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  #5001  
Old Posted Feb 28, 2012, 2:20 AM
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Believe this had been speculated earlier
" Home2 Suites by Hilton's first combined property with Hampton Inn & Suites will be going up near Bridge Street Town Centre.
A ground-breaking ceremony was today for the four-story hotel complex that will have a 78-suite Home2 Suites and a 97-room Hampton Inn & Suites, with guests sharing the pool, fitness center and meeting rooms. The site is at 7010 Governors West Drive, south of Bridge Street across Old Madison Pike, and is slated to open in the fall of 2013."


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  #5002  
Old Posted Feb 28, 2012, 4:19 PM
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According to Kumar Patel, the owner of 5 Guys franchises in Huntsville/North Alabama this next location will be the last one in Huntsville joining the Jones Valley and Research Park locations.
So East Huntsville, we would gladly take a Smashburger, Whataburger, Red Robin, Fatburger, SteaknShake, Johnny Rockets..anything. The most underserved area of any metro in the south has to be the East Huntsville over Chapman Mountain crowd. I blame ALDOT for screwing the city on the planned overpasses at Moores Mill and Shields. 15 years and still waiting.
I agree that East Huntsville is an underserved area. However, the question is where would retailers choose to locate to serve both the Blossomwood and Chapman (NE HSV) areas as well as those newer neighborhoods over Chapman Mtn along Winchester Rd. The first and most obvious would be along the Andrew Jackson Way/California St. corridor, however there is probably not the traffic count nor are there any open tracts of land (and probably haven't been in at least 60 yrs,) to develop shopping centers on. From what I can see, the I-565/Oakwood Ave. interchange might be the best bet as it would provide access from a much larger area. It is doubtful that the Harris Hill development will have too much of a draw from west of Chapman Mountain (It's hard to see shoppers frorm Blossomwood driving that far out.)

This leads to my conclusion that North Parkway, as spotty as it may be, at the present time, is the retail destination for East Huntsville. When you look at the success of the Home Depot, Books a Million and Costco, it is obvious that the fact that they have stayed in business all of these years is due to a customer base east of the Parkway when NW HSV is basically a retail desert. (Outside of the Wal Mart on Sparkman, there is only gorcery store, a Lucky's on Pulaski PK. in NW HSV). Since the Home Depot there is the closest to Blossomwood, Twickenham and NE HSV, there are already customers drawn to that location. It would seem logical for the City of Huntsville to look at expanding the retail draw of N. Pkwy to increase its tax base. The 5 Guys/ Dunkin Donuts is ideal for doing this. Also, the new Mama's Table Restaurant does, too. Going further up the Parkway, look at Gander Mountain at Mastin Lake - couldn't other attractive retail join it?

Also, what about all of the rundown looking businesses between University and I-565 which are sitting on prime real estate with a large traffic count in front of them?

It is not that far a trip down Oakwood Ave. to N. Pkwy, so it seems to me that there are plenty of customers nearby to insure the success of a rebirth of quality retail in the N. Pkwy corridor.
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  #5003  
Old Posted Feb 28, 2012, 7:59 PM
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I agree that East Huntsville is an underserved area. However, the question is where would retailers choose to locate to serve both the Blossomwood and Chapman (NE HSV) areas as well as those newer neighborhoods over Chapman Mtn along Winchester Rd. The first and most obvious would be along the Andrew Jackson Way/California St. corridor, however there is probably not the traffic count nor are there any open tracts of land (and probably haven't been in at least 60 yrs,) to develop shopping centers on. From what I can see, the I-565/Oakwood Ave. interchange might be the best bet as it would provide access from a much larger area. It is doubtful that the Harris Hill development will have too much of a draw from west of Chapman Mountain (It's hard to see shoppers frorm Blossomwood driving that far out.)

