntsville/1/0/n/n/3/oldtowntour7.jpg
http://z.about.com/d/huntsville/1/0/d/n/3/oldtowntour25.jpg

[HSVTiger]

Alabama became the 22nd state here.
Located downtown this consists of the recreated buildings that existed when Alabama drew up it's first constitution.
http://www.alabamatravel.org/images/dbimages/members/23/20050713_115535.JPG

http://z.about.com/d/huntsville/1/8/g/r/walkingtour1.jpg

Huntsville's growth was rapid in the early years(still is). In 1811, the oldest Masonic Lodge in Alabama was created, with John Hunt a charter member and Andrew Jackson a frequent visitor.

In 1812, the Madison Gazette became the second newspaper in the territory. During 1819, Huntsville was chosen convention city for the drafting of Alabama's first constitution.
The historic Alabama Constitution Village commemorates the place where Alabamians met to draw up the Alabama constitution for statehood in 1819 during a Constitution Convention in Huntsville. The museum consists of four major buildings representing the time period from 1805-1819, reconstructed on their original sites.

[HSVTiger]

now back to the future, some Bridge Street action
East parking deck on the right, Westin Huntsville in the back
and roof construction on the left. Since it hasn't rained in forever
these guys are making good progress

http://69.18.124.21/axis-cgi/mjpg/video.cgi?camera=&resolution=704x480&1180725440183

[HSVTiger]

Downtown Brewery, Old Towne Brewing Company
currently the only micro-brewery in the state of Alabama
available in bottles and draft in Huntsville, Madison, Decatur,
Tuscaloosa and Birmingham

slow load on dialup

http://www.oldetownebeer.com/

[HSVTiger]

1st post greetings, all. Thanks for a truly informative thread. I've been reading the last 6 months of posts in my spare time the last several days as I look ahead to a relocation, temporary at least and permanent hopefully, to HSV (though not part of BRAC).

One question: what's the timeline on a lot of these residential developments? When will they be available for occupancy? I know that's dependent on a lot of external finance factors, but I'd appreciate any informed guesses. I'm a downtown loft type of guy and would love to get into something like that as soon as I can solve dual residences or get rid of my current one.

Developments I've seen mentioned here:
Councill Court high-rise
Westin Huntsville (prices anyone?)
Roosevelt Place
Midtowne on the Park
Constellation

Thanks again for a great thread.
MDL

Not downtown( convenient to everything) but lofts are now available at The Villages of Providence
http://www.villageofprovidence.com/?mainID=9

[HSVTiger]

Classes offered on cities growth

By PATRICIA C. McCARTER
Times Staff Writer patricia.mccarter@htimes.com
Osher Institute offers seminars on BRAC changes

Everywhere she turns, it seems Barbara Lucero is hit with information on how the transfer of thousands of federal jobs to Huntsville is going to transform the city.

So, when she and Mary Compton were faced with the task of coordinating this summer's enrichment series for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, the topic seemed a natural - and necessary - fit.
The four-part series begins Tuesday, and all members of the University of Alabama in Huntsville-based institute and their friends are invited to attend. The seminar, held in Wesley Hall at Trinity United Methodist Church on Airport Road, lasts from 9 a.m. until noon. It's free, and no registration is necessary.

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute is open to people 55 and older and offers up to 50 classes each semester. Lucero said more than 1,000 seniors are members.

"The word is that Huntsville is going to boom and prosper," Lucero said. "All you have to do is drive around and look at all of the houses and hotels going up, and you can see it's true."

In 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission announced that thousands of federal jobs in the Washington, D.C., area would transfer to Huntsville over the next several years. Some of them already have, but the bulk of the jobs - plus thousands more in the defense contracting sector - should arrive in the next three or four years.

"A lot of people want to know what BRAC is going to mean to them and to their city," Lucero said. "We hope this series will help answer their questions."

The first part of the series is called "Huntsville: A City in Transition." Representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, city hall, the Bridge Street project and the Hudson/Alpha Institute of Biotechnology will speak.

Other seminars in the Summer Enrichment Series include:

June 12 - "Redstone on Review," a look at how Redstone Arsenal and the city will accommodate the growth.

June 19 - "University Visions," a focus on the future of higher education at UAH, Alabama A&M University and Oakwood College.

June 26 - "State of the State," which looks at how the state as a whole plays into Huntsville's new BRAC era.

[HSVTiger]

nice photo from the Huntsville Times this past weekend.
The red bridge is a gift given to the city from Japan.
Downtown Big Spring Park

http://www.al.com/images/newshp/ducks.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/BSP_Bridge.jpg/300px-BSP_Bridge.jpg

[HSVTiger]

This area of town is on the edge of great things. How long it stays on the edge is the question. One project which is STILL not underway is the 5 Points downtown renovation project. Some property owners not wanting to give up right of way or something like that.
This is infill development that will take off, The Five Points Historic District
and the future Dallas Mill Historic District take in these areas. Very convenient with easy access, a developer could come in with any type of
urban retail development and be very successful.
One Huntsville community is banding together to save a drug store.

The staff at the Po Boy Factory(very good restaurant) is helping circulate a petition to save the C-V-S Pharmancy on Andrew Jackson Way, which is slated to close in about 5 months. The goal is to get 1-thousand signatures to send to CVS's national office. "We are trying to bring people in to buy our houses" Marie Thigpen told WAAY 31's Violet Parker. But this isn't just about saving one drug store. It's about saving their neighborhood. "Another empty building is just going to create crime and business." Thigpen says.


About 2 years ago, the Winn-Dixie on Oakwood Avenue closed. Many of the smaller stores in that plaza have since folded. Amy Smith has lived in northeast Huntsville for more than 15 years. She says it is slowly slipping away. "There is a lot of potential in our area, if someone would just take an interest." According to Huntsville city planner, Dallas Fanning, the northeast side of town is about to see a boom. Plans are underway to build a new Lee High School, and plots of land off Highway 72 are selling like hotcakes. It is a boom Smith anticipates as she passes boarded up buildings.

[HSVTiger]

Growth around Huntsville area's other airport, thousands of homes are in the planning stages in the Meridianville/Hazel Green area which means more schools..
MERIDIANVILLE - The Madison County school system's plan to build an elementary school on Steger Road has encountered some turbulence.

Madison County Executive Airport officials are concerned the school would be in the flight path, with more than 2,000 planes a month passing close overhead. The runway is about a mile south of the proposed school site.

"Ninety to 95 percent of the air traffic will be over the school at some phase of flight," said Tom Sharp Jr., chairman of the airport authority board.

Sharp first voiced concerns about the Steger Road school last October in a letter to then-Superintendent Ray Swaim.

Talk of the school died down after county commissioners rejected a half-cent education sales tax hike needed to pay for it. Commissioner Bob Harrison recently changed his mind, however, and commissioners are scheduled to consider the tax again June 11.

If it passes, the county school system would get an additional $7.4 million annually - enough to borrow about $110 million over 20-30 years to pay for the campus at Steger Road, a new high school in the Sparkman High district and several other projects.

County Superintendent Terry Davis said he is aware of the airport's concerns and won't do anything to jeopardize children.

"If we see that the money is there to build a school," Davis said last week, "we would have a lot more research with the Federal Aviation Administration to see what their professional judgment is."

He said several schools are in the flight path of the much busier Huntsville International Airport, including Madison's Heritage Elementary and Liberty Middle schools.

[HSVTiger]

By BRIAN LAWSON
Times Business Writer brian.lawson@htimes.com
Company looks to add 160 jobs, 'is excited to be here'

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., maker of the Black Hawk helicopter, formally opened a new technical center in Huntsville on Monday, pledging to grow the work force to some 160 employees within the next year.