This leads to my conclusion that North Parkway, as spotty as it may be, at the present time, is the retail destination for East Huntsville. When you look at the success of the Home Depot, Books a Million and Costco, it is obvious that the fact that they have stayed in business all of these years is due to a customer base east of the Parkway when NW HSV is basically a retail desert. (Outside of the Wal Mart on Sparkman, there is only gorcery store, a Lucky's on Pulaski PK. in NW HSV). Since the Home Depot there is the closest to Blossomwood, Twickenham and NE HSV, there are already customers drawn to that location. It would seem logical for the City of Huntsville to look at expanding the retail draw of N. Pkwy to increase its tax base. The 5 Guys/ Dunkin Donuts is ideal for doing this. Also, the new Mama's Table Restaurant does, too. Going further up the Parkway, look at Gander Mountain at Mastin Lake - couldn't other attractive retail join it?

Also, what about all of the rundown looking businesses between University and I-565 which are sitting on prime real estate with a large traffic count in front of them?

It is not that far a trip down Oakwood Ave. to N. Pkwy, so it seems to me that there are plenty of customers nearby to insure the success of a rebirth of quality retail in the N. Pkwy corridor.
Agreed, downtown could be included as well, any area north of Governors and east of the Parkway. The Meridian street corridor is prime for lofts, apartments,small retail. The Dallas/Lincoln Mill redevelopment is hopefully the beginning of a new Huntsville. Residents in the undeserved areas(East HSV) typically drive thirty minutes or so to reach the main retail areas, congested University/Madison and Jones Valley.
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  #5004  
Old Posted Feb 28, 2012, 8:59 PM
David1502 David1502 is offline
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Agreed, downtown could be included as well, any area north of Governors and east of the Parkway. The Meridian street corridor is prime for lofts, apartments,small retail. The Dallas/Lincoln Mill redevelopment is hopefully the beginning of a new Huntsville. Residents in the undeserved areas(East HSV) typically drive thirty minutes or so to reach the main retail areas, congested University/Madison and Jones Valley.
I am including everything north of Governors Dr and specifically Downtown when I included Twickenham (as that is the bulk of the population in the downtown area at the present time). My point is there's no reason to drive 30 minutes or more when the Parkway has the infrastructure and traffic count which major retailers look for when choosing to expand. While Meridian St. has shown some success in attracting some trendy boutique shops, its two lanes are not going to look good to any big box store or other naitonal chain (or chain restaurant).

People forget that 40 years ago, N. Parkway was not the blighted eyesore which it now appears. There are now, however, some green shoots that seem promising and the 5 Guys/Dunkin Donuts is part of that. Most folks don't realize that there are two Starbucks on N. Parkway (one in front of Home Depot and one at Mastin Lake), so they must be doing well to have survived the round of store closings. Also, there is a Lowe's at Mastin Lake and a Kroger at Oakwood which must be doing a good business.

Because Madison County does not have a sewer system, this provides a golden opportunity for the City of Huntsville to get the shopping dollar of the growing population in the Meridianville and Hazel Green areas who have to drive down the Parkway to do anything. It is hard to see a Target or Wal-Mart putting a store on a septic tank with a volunteer fire dept like they would in the county. North Parkway provides the perfect place to tap this market - Wal-Mart already does this with its store at Sparkman. However, the old rundown shopping center on the other side of the Parkway (at 72 East) is a perfect spot for some type of redevelopment to reach the north county and NE HSV (and NE County) markets.
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  #5005  
Old Posted Feb 29, 2012, 4:26 AM
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The idea that the eastern "half" of Huntsville is underserved when it comes to retail options is a bit disingenuous when you consider that it's no-where near half the city and surrounding urban area. At no point is the parkway more than 2 miles from the eastern spine of mountains that hems in most of this city. North Parkway and the Airport Rd, Jones Valley areas are more than enough retail for those parts of the city that are not "over the mountain." It's more that the entire area west of the Parkway has been booming simply because that's where most of the jobs are and there's practically limitless room to sprawl west. If anything, west Huntsville is over-retailed. Numerous places such as Madison Square and the strips east of it on University will probably close in the next decade and be re-developed for more productive uses.
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  #5006  
Old Posted Mar 1, 2012, 7:30 PM
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Took a pic of the Belk Hudson project while walking around town yesterday. Its looking good!