The expansion of the company's presence in Huntsville - Sikorsky is looking to hire engineers, program managers and logistics specialists - reflects the company's desire to work closely with Redstone Arsenal, said Jeffrey Pino, president of Sikorsky Aircraft, during a ceremony at the facility in Cummings Research Park.

[HSVTiger]

Westin Huntsville beginning to top out. With various height roof lines the first
ones are now beginning to show up.

http://69.18.124.21/axis-cgi/mjpg/video.cgi?camera=&resolution=704x480&1181046329552

[HSVTiger]

Bridge Street jobs, come get ya one

Bridge Street Town Centre Job Fairs
There will be literally hundreds of job opportunities in the upcoming months at Bridge Street Town Centre. Mark your calendars for our upcoming job fairs. You will be able to apply for positions at our new retails stores and restaurants!

July 21st
9:00am - 5:00pm*
Von Braun Center

August 25th
9:00am - 5:00pm*
University of Alabama at Huntsville

*tenative

[HSVTiger]

For a great time and great music come downtown

The summer's first Concert in the Park series kicked off in downtown Huntsville Monday night featuring the oldies rock and roll band Reunion.

More than 2,000 turned out for a night of music.

The Arts Council's free concerts are 6:30 to 8 p.m. every Monday night through Labor Day.
pic from last evenings concert, (From HSV Times)

http://www.al.com/images/newshp/chrissy.jpg

[HSVTiger]

One of the South's best and biggest musical festivals has announced some of the acts that will perform in downtown Huntsville, Big Spring Jam

Huntsville's 15th Big Spring Jam Festival Features LEANN RIMES, FOREIGNER, CREEDENCE CLEARWATER, and ‘IDOL’ Finalist BUCKY COVINGTON
The Tennessee Valley’s best value in music entertainment returns in September as Huntsville’s Big Spring Jam Music Festival marks its 15th anniversary. The event is scheduled for September 28th – 30th at Big Spring International Park. Organizers have confirmed a mix of Jam newcomers and long-time favorites as well as a new “premium ticket” option.
Among the first wave of confirmed acts is contemporary country artist LeAnn Rimes, who will make her first appearance in Huntsville. She’ll be joined by “American Idol” finalist Bucky Covington and the highly-touted Jason Aldean. Other country artists scheduled to perform include Craig Morgan, Pat Green, and Taylor Swift.

The rock stages will feature classic performers Creedence Clearwater Revisited, also making a first Huntsville appearance, and power group Foreigner. Soul Asylum, Cracker, Papa Grows Funk and Yes No Maybe will also hit the stage.

In the rhythm and blues category, 70’s supergroups the Commodores and War will perform their greatest hits. The North Mississippi All-Stars, Koko Taylor & Her Blues Machine, and Harper will round out the genre.

The Christian stage, which has proven to be very popular at the Jam, includes Jars of Clay, The Lee Boys, Skillet, Decyfer Down, Britt Nicole, and Jackson Waters.

Jam attendees love the distinct New Orleans sound and this year will enjoy Dr. John, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Progressive bluegrass performers Keller Williams and The Avett Brothers will contribute to the diversity of music at the festival.

Tickets are available now at www.bigspringjam.org, the exclusive site for online ticket orders this year. Tickets will also be sold soon at the Von Braun Center box office and at numerous local employers. Three-Day Passes will be $45 and Individual Day Passes are $25. Also, for the first time, there will be a limited number of $50 JAM FAN tickets, only available on the Jam website, which allow purchasers to enter the park 30 minutes early each day. Day passes will be sold at Jam gateways during the festival. There will be no refunds due to inclement weather.

The Jam encourages companies throughout North Alabama and Southern Tennessee to support the event by becoming a ticket outlet for employees. Interested companies should contact the Big Spring Jam office at (256) 551-2359 or the Von Braun Center Administrative offices at (256) 533-1953. Companies wanting to sponsor the Jam should contact Andy Kelly at (256) 539-0200.

More acts will be announced around the first of July. Fans can keep updated with the latest Jam news by going to the festival web site at www.bigspringjam.org and registering their e-mail addresses for instant news blasts and to qualify to win free Jam tickets and “meet and greet” opportunities with Jam artists.

Huntsville, Alabama’s Big Spring Jam is one of the largest music festivals in the Southeastern United States. Since its debut in 1993, Big Spring Jam has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to area charities, health and human services agencies and arts and entertainment organizations. Held annually in downtown Huntsville’s Big Spring International Park, the Jam is a major project of the not-for-profit Big Spring Jam Foundation. For more information, contact the Jam office at 256-551-2359 or visit the web site at www.bigspringjam.org.

[HSVTiger]

Huntsville's Business Incubator 10 years and going strong
http://www.biztech.org/images/building1.jpg
http://www.biztech.org/
one of these companies that graduated out of BizTech has become quite popular
DealNews
Dealnews, which now has 18 employees, has 1.5 million unique visitors to its Web site each month. It was ranked 24th in PC World's 100 Best Products of 2006 list.

Since BizTech was launched in June 1997, it has incubated 54 companies and admitted 38 as clients. Seventeen companies have graduated from the program.

Of the companies brought into the BizTech program over the years, "more than 60 percent are still alive," said Dick Reeves, president and CEO.

Over the last 10 years, BizTech's client firms have also:

Generated $93 million in revenue.

Paid $43 million in payroll.

Raised $20 million in capital.
The entrepreneurs also met with members of the Huntsville Angel Network - an association of about 40 people formed to make equity capital investments in early-stage and developmental companies in the Huntsville area - and are now in the due-diligence process.

Reeves expects more help for entrepreneurs as the Huntsville Angel Network continues to expand. "That group will grow, hopefully to 75 to 100 investors, in the next few years," said Reeves, the network's chairman and executive director.

In 2006, the network announced angel investments to two local companies, Applied Genomics Inc. and Monte Sano Pharmaceuticals Inc. Reeves expects possibly three or four investment announcements this year.

To help finance BizTech's future independence, a $5 million endowment campaign will be launched in July.

"We can only collect about a third of our operating budget by charging fees to our clients," Reeves said. BizTech clients pay a monthly fee for services beginning at $250 a month, 50 percent of which is deferred during the first 12 months.

"We're starting this endowment campaign to secure BizTech's financial future."

[HSVTiger]

Saturn V building update
the outside panels and roof are being installed. First a spray on foam insulation is applied to the steel then the panels are attached. This is a very large building.

http://207.111.165.30/axis-cgi/mjpg/video.cgi?resolution=CIF&dummy=1181058099598

this photo was taken last year when the rocket was being restored, it is now awaiting the completion of it's new home

http://www.spacecamp.com/saturnv/galleryd/thumbnails/DSC_3108a.jpg

[HSVTiger]

Firehouse Subs opening it's 4th Huntsville area location next to Joe Davis Stadium.
Panera Bread taking job applications for it's first HSV location Whitesburg maybe ?.

The intersection of Whitesburg and Airport Rd probably has the highest concentration of restaurants in the smallest area than anywhere in the city.

[mlog]

Downtown Brewery, Old Towne Brewing Company
currently the only micro-brewery in the state of Alabama
available in bottles and draft in Huntsville, Madison, Decatur,
Tuscaloosa and Birmingham

slow load on dialup

http://www.oldetownebeer.com/

Is the Madison Station Brewing Company ever going to open? It seems like they've been talking about opening for a few years now. Their web page says they're going to open this summer.