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  #5007  
Old Posted Mar 17, 2012, 2:20 AM
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out on the west University where it seems everyone in Madison County lives
MADISON -- A Birmingham developer hopes to start construction no later than May on Medical Park Station, a 32,000-square-foot retail center on U.S. 72 between the Shoppes of Madison and Madison Hospital.
"We're waiting for final DOT (Alabama Department of Transportation) approval on an access point" to the highway, said Allen Hawkins, the owner of Birmingham-based Terra Equities, a real estate investment and consulting company.
The development will have probably 10 to 12 tenants, said Hawkins, who expects some medical tenants to be part of the mix.
Tenants will include Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe, Sprint and Mattress Firm, he said. Taziki's has eight locations in Alabama, including a restaurant on Whitesburg Drive in Huntsville.
Jerry Sparks, the owner of Blue Plate Cafe on Governors Drive in Huntsville, said he's in negotiations with Terra Equities for the possible location for a second restaurant.
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  #5008  
Old Posted Mar 18, 2012, 1:57 PM
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funny and sad to see them talk about a delayed project that has been delayed(ignored) several times already.There has never been a road project that has started when they said it would and finished when it was supposed to be.

Cutting federal spending to reduce the national debt could delay for years the start of construction on the Memorial Parkway overpasses at Byrd Spring and Lily Flagg roads.
The service roads for the project from north of Martin Road to the new overpasses at Whitesburg Drive and Weatherly Road are targeted for construction to begin in fiscal 2015, said Johnny Harris, the Alabama Department of Transportation division engineer for this area.
He said construction on the main Parkway lanes and overpasses would probably not start before fiscal 2018 based on the 2015 construction start for the service roads. If construction starts in 2018, motorists wouldn't be driving on the overpasses before 2020.
But, Harris added, all of those dates and plans could change depending on how much money Congress makes available to the state when it passes a transportation bill.

Yeah whatever, don't worry moving utilities or a right of way issue will come to the rescue and delay it again. It's amazing that stuff like this could be built in 18 months or less if it had to be.
in Chattanooga an entire downtown corridor is about to be redone for 80 million.
http://timesfreepress.com/news/2012/...-highway-plan/

The overhaul of the southern portion of U.S. 27 will be massive when it's finished in 2016, said Ken Flynn, an engineer for the state.

A pathetic little overpass in Huntsville takes 10 years
Hey ALDON'T how are those overpasses at Moores Mill and Shields coming along? oh yeah they aren't

Last edited by HSVTiger; Mar 18, 2012 at 2:11 PM.
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  #5009  
Old Posted Mar 19, 2012, 9:59 PM
nickodemis nickodemis is offline
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Originally Posted by HSVTiger View Post
funny and sad to see them talk about a delayed project that has been delayed(ignored) several times already.There has never been a road project that has started when they said it would and finished when it was supposed to be.

Cutting federal spending to reduce the national debt could delay for years the start of construction on the Memorial Parkway overpasses at Byrd Spring and Lily Flagg roads.
The service roads for the project from north of Martin Road to the new overpasses at Whitesburg Drive and Weatherly Road are targeted for construction to begin in fiscal 2015, said Johnny Harris, the Alabama Department of Transportation division engineer for this area.
He said construction on the main Parkway lanes and overpasses would probably not start before fiscal 2018 based on the 2015 construction start for the service roads. If construction starts in 2018, motorists wouldn't be driving on the overpasses before 2020.
But, Harris added, all of those dates and plans could change depending on how much money Congress makes available to the state when it passes a transportation bill.