Here's what the place looks like now.

http://www.madisonstationbrewing.com/pic3c.jpg

http://www.madisonstationbrewing.com/

[HSV79]

City does restrict height of buildings
Wednesday, June 06, 2007Huntsville Times
Q. Is there a height limit on buildings in downtown Huntsville?

A. A spokeswoman with the Huntsville Planning Department said there is a 10-story and 150-foot height restriction on buildings within the General Business (C-3) District in downtown Huntsville, except where a C-3 zoned property abuts a residential zoning district. Then the building can be no more than two stories or 30 feet tall.

However, an amendment scheduled for the June 28 City Council meeting would change the latter part of the residential/business restriction to a maximum of 50 feet, depending on the location of the building on the property and the property size. In other words, the two-story, 30-foot height limit can increase one foot in height for every 4-foot increase in distance from the required setback line, up to a maximum height of 50 feet.

Advertisement






The spokeswoman said several reasons for the restrictions, which are listed in the Downtown Master Plan, include:

1. Keeping downtown pedestrian-friendly at a comfortable scale with light, air circulation and open spaces.

2. Historic precedence (there is an unwritten rule that no downtown building will be taller than the old Times' building); plus, protecting and preserving the character of historic downtown Huntsville and its buildings, including many listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

3. A larger multistory building could absorb all office space downtown.

4. Providing convenient parking could be a problem unless a parking garage is constructed as part of the building.

Got a question? Submit it to htimes@htimes.com or phone it in to 536-8255. Include your name, hometown and phone number.



© 2007 The Huntsville Times. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Of course I do believe the Am South tower is in the Central Business District cause it is 11 storeys not including penthouse and 170 feet tall. And the Russell Erskine building is 155 with penthouse if I'm not mistaken. But the rest of the buildings downtown are around 150 and under. So yes some parts of downtown do have a height limit.

[HSVTiger]

City does restrict height of buildings
Wednesday, June 06, 2007Huntsville Times
Q. Is there a height limit on buildings in downtown Huntsville?

A. A spokeswoman with the Huntsville Planning Department said there is a 10-story and 150-foot height restriction on buildings within the General Business (C-3) District in downtown Huntsville, except where a C-3 zoned property abuts a residential zoning district. Then the building can be no more than two stories or 30 feet tall.

However, an amendment scheduled for the June 28 City Council meeting would change the latter part of the residential/business restriction to a maximum of 50 feet, depending on the location of the building on the property and the property size. In other words, the two-story, 30-foot height limit can increase one foot in height for every 4-foot increase in distance from the required setback line, up to a maximum height of 50 feet.


The spokeswoman said several reasons for the restrictions, which are listed in the Downtown Master Plan, include:

1. Keeping downtown pedestrian-friendly at a comfortable scale with light, air circulation and open spaces.

2. Historic precedence (there is an unwritten rule that no downtown building will be taller than the old Times' building); plus, protecting and preserving the character of historic downtown Huntsville and its buildings, including many listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

3. A larger multistory building could absorb all office space downtown.

4. Providing convenient parking could be a problem unless a parking garage is constructed as part of the building.


Of course I do believe the Am South tower is in the Central Business District cause it is 11 storeys not including penthouse and 170 feet tall. And the Russell Erskine building is 155 with penthouse if I'm not mistaken. But the rest of the buildings downtown are around 150 and under. So yes some parts of downtown do have a height limit.

yeah the key words, some parts, which is mostly the blocks directly around the courthouse square. I don't believe this includes the Medical District
or areas west of Monroe. I don't really agree with all the reasoning, new modern buildings can co exist with historic structures, it's just in HSV
good architecture is few and far between. I guess point #3 example would be like the RSA Battlehouse Tower in Mobile. #4 what? The city is currently planning a new garage, most projects would include a parking deck so what is the problem?
In any case if a developer wanted to build a twenty story tower in this C-3
district I would imagine variances would be worked out to allow it. Wonder
what project is prompting the change in the last section?

[HSVTiger]

Westin Huntsville beginning to top out. With various height roof lines the first
ones are now beginning to show up.

http://69.18.124.21/axis-cgi/mjpg/video.cgi?camera=&resolution=704x480&1181046329552

"Steve Ragsdale, general manager of the Westin Hotel that will anchor the Bridge Street project, described a chic shopping venue with a movie theater where patrons can sip cocktails. He told of the condos that will take up the top floors of the hotel, going for up to $410 a square foot.

"Whew, I don't think many of us retirees are going to be able to buy one of those," said Joyce Green, 79, who retired from the Huntsville Symphony. "But that's OK. We might get to know someone who lives there, and that enriches lives.

"The more Huntsville progresses, the more interesting it is for all of us, even if we don't live in the condos or shop in the upscale stores."

Most of the Bridge Street stores are scheduled to open in early October. The hotel will open early next year."

[HSVTiger]

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo., June 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Red Robin
Gourmet Burgers, Inc., (Red Robin), will open its third Alabama restaurant
in Huntsville on Monday, June 11 at 11 a.m. The Huntsville Red Robin(R)
restaurant is located at 2720 Carl T. Jones Drive, south of Garth Road. Red
Robin is a casual dining restaurant chain focused on serving an innovative
selection of high-quality gourmet burgers in a family-friendly atmosphere.
As part of its grand opening celebrations, Red Robin will host a
Burgers With A Heart(R) fundraiser to benefit Huntsville Fire and Rescue.
Through the event, Red Robin will donate 50 cents from every gourmet burger
sold during grand opening week, June 11 to 17, to Huntsville Fire and
Rescue. The money raised will help the fire department purchase new
extrication equipment.
"On behalf of Huntsville Fire and Rescue, I would like to thank Red
Robin for choosing to support us during its opening week celebration," said
Michael Sublett, Deputy Fire Chief of Huntsville Fire and Rescue. "This
donation will help us purchase new and improved rescue materials."
"Supporting the local communities where our restaurants are located is
an important part of the Red Robin culture," said Eric Houseman, Red Robin
president and chief operating officer. "We invite everyone to come out and
enjoy one of our 22 gourmet burgers and support Huntsville Fire and Rescue
during Burgers With A Heart(R)."
The 6,330 square foot Huntsville Red Robin(R) restaurant will seat 208
guests, and will be 100 percent smoke-free. Red Robin has two additional
restaurants in Alabama including locations in Trussville and Montgomery.

[TimCity2000]

that's interesting about the building heights... but surely, as was already mentioned, amsouth is over 150'.

i hope we'll see something really tall downtown finally break through this "unspoken" barrier.

[HSVTiger]

Madison school receives honor, I think it is also the largest high school in Alabama..

By GREGG L. PARKER
For the Madison Spirit writeone35758@yahoo.com
Principal Parker says Newsweek honor is 'validation'

Newsweek magazine has honored Madison's high school with national distinction.

The esteemed publication named Bob Jones High School in the top 5 percent of all high schools in the nation.

"This week, our school district received a very prestigious accolade," Dr. Dee Fowler, superintendent of Madison City Schools, said in his districtwide e-mail to faculties and parent subscribers.

"Knowing that education is a team effort, we are celebrating this great accomplishment at the elementary, middle and high schools. Hopefully, you too will share in our pride and enjoy this award as parents," Fowler said.

Newsweek's Jay Mathews devised a ratio to rank public schools. The ratio divides the total number of students taking advanced placement, international baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests in 2006 by the number of graduating seniors. Visit www.msnbc.msn.com and select Newsweek.

Robby Parker, principal at Bob Jones, said the honor gives students "validation. It's exciting ... when a national magazine like Newsweek recognizes you as one of the top schools in America. We've known for years that we're a gem."

Parker cited decades of work for the school to build programs that enrich both students and the community of Madison. "In academia, the rigor of course offerings is (well known). Also, we have opportunities for students to be successful in the fine arts to athletics to extracurricular clubs and activities."

To teachers, the Newsweek recognition "says they are doing the right thing. (In my work) as principal and assistant principal (at Discovery Middle School), I knew we were doing the right things," Parker said. Bob Jones has other credentials to document excellence: standardized testing, ACT and SAT scores and "our children's success in college."

"It's good to have Newsweek let everyone know, even people involved with the Base Realignment and Closure or BRAC," Parker said.

Even community residents who do not have a child in Madison City Schools can take pride. "It's Madison's high school," Parker said. "From a financial standpoint, the recognition is an economic windfall. It's a tremendous thing.

"When people move to North Alabama, they will realize that Bob Jones is the place to be."

[HSVTiger]

like pulling teeth with a rubber band

I-565 Interchange work tortures forward

To accommodate rapid growth in Madison in 2007 and thousands of new residents expected to move into the city by 2011 as a result of BRAC, Mayor Sandy Kirkindall said getting the city's roads in shape is a top priority.

"We are working with the Alabama Department of Transportation to get an interchange at the Zierdt Road and I-565 area and are asking for our Federal delegation for earmarked funds for an interchange at County Line Road and I-565," Kirkindall said. "The Zierdt Road/I-565 interchange proposal is still under review in the Interchange Justification Study process, which must be approved by ALDOT and the Federal HighwayAdministration."
(the can't use our money agency, I mean really how long does it take to "justify" something like this?)
Kirkindall said the Interchange Justification Study for County Line Road and I-565 has been approved by both agencies, and the city has signed a contract with ALDOT to start the engineering design of the interchange.

"The design process is expected to take a year," Kirkindall said. "Construction would not begin before 2009 since right of way acquisition and surveying could take almost a year.(read delay tactics used by ALDOT,
these are not some multilevel complicated interchanges)

"The city only has about $12 million in uncommitted capital funds to meet about $25 million in road needs alone," Kirkindall said. "To take care of this, we need additional sales taxrevenue to fund it."

[HSVTiger]

yum

By GREGG L. PARKER
For the Madison Spirit writeone35758@yahoo.com
A popular Huntsville eatery has opened a new restaurant to satisfy Madison diners' cravings for Thai food.

Manager Sushil Thapa said loyal customers from Madison pleaded with him to open a restaurant similar to Surin of Thailand on Huntsville's Airport Road. Surin of Madison occupies the property formerly housing Silver Point.

Thapa, after completing college more than 20 years ago, started working with owner Surin Techarukpong, who founded his restaurant business in Atlanta. Along with Madison and Huntsville sites, Surin West is a popular destination in Birmingham's trendy Five Points district.

[MDL]

"Steve Ragsdale, general manager of the Westin Hotel that will anchor the Bridge Street project, described a chic shopping venue with a movie theater where patrons can sip cocktails. He told of the condos that will take up the top floors of the hotel, going for up to $410 a square foot.
My inquiry to their web site last week yielded a lowest remaining price of $410K.

[HSVTiger]

this activity should result in welcome and needed changes, I wouldn't call it the front door as Councilman Kling does maybe the garage or carport door.
In any case it is a major entrance to the Arsenal.

By JOHN PECK
Times Staff Writer john.peck@htimes.com
BRAC moves likely reason for renewed interest

The influx of defense jobs to Huntsville may also be fueling a rush on apartment investments along Patton Road, one of the gateways into Redstone Arsenal.

Reports that investors are eyeing some of the aging units comes as welcome news to city officials, who hope the new owners are planning to spruce them up.

"With that being the front door to the arsenal, I hope something will be done," said City Councilman Bill Kling, whose district includes southwest Huntsville.

"That would be good news if they fixed them up," agreed Community Development Director Jerry Galloway.

David Wilson, president of a real estate firm that specializes in the Huntsville-area apartment market, confirmed Thursday that several investment groups are looking at apartment properties along Patton Road. Wilson said the interest is not isolated to Patton Road with its easy access to gates 8 and 10 of Redstone.

"It's all over town," he said. "It's all sizes and ages of property."

But the Patton Road stretch, he said, features many of the smaller, older apartment complexes that are attractive to some investment sectors. Wilson said the market is ripe for renovating the buildings and reaping higher profits from rent increases.

David Frederick, a Huntsville apartment real estate expert, attributed the apartment boom to the BRAC moves, Huntsville's high per capita income and a healthy jobs outlook in general. Frederick echoed Wilson's belief that new ownership won't necessarily translate into a bulldoze-and-start-over makeover but, rather, cosmetic changes that should make the properties more attractive.

"I don't think you'll see anything dramatic like someone investing $20 million to fix up Patton Road," he said. Frederick said some ownership turnovers have already occurred.

[HSVTiger]

Shelby County leads the state

By BOB LOWRY
Times Staff Writer bob.lowry@htimes.com
Madison also growingslower than 7 othersin state, data show

MONTGOMERY - Madison County ranks a distant second to Shelby County in median household income and trails seven other counties in population growth over the past four years, according to a new state demographic report.

Madison County's median household income for the reporting period of 2004 was $49,441, compared with Shelby County's $61,972. No. 3 was Autauga County, across the Alabama River from Montgomery, at $45,379.

The state median was $37,062, while the U.S. median was $44,334.

The figures were contained in the new Alabama Population Data Sheet compiled from U.S. Census data by Donald Bogie, who was the director of the Center for Demographic Research at Auburn University at Montgomery.

Bogie, who recently retired after directing the center for 36 years, gathered statistics on more than two dozens subjects on all of Alabama's 67 counties.

"Overall life looks good in Madison County. The indications are very good," he said. "The same is very true in Limestone County, and as we went across the board, Morgan County is not bad."

But he said DeKalb and Jackson counties are not faring as well as their North Alabama neighbors. As for Marshall County, Bogie said, "I don't know where to put Marshall - it's different in some ways."

The report showed Madison County has passed Montgomery County as the state's third largest county with 304,307 residents compared with Montgomery County's 223,571.

Alabama's population grew by 3.4 percent to total 4.44 million.
Madison County grew at a 9.9 percent pace from 2000 to 2006, while growth in Montgomery County was flat.

The other counties ahead of Madison in population growth, as a percentage, included Baldwin (20.5 percent), St. Clair (16.2 percent), Elmore (14.9 percent), Autauga (13.9 percent), Limestone (10.3 percent) and Blount (10.6 percent).

DeKalb County grew by 5.5 percent; Jackson County lost 0.3 percent; Marshall picked up 6 percent, and Morgan grew by only 3.8 percent.

[HSVTiger]

Downtown pub is open

Mason's Pub opened Wednesday at 115 Clinton Ave. The classy pub is on the third floor of the old Mason's Furniture building, above the Crossroads nightclub, and features 1920s-'30s decor.

It stays open until midnight during the week with a full menu. On Friday and Saturday, it's open from 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Starting Monday, Mason's will be open for lunch at 11:30 a.m., says Kevin Hassler, general manager. It will offer a full menu until 1 a.m. There will be no live music, but the pub will pipe in XM Radio. There will never be a cover charge because it's more of a pub/eatery than a club, Hassler said.

[HSVTiger]

One of the most elaborate and best food Tex Mex eatery opens soon.

MIKE.KAYLOR@htimes.com

Four years of planning and waiting are coming together on University Drive West in the form of a new Rosie's Cantina.