Yeah whatever, don't worry moving utilities or a right of way issue will come to the rescue and delay it again. It's amazing that stuff like this could be built in 18 months or less if it had to be.
in Chattanooga an entire downtown corridor is about to be redone for 80 million.
http://timesfreepress.com/news/2012/...-highway-plan/

The overhaul of the southern portion of U.S. 27 will be massive when it's finished in 2016, said Ken Flynn, an engineer for the state.

A pathetic little overpass in Huntsville takes 10 years
Hey ALDON'T how are those overpasses at Moores Mill and Shields coming along? oh yeah they aren't
There is a simple fix. Raise the gas taxes by $0.05. It will generate more then enough revenue to fund the future ALDOT projects plus some. The motorist would save gas in the long wrong by having access to improved roads.

I wish they would create a toll road from HSV to Atlanta. At least it would be done in the next 30 years. Opening up a direct route with Atlanta would have major positive repercussions for Huntsville area business and quality of life.
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  #5010  
Old Posted Mar 19, 2012, 11:48 PM
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Major downtown development set to begin soon..
I question the streetscape design and should there be better access to an extended Big Spring Park. Here is also an excellent chance to go vertical and create something dynamic instead of a parking garage facade. But a new possible Publix and another downtown hotel are big positives.



Mayor Tommy Battle announced Monday that parties are near agreement to start a major downtown retail, commercial and residential development on the site of the old Councill Courts public housing project. Final approval by all four of the partners - the city, Huntsville Housing Authority and two developers - is expected in the next two weeks, Battle said.
The total value of the development, which will be in the area bordered by Gallatin Street and Lowe and St. Clair Avenues, will be $85-$90 million, Battle said. It includes 200 new apartments, a major grocery store, a new hotel, retail shops and an office building. Final completion will take up to three years, Battle said.
"This is one of the premier developments we've been looking for for a long time," Battle said. "It has all the elements we've been looking for." Battle said the 200 new "loft-style" apartments are being designed with young professionals in mind, and the development should create new excitement and interest in downtown Huntsville.
The city will contribute $8 million in funds and the developers $2 million to get started, Battle said, and the first thing to be built is the 700-space parking garage. Battle said "there are still some balls in the air, still some things to be worked out" on the deal, and that it has at least one "go/no go point" when bids come in on the garage. The City Council, which must approve the deal, has already authorized an architect to begin designing the garage.
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  #5011  
Old Posted Mar 19, 2012, 11:58 PM
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At Huntsville International Airport a place for the pets before their flight or waiting on their friends
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  #5012  
Old Posted Mar 21, 2012, 1:07 AM
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There will be many posts about the (Twickenham Square) development over the coming year. Here are some more comments from Mayor Battle
From WHNT TV

The goal of this development is to create a centerpiece for downtown Huntsville and offer something new to citizens. But that’s not all. Mayor Battle says it’s also about making the city of Huntsville more competitive.
“We’re looking forward to some great things out of this development,” says Battle.
Among those things, appealing to current and prospective residents.
“The whole idea behind this is to provide a new unique product that we’ve never been able to offer before,” explains Battle. “We are now offering something that appeals to the Generation X worker.”
In the competition between cities, the mayor wants Huntsville to stand out as a unique, vibrant place with a good economic model and a lot to offer.
“We don`t compete with Birmingham, Montgomery, or Mobile,” says Battle. “We compete with Austin, Texas, the research triangle area, Silicon Valley, the Washington, D.C. area, and Maryland.”
Mayor Battle believes this development will give the city more leverage.
“What we were lacking in the competition element was a unique surrounding for young people to live and this provides that,” says Battle.
While this project is several years from completion, Mayor Battle is optimistic about it and the city as a whole.
“An $85 million investment in downtown Huntsville is an exciting thing for the city of Huntsville.”
Mayor Battle says the first thing to be built is the 700-space parking garage. The city council has already authorized an architect to begin designing the garage
According to Battle, the total value of the development is estimated to be $85 million and final completion will take up to three years. It includes 200 new apartments, a major grocery store, a new hotel, retail shops and an office building.