The Huntsville-born, Tex-Mex concept that started a block away in 1995 will move into an elaborate new building later this month or in July, according to owner David Martin. He was the first to buy a lot on this sprawling corner of Enterprise Way and University Drive four years ago, and he is the last to build.

Since then, a Logan's Road House has opened next door and two hotels just behind the new Rosie's.

"We're not known for speed when it comes to construction," Martin said. "We're way over what we thought it would cost us, but we're not cutting any corners."

The design is intriguing: intricate brick work with arches and porticos, an old-fashioned wooden water tower, rusty corrugated tin roof and terra cotta awnings. Martin buys much of the timber, doors, windows and antiques in central Mexico and transports them to Huntsville.

The 10,000-square-foot restaurant is about the same size as the Rosie's Cantina on South Memorial Parkway, which opened in 2000 with a similar decor. Martin also has built one in Florence near the entrance to the University of North Alabama.

The original Rosie's on University Drive will operate until the new one opens with a day at the most for moving the tortilla machine and a few other fixtures, Martin said.

Meanwhile, Martin has plans for a new concept next to Target on Enterprise Way that will be similar to his Little Rosie's Tacqueria on Whitesburg Drive. This one, though, will be slightly more upscale.

At the present time, the proposed restaurant is billed as Mama Pajama's Burgers & Tacos. Martin said that could change, though, as the concept takes shape.

[HSVTiger]

In Madison (pop est. 38,000), Huntsville's suburban neighbor,

from WAFF
by: Elizabeth Gentle
WAFF 48 News Reporter
egentle@waff.com

Rapid growth in Madison is leading to an explosion of new roads and highways.

That's causing driving headaches for some, but more business for others.

As detour signs reroute traffic, business booms for the Bandito Burrito Cantina in Madison.

"Its brought a lot of traffic down here to people who didn't know downtown area was here," says owner Walt Anderson.

Normally drivers bypass Church Street and take Sullivan instead.

That road is closed and a detour in place.

Drivers have no choice but to go downtown. Businesses owners are taking full advantage of all the traffic.

"Now that they are here, I have regular customers every week," says Anderson.

Some first timers are drawn in by this large sign posted on a second story balcony.

Directing hungry customers to "detour" specials and "train" time drinks.

Sterling Harris, head cook at the Bandito Burrito says they have more business now than ever, compliments of road construction.

"Its overwhelming," says Harris.

Back in the kitchen.

Employees scramble, preparing for a lunch crowd rush.

Sterling works the assembly line.

Loading floured tortillas with meat and cheese.

"We do triple the prep work we used too," says Sterling.

A sign of progress, a boost to revenue.

Restaurant owner, Walt Anderson, says road work around the city of Madison may be an inconvenience but its turning into a goldmine for businesses that are normally slow.

"Its one of the things we are glad to be doing. Bring downtown Madison back to live bring businesses back down here," says Anderson.

Work is going on all over Madison.

It could take several months to years to complete.

[HSVTiger]

Glad to see the developer do the right thing, something doesn't have to be destroyed to build something nice
story from WHNT

The development is off Green Cove Road, west of Memorial Parkway. It lies across the road from a baseball park and the Sandhurst subdivision.

However, something already lives there -- an endangered species.

http://whnt.images.worldnow.com/images/6616556_BG2.jpg
http://whnt.images.worldnow.com/images/6616556_BG1.jpg

"See that rock down there, and that hole? That's one of the cave entrances there," said Dick Holloway, the subdivision's developer.

It turns out that Alabama cave shrimp live there. They're tiny, in fact, they're smaller than a penny.

"They're very small and translucent and they're blind," said Holloway.

Holloway has owned the land for 11 years. Four months ago, he and his employees discovered a huge cave on the property.

"That's when people started getting involved," said Holloway. "We found it was a mud cave."

Then, they found the shrimp. So the city required Holloway to keep his new subdivision 25 feet away from the cave, but he decided to do more.

"We're about 80 feet away from the entrance and then the Fish and Wildlife and other environmental groups are making sure we're taking care of the shrimp and protecting them," said Holloway.

Holloway plans to make the development a nice area people can enjoy.

"We're going to preserve this whole area," said Holloway. "It will remain natural. It will be a nice camping area or park area. We'll have to put some kind of fencing or security around the entrances of the cave."

For now, bulldozers will be preparing the land for all the species that will live here.

Alabama cave shrimp were federally-listed as endangered species in 1988. The cave shrimp is found in just two cave systems in Madison County, one of which is within the boundaries of Redstone Arsenal.

[daveyp]

^^^^^this is so great to hear!^^^^^

[Rail Claimore]

like pulling teeth with a rubber band

I-565 Interchange work tortures forward

To accommodate rapid growth in Madison in 2007 and thousands of new residents expected to move into the city by 2011 as a result of BRAC, Mayor Sandy Kirkindall said getting the city's roads in shape is a top priority.

"We are working with the Alabama Department of Transportation to get an interchange at the Zierdt Road and I-565 area and are asking for our Federal delegation for earmarked funds for an interchange at County Line Road and I-565," Kirkindall said. "The Zierdt Road/I-565 interchange proposal is still under review in the Interchange Justification Study process, which must be approved by ALDOT and the Federal HighwayAdministration."
(the can't use our money agency, I mean really how long does it take to "justify" something like this?)
Kirkindall said the Interchange Justification Study for County Line Road and I-565 has been approved by both agencies, and the city has signed a contract with ALDOT to start the engineering design of the interchange.

"The design process is expected to take a year," Kirkindall said. "Construction would not begin before 2009 since right of way acquisition and surveying could take almost a year.(read delay tactics used by ALDOT,
these are not some multilevel complicated interchanges)

"The city only has about $12 million in uncommitted capital funds to meet about $25 million in road needs alone," Kirkindall said. "To take care of this, we need additional sales taxrevenue to fund it."

It's ridiculous that there are only two interchanges between the endpoints of Madison Blvd, and one of them doesn't even have ramps to Madison Blvd!

They're also going to have to widen 565 8 lanes to Wall Triana and 6 the rest of the way to I-65, where are the plans for that?

Shelby County leads the state

By BOB LOWRY
Times Staff Writer bob.lowry@htimes.com
Madison also growingslower than 7 othersin state, data show

MONTGOMERY - Madison County ranks a distant second to Shelby County in median household income and trails seven other counties in population growth over the past four years, according to a new state demographic report.

Madison County's median household income for the reporting period of 2004 was $49,441, compared with Shelby County's $61,972. No. 3 was Autauga County, across the Alabama River from Montgomery, at $45,379.

The state median was $37,062, while the U.S. median was $44,334.

The figures were contained in the new Alabama Population Data Sheet compiled from U.S. Census data by Donald Bogie, who was the director of the Center for Demographic Research at Auburn University at Montgomery.

Bogie, who recently retired after directing the center for 36 years, gathered statistics on more than two dozens subjects on all of Alabama's 67 counties.

"Overall life looks good in Madison County. The indications are very good," he said. "The same is very true in Limestone County, and as we went across the board, Morgan County is not bad."

But he said DeKalb and Jackson counties are not faring as well as their North Alabama neighbors. As for Marshall County, Bogie said, "I don't know where to put Marshall - it's different in some ways."

The report showed Madison County has passed Montgomery County as the state's third largest county with 304,307 residents compared with Montgomery County's 223,571.

Alabama's population grew by 3.4 percent to total 4.44 million.
Madison County grew at a 9.9 percent pace from 2000 to 2006, while growth in Montgomery County was flat.

The other counties ahead of Madison in population growth, as a percentage, included Baldwin (20.5 percent), St. Clair (16.2 percent), Elmore (14.9 percent), Autauga (13.9 percent), Limestone (10.3 percent) and Blount (10.6 percent).

DeKalb County grew by 5.5 percent; Jackson County lost 0.3 percent; Marshall picked up 6 percent, and Morgan grew by only 3.8 percent.

Considering that the counties ahead of us in both categories are only the result of suburban growth from larger counties, I say we're doing quite well. And Madison County has been larger than Montgomery County since at least the 80's. That's not recent news...

[HSVTiger]

It's ridiculous that there are only two interchanges between the endpoints of Madison Blvd, and one of them doesn't even have ramps to Madison Blvd!

They're also going to have to widen 565 8 lanes to Wall Triana and 6 the rest of the way to I-65, where are the plans for that?



Considering that the counties ahead of us in both categories are only the result of suburban growth from larger counties, I say we're doing quite well. And Madison County has been larger than Montgomery County since at least the 80's. That's not recent news...

Figures like this are alway a bit misleading, I agree about the widening, also across Chapman Mountain but if they started now it would be a 30 year project.It's taken 20 just to get simple interchanges on the Parkway and they haven't even started on those yet. I thought the Madison/MGM county line was a bit odd as well. Seems like it was in the early 80's when the change happened. Hopefully HSV can be up at least another county in the metro.

[HSVTiger]

More good conservation news, this area being discussed really is beautiful

By STEVE DOYLE
Times Staff Writer steve.doyle@htimes.com
Unspoiled valley full of hard-to-find plants, many caves

The Nature Conservancy is more than doubling the size of its scenic Sharp-Bingham Mountains Preserve in Jackson County.

Lynne Berry, the conservancy's local spokeswoman, said Thursday that the organization plans to use a $1.5 million grant from the Minnesota-based 3M Foundation to buy 1,120 wooded acres next to the existing preserve.



Jim Fincher, site manager for 3M's Decatur plant, will announce the award during a reception in the Russel Erskine Hotel ballroom downtown tonight. The land purchase is expected to close this summer.

Buying and protecting vast stretches of the Jackson County mountains are part of the Nature Conservancy's strategy for saving the Paint Rock River, considered one of America's most pristine and biologically diverse waterways.

In 2004, the conservancy used a large 3M Foundation grant to buy the original 1,160-acre Sharp-Bingham Preserve from Jackson County resident Horace Clemmons. It recently acquired 600 more acres from a different owner.

The unspoiled valley near the Madison-Jackson county line - there isn't a house in sight - is full of hard-to-find plants such as Morefield's leather flower, American smoketree and smooth woodmint. Its more than 30 caves are also teeming with life: Rafinesque's big-eared bats, rare Tennessee cave salamanders and blind crayfish.

Jeff Danter, the conservancy's Alabama director, called the property "one of the most important conservation projects in the southern United States."

[HSVTiger]

Westin Huntsville beginning to top out. With various height roof lines the first
ones are now beginning to show up.

http://69.18.124.21/axis-cgi/mjpg/video.cgi?camera=&resolution=704x480&1181046329552

Topping out today maybe with the placing of a cedar tree and an American
flag.

[HSVTiger]

Calling all doctors

By NIKI DOYLE
Times Staff Writer niki.doyle@htimes.com
Medical magazine lists various draws for physicians

Doctors looking for a permanent place to set up house would be wise to consider Huntsville, according to popular physicians magazine Medical Economics.

The magazine recently named Huntsville as one of the top places in the South for doctors to practice.

"Huntsville has an academic medical center spread of specialties without the academic medical center," said Dr. Melissa Behringer, president of the Madison County Medical Society. "The feedback from physicians has been good."

Unlike Birmingham or Mobile, Huntsville doesn't have an academic medical facility. However, the number of specialists here rivals that of cities with medical schools, Behringer said. "We have almost every kind of pediatric specialty, plus every other specialty you can think of," she said.

Based on the magazine's judging criteria, most of the state is somewhat on equal footing, Behringer said. The magazine looked at the following factors: the environment for doctors in malpractice suits, insurance premiums, doctor-to-population ratio, proximity to state-of-the-art hospitals, cost of doing business and managed care penetration. ProAssurance, a medical liability company that has been successful in defending doctors in malpractice suits, has its roots in Alabama. The state also has several quality hospitals, and the cost of business - and living - is comparatively lower.

Dr. Laura Moss, executive director of the Madison County Medical Society, said Huntsville's advantage also can be attributed to its ability to expand in the area of general care. "There aren't many primary care physicians accepting new patients right now," Moss said. "There's room for expansion."

The magazine didn't include scores or rankings, but it proclaimed that Huntsville is "one of the most prosperous cities to be a physician in."

Huntsville's prosperity is also a result of its cultural and athletic offerings, Behringer said. "The city has a spread of activities that you would expect from a larger city," she said. "But without the traffic."

[HSVTiger]

Belks changing things around

By MARIAN ACCARDITimes Business Writer marian.accardi@htimes.com
Chain is renovating, expanding Parisian at Madison Square Mall

Belk plans to close its store at Madison Square Mall in mid-August and operate only one store at the mall - the Parisian that's being renovated and expanded.

Parisian, at the opposite end of the mall from Belk, will be expanded by more than 11,000 square feet "within the store's footprint" by knocking down walls and taking in "non-selling space" such as storage areas, said Johnny R. Belk, president and chief operating officer of the Belk chain.

After a $3.5 million investment for the project, the store will have 97,102 square feet of sales space.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Belk bought Parisian department stores, including those at Parkway Place and Madison Square malls in Huntsville, from Saks last year. The company now operates 279 Belk and 30 Parisian stores in 17 states, mostly in the Southeast.

Parisian stores will be renamed Belk in September.

"In some markets, we will keep two buildings" in a single mall that had both Parisian and Belk stores, said Johnny Belk, who met Friday with store managers in Huntsville. He said those markets include Mobile, Trussville, Chattanooga, Knoxville and Pensacola and Jacksonville, Fla.

Of the 65 employees at Belk in Huntsville, 63 will remain with the company and two will retire, said Linda Zwern, chair of Belk's western division. "Everyone has been placed," she said.

After a 20,000-square-foot expansion that will cost $5 million, the Parisian at Parkway Place will be 161,246 square feet.

Belk returned to the Huntsville market after a 10-year absence, with a grand reopening at Madison Square Mall in March 2006, located in the former McRae's.

Madison Square officials could not be reached for comment Friday on plans for the current Belk space.

[HSVTiger]

By MARIAN ACCARDITimes Business Writer marian.accardi@htimes.com

4,242 new units in 'pipeline' called'an exciting time'

New construction in the apartment market in Huntsville and Madison was limited last year, with only 72 new apartment units coming on line.

That's about to change.


An apartment market survey for the cities of Huntsville and Madison shows a tremendous amount of growth in the next few years, with 4,242 new apartments in the "pipeline," that is, projects under construction, projects in the planning stages or in the due diligence process with land either owned or secured by the developers, or apartments being planned for future construction.

"This is more activity than we've had in probably 15 years," said David Wilson, the president of The David Wilson Co. LLC, a commercial real-estate appraisal firm that tracks the apartment market in the Huntsville area and prepares the bi-annual Apartment Market Survey. "It's an exciting time for the apartment market. Class A properties are performing well with high occupancy rates and less use of concessions, so that's an encouraging sign."

Some of the deals in the pipeline are speculative, though, Wilson said, and might not happen.