And this from the excellent Huntsville Development Blog
"A new "Downtown Gateway" boulevard will be built on the west side of the project, extending Harvard Road north of Governors to Lowe Ave. The boulevard, connecting the development with Big Spring Park and its environs, will utilize a new prototype street design for Huntsville that includes on-street parking, landscaped medians, and one-way cycletracks."
http://huntsvilledevelopment.blogspot.com/

Maybe this will also prompt the Constellation project out of hibernation and or near death. The excuses are running thin on this what was a great development proposal, and hopefully still will be.
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  #5013  
Old Posted Mar 21, 2012, 3:37 AM
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“We don`t compete with Birmingham, Montgomery, or Mobile,” says Battle. “We compete with Austin, Texas, the research triangle area, Silicon Valley, the Washington, D.C. area, and Maryland.”
Practically everyone in this part of the state knows this. It's the rest of the state that's been a hindrance.
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  #5014  
Old Posted Mar 21, 2012, 9:52 PM
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Practically everyone in this part of the state knows this. It's the rest of the state that's been a hindrance.
Exactly. It is pitiful, for example, that we can't get road projects done here in a timely fashion. There is no excuse why most of Madison county is riddled still with two lane roads to move major amounts of traffic. Or why the County Line & 565 interchange still is not done. Or any other number of road projects that are desparetly needed.
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  #5015  
Old Posted Mar 21, 2012, 11:24 PM
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Practically everyone in this part of the state knows this. It's the rest of the state that's been a hindrance.
Well to be fair, I think Mobile would say that they compete with Jacksonville, New Orleans, and Houston(which is turn is great for that part of the state). I just wish that Birmingham and Montgomery got their acts together(even though MTG is doing it right with their Downtown development and B'ham is getting it together too).
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  #5016  
Old Posted Mar 21, 2012, 11:45 PM
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I believe what the Mayor was alluding to is that Huntsville and those other areas
are similar in the type of economies that dominate these cities. Huntsville has learned and studied from the success stories in Mobile, Montgomery, Chattanooga, Greenville SC and Birmingham. The cities he mentioned are targets Huntsville is trying to reach.
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  #5017  
Old Posted Mar 22, 2012, 1:47 AM
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As a current Auburn student projects like this along with Belk-Hudson really do make Huntsville a more appealing place to come back to after school. Hopefully both are successful and this is the beginning of more developments of this sort.

On another note what is everyones thoughts on the mayoral race coming up?
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  #5018  
Old Posted Mar 22, 2012, 1:58 AM
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As a current Auburn student projects like this along with Belk-Hudson really do make Huntsville a more appealing place to come back to after school. Hopefully both are successful and this is the beginning of more developments of this sort.

On another note what is everyones thoughts on the mayoral race coming up?
War Eagle!, do your best and enjoy your Auburn experience. Besides Lee county,
Madison county and Huntsville are great places to come back to.
Mayor Battle should win convincingly. Spencer did well during her tenure but Battle is the best choice to keep Huntsville moving forward,
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  #5019  
Old Posted Mar 22, 2012, 5:52 PM
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i think you guys would be surprised at all the stuff going on in and around birmingham....
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  #5020  
Old Posted Mar 22, 2012, 5:57 PM
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Exactly. It is pitiful, for example, that we can't get road projects done here in a timely fashion. There is no excuse why most of Madison county is riddled still with two lane roads to move major amounts of traffic. Or why the County Line & 565 interchange still is not done. Or any other number of road projects that are desparetly needed.
Puh-lease. At least you have a direct four-lane highways to other cities in your region and state. You can't get even get from Tuscaloosa to the state capital without enduring miles two-lane gauntlet through Bibb, Chilton and Autuaga counties. The same goes to trying to get to Mobile, Florence, Columbus, MS, and so forth.
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