[HSVTiger]

this should be interesting, ALDOT realizes they can't handle the job but they have no answers. Here's some: finish the job you start, quit shifting priorities and moving money from one project to the another. 20 years to build
an overpass is too long, unless it's the Great Pyramids and even they are finished.

"The Alabama Department of Transportation has announced a series of public involvement meetings to be held statewide as part of development of the Statewide Transportation Plan update (SWTP).

The Plan looks 20 years into the future and anticipates future transportation needs.:jester: ALDOT updates the plan every five years.

This regular updating of the long range plan is important in a State that is experiencing so much growth. The purpose of the public involvement meetings is to invite the public to participate in the update by sharing their thoughts about transportation challenges that should be addressed.

The span of transportation modes covered by the update includes roads and bridges, transit, bicycle and pedestrian needs, and freight transportation. The update will closely coordinate with other planning efforts in the State to make sure that the impact on the transportation network from local initiatives and current developments are made a part of the study analysis.

The July meetings are the first of three rounds of public outreach opportunities that communities and citizens in Alabama will have to become involved. In addition, the public is invited to visit the SWTP website that will post study materials, notifications of future meetings, and provide an opportunity for the public to submit comments.

People who live in North Alabama will get a chance to express their ideas and concerns on Tuesday, July 10 at the Huntsville Main Library on Monroe Street. The meeting is expected to begin at 4:00 p.m. and end at 6:00 p.m. "

[neilson]

this should be interesting, ALDOT realizes they can't handle the job but they have no answers. Here's some: finish the job you start, quit shifting priorities and moving money from one project to the another. 20 years to build
an overpass is too long, unless it's the Great Pyramids and even they are finished.

"The Alabama Department of Transportation has announced a series of public involvement meetings to be held statewide as part of development of the Statewide Transportation Plan update (SWTP).

The Plan looks 20 years into the future and anticipates future transportation needs.:jester: ALDOT updates the plan every five years.

This regular updating of the long range plan is important in a State that is experiencing so much growth. The purpose of the public involvement meetings is to invite the public to participate in the update by sharing their thoughts about transportation challenges that should be addressed.

The span of transportation modes covered by the update includes roads and bridges, transit, bicycle and pedestrian needs, and freight transportation. The update will closely coordinate with other planning efforts in the State to make sure that the impact on the transportation network from local initiatives and current developments are made a part of the study analysis.

The July meetings are the first of three rounds of public outreach opportunities that communities and citizens in Alabama will have to become involved. In addition, the public is invited to visit the SWTP website that will post study materials, notifications of future meetings, and provide an opportunity for the public to submit comments.

People who live in North Alabama will get a chance to express their ideas and concerns on Tuesday, July 10 at the Huntsville Main Library on Monroe Street. The meeting is expected to begin at 4:00 p.m. and end at 6:00 p.m. "
People who live in North Alabama will get a chance to express their ideas and concerns on Tuesday, July 10 at the Huntsville Main Library on Monroe Street. The meeting is expected to begin at 4:00 p.m. and end at 6:00 p.m. "

So Tiger, that mean you'll be showing up and ready to question them hard?

[HSVTiger]

People who live in North Alabama will get a chance to express their ideas and concerns on Tuesday, July 10 at the Huntsville Main Library on Monroe Street. The meeting is expected to begin at 4:00 p.m. and end at 6:00 p.m. "

So Tiger, that mean you'll be showing up and ready to question them hard?

if at all possible, the sad thing is yeah they will take input but will it change anything in the next 5 years? The Mayor and Council frequently express the
cities needs, but it probably just hastens projects to be slipped to the bottom of the stack.

[HSVTiger]

like pulling teeth with a rubber band

I-565 Interchange work tortures forward

To accommodate rapid growth in Madison in 2007 and thousands of new residents expected to move into the city by 2011 as a result of BRAC, Mayor Sandy Kirkindall said getting the city's roads in shape is a top priority.

"We are working with the Alabama Department of Transportation to get an interchange at the Zierdt Road and I-565 area and are asking for our Federal delegation for earmarked funds for an interchange at County Line Road and I-565," Kirkindall said. "The Zierdt Road/I-565 interchange proposal is still under review in the Interchange Justification Study process, which must be approved by ALDOT and the Federal HighwayAdministration."
(the can't use our money agency, I mean really how long does it take to "justify" something like this?)
Kirkindall said the Interchange Justification Study for County Line Road and I-565 has been approved by both agencies, and the city has signed a contract with ALDOT to start the engineering design of the interchange.

"The design process is expected to take a year," Kirkindall said. "Construction would not begin before 2009 since right of way acquisition and surveying could take almost a year.(read delay tactics used by ALDOT,
these are not some multilevel complicated interchanges)

"The city only has about $12 million in uncommitted capital funds to meet about $25 million in road needs alone," Kirkindall said. "To take care of this, we need additional sales taxrevenue to fund it."

a little more info from WAFF;

"In Madison, city leaders are stepping up plans to handle a growth explosion.

The area will be changing soon.

That's evident by all the road construction taking place.

Some streets are closed by bulldozers hauling sand and crews prepared to widen and build new highways.

A population explosion from BRAC is expected by 2011.

With it will come news jobs, more buildings, and more traffic.

A recent survey puts 11 road widening projects that must happen to meet the needs of the BRAC influx.

Madison Mayor Sandy Kirkindall says the tentative plan is expensive and unnecessary.

"One, they want to 5-lane Eastview. We don't think that's necessary at this point."

Instead, the city is looking at using the $122 million someplace else.

"We would rather put that money into state interchanges at I-565 and County Line and 565. That's a much better use of that money."

The economic and transportation study is complete.

There will be a meeting Wednesday at 4:00 to discuss the findings."

[HSVTiger]

Huntsville vitality puts city in good company

By WAYNE SMITH and MARIAN ACCARDI
Times Business Staff wayne.smith@htimes.com marian.accardi@htimes.com
Concentration of engineers, 'Vitality' noted in rankings

Huntsville's "Vital Signs'' continue to look strong.

In a Wall Street Journal feature Monday measuring how cities and states compare on various measures of development, Huntsville was ranked No. 1 among metro areas in the number of engineers per 1,000 population.

The city also ranked eighth among metro areas for "Business Vitality.''

The national rankings are the latest among several recently for Huntsville.

"Each distinction reveals that the environment in Huntsville is perfect for establishing and growing a business,'' Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer said.

Huntsville is No. 8 among the top 50 (out of 379) metro areas in the "Business Vitality" index devised by Moody's Economy.com.

The index rates the overall economic vitality of a metro area by looking at a range of factors rather than just one measure. The index takes into account current economic conditions such as household income growth, factors that affect prospective conditions including labor availability and regional cost structure, and potential risks such as employment volatility.

The top 10: Austin, Texas; Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; Corvallis, Ore.; Raleigh, N.C.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Boise City, Idaho; Orlando, Fla.; Huntsville; Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Fargo, N.D.

In the Journal's "Vital Signs" feature Monday, Huntsville was ranked first in the number of architectural and other engineers per 1,000 population - 41.4 - in 2006.

Huntsville led 10 metro areas, including San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif., 31.2; Boulder, Colo., 28; Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Fla., 26.1; Kennewick-Richland-Pasco, Wash., 22.9; Ann Arbor, Mich., 21.9; Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin, Fla., 20.3; Sheboygan, Wis., 18.4; Albuquerque, N.M., 16.6; and Holland-Grand Haven, Mich., 16.

The source of data was the U.S. Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau and Moody's Economy.com.

"Ten years ago, we were lower in the rankings on most lists," Spencer said. "Huntsville is now earning a top rating on almost every ranking and has established its place in the nation's eyes as a city setting the pace of progress in many fields."

[HSVTiger]

Site prep / construction has begun on Jason's Deli second Huntsville location.
This one located on Enterprise Way between IHOP and Fairfield Inn will be a
freestanding location. The other location on Whitesburg next to Fresh Market
should open in the coming week.

Crabtree & Evelyn has begun taking job applications for it's Bridge Street location.
This will be their first Alabama location.

[HSVTiger]

Osprey sighting, you don't see these everyday. This one is landing at the Von
Braun Center downtown for a convention. In the distance is part of the Constellation urban lifestyle center site
http://www.al.com/images/newshp/osprey.jpg

more info from WAFF

"Folks in Huntsville witnessed an unusual sight in the sky today.

The military's new tilt wing V-22 aircraft landed in the Rocket City as part of "Test Week 2007."

The V-22 is unusual in its design, but that's not what drew so much interest.

Plans for the aircraft has everyone talking.

Its an airplane that looks like a large helicopter, with huge spinning propellers on each side.

A large crowd gathers outside the VBC to watch this unusual military plane land.

Developed to perform USMC, Navy and Special Operations command combat missions, the V-22 tilt wing aircraft is a breakthrough in aviation.

"280 nautical miles per hour, 315 mph max speed. Cruises at 270 nautical miles an hour and it can hover as you just saw," says USMC Col. Keith Daniel.

Looking through the camera lens, taking a quick snapshot, many are intrigued by the design of this aircraft.

The V-22 incorporates the latest technology, has advanced survivability and crash worthiness.

It's also the newest military aircraft that will join the war in Iraq later this year.

Daniel says the V-22 will be a huge advantage in war time.

"Its payload advantage the number of marines it can carry range at which it can take them and the speed at which it can do that."

The V-22 will deploy to Iraq sometime this fall."

[HSVTiger]

More Air Cargo courted, this is in addition to the 747 nonstops already running from Asia, Europe and Mexico. Huntsville is becoming well known in the cargo world.

from the HSV Times

"In an effort to persuade Asian carriers to use Huntsville as a gateway for air cargo in the southeastern United States, Huntsville International Airport officials traveled last month to China to the home offices of seven carriers to make their case.

"We've still got a long way to go, but I'm confident we got their attention," said Mitch Bradley, director of the International Intermodal Center. Bradley made the trip with Jeff Sikes, chairman of the Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority, and Rick Tucker, the airport's executive director.

The meetings with the carrier executives took place May 28-June 1.

"We've opened the door for them to look at the Huntsville option," Bradley said. "We got positive feedback from some of the carriers," and marketing personnel from the U.S. offices of three of the carriers plan visits here.

[MDL]

Mason's Pub is quite nice. Something not mentioned here is that there is a rooftop patio out the back door of the restaurant. Very nice in the evenings.

Any idea when the V-22 will be taking off?

I wonder what it would take to improve the airport runways for the A380.

Huntsville continues to impress on this visit. Great restaurants, enough to do (enjoyed Concert in the Park last night), good people.

[neilson]

Mason's Pub is quite nice. Something not mentioned here is that there is a rooftop patio out the back door of the restaurant. Very nice in the evenings.

Any idea when the V-22 will be taking off?

I wonder what it would take to improve the airport runways for the A380.

Huntsville continues to impress on this visit. Great restaurants, enough to do (enjoyed Concert in the Park last night), good people.
The runway is set for the A380.

[HSVTiger]

Mason's Pub is quite nice. Something not mentioned here is that there is a rooftop patio out the back door of the restaurant. Very nice in the evenings.

Any idea when the V-22 will be taking off?

I wonder what it would take to improve the airport runways for the A380.

Huntsville continues to impress on this visit. Great restaurants, enough to do (enjoyed Concert in the Park last night), good people.

from several pages back


"The new 219' ATC tower is nearing completion at Huntsville International Airport. It is quite striking when seen from I-565 especially
when glancing over to 96' existing tower. It should be complete by June.
In addition the new taxiway" L" will also be completed this summer. The airport will now be able to handle
all aircraft in use or future use including a fully loaded mammoth Airbus 380 Freighter, if it is ever built. Currently Airbus is focusing on the passenger version.
The 747-8 freighter has become the cargo plane of choice and will be no problem either, CargoLux which will use this freighter most likely on it's
Hong Kong/HSV flights. Currently they use 747-400's on most HSV flights"

[HSVTiger]

Airport continues quest for low-cost carrier.

Airport passenger traffic in May increased 3.8 percent from a year earlier. January through May, passenger traffic increased 1.8 percent, compared with the same period in 2006.

"United has played a role" in the increasing number of air travelers, said Barbie Peek, the airport's marketing director. United Airlines launched direct flights from Huntsville to Denver International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport this year.

She told the authority that the airport is hosting in late June representatives of a low-fare carrier that is considering adding new nonstop destinations.

[HSVTiger]

This is a big flagpole
from WAAY

Flying high in the Rocket City. The newest and largest flagpole in North Alabama is up today, and Old Glory is set to be hoisted Wednesday.

The 140 foot pole stands at the U-S Space and Rocket Center in front of the new Saturn V building. It's made of A-36 steel and it took an 80 ton crane to set it in place on Tuesday morning.


The Star Spangled Banner that will fly there is roughly 60 by 30 feet and was produced right here in Huntsville, at C-F Flag on Shields Road. Officials say that a flag that large is flown continuously, but must be lowered every 3 to 4 months for regular maintenance.

The base can be seen in this webcam, the white vertical line

http://207.111.165.30/axis-cgi/mjpg/video.cgi?resolution=CIF&dummy=1181741706834

[HSVTiger]

overview of McMullen Cove being developed in east Huntsville.
This will spur retail development along US 72 east toward Gurley.

http://mcmullencove.net/images/mcmullen_overall.jpg

zoning request considered

City planners are mulling a rezoning request for the sprawling McMullen Cove development that would allow a clubhouse featuring his & her spas, indoor pool, library, ballroom and possibly a small food store with beer and wine.

A Commercial Recreation C-5 zoning is needed for the alcohol sales and retail uses not authorized under the R-1A zoning associated with most subdivisions.

Developer Jeff Enfinger said he first sought a special exception to the zoning restriction but the board of adjustments was leery of granting a variance involving alcohol sales.

Enfinger noted McMullen Cove will be a "gated" community not accessible to the general public. While not in the immediate plans, Enfinger said a store may evolve over time that would sell food items, beer and wine. "It would be more of a convenience to the community than anything else," he said.

"We're trying to develop a walkable community where you mix retail with your living area," he explained.

[HSVTiger]

Space Camp celebrates 25 years tonight, from WHNT,

This evening, Huntsville's biggest tourist draw will celebrate 25 years in business with a glitzy event at the Von Braun Center.

The U.S. Space and Rocket Center will induct eight people into the Space Camp Hall of Fame.

For the last 25 years, Space Camp has given kids and adults a hands-on way to learn about science and space.

Tonight, Dr. Wernher Von Braun will be the first inductee into the Space Camp Hall of Fame. Von Braun, along with seven others including Dottie Metcalf Lindenburger, Edward Buckbee, Dr. Georg von Tiesenhausen, Dan Oates, Amanda Stubblefield, Dr. James Rice and Penny Pettigrew will be the first group inducted into the hall of fame during a banquet at the VBC's North Hall tonight.

Actor William Shatner will emcee the event. Two former NASA astronauts will be there too.