Montgomery development news

[bystander1]

Originally Posted by pkp

I'll be staying the night in MGM next week, by the way. Unfortunatley East MGM since the Embassy is booked and even with my Diamond guaranteed room, really expensive right now anyway.

Lots and lots of new eastside hotels. Which one will you be staying in, pkp?

[thoraudio]

Originally Posted by bystander1

Thoraudio, in your best guess estimate, what are the chances of this going through percentage-wise?

It's in the cross the t's and dot the i's mode right now.

90+%

[pkp]

Originally Posted by bystander1

Lots and lots of new eastside hotels. Which one will you be staying in, pkp?

Eh - the new Hampton by the sprawl mall - which is God awful. I almost cried when we got something similar on the Eastern Shore (aren't lifestyle centers so 1990s?) I'm looking forward to the possibility of there being a Hampton dowtown. The Embassy can be fairly pricey at times (I've paid $175 for a room there). I always like to hit the Thai place in the rail station when I stay there, though.

Seriously, though. MGM has great potential for a serious dowtown - nice architecture, grid streets, and not too many buildings look vacant (far fewer than Mobile at least). If there were a few more places for dinner, groceries, etc..., it would be quite livable - especially for government employees and bankers (my company has a huge workforce dowtown).

[thoraudio]

I'm working on it

do we need to do a forum meet downtown for lunch next week?

[bystander1]

Originally Posted by thoraudio

It's in the cross the t's and dot the i's mode right now.

90+%

SOUNDS GOOD!

[bystander1]

Originally Posted by pkp

Eh - the new Hampton by the sprawl mall - which is God awful. I almost cried when we got something similar on the Eastern Shore (aren't lifestyle centers so 1990s?) I'm looking forward to the possibility of there being a Hampton dowtown. ....

Can you believe that they are planning to add another 300,000 and 500,000 sq. ft. shopping strips to EastChase? I wonder what their new master plan is supposed to be?

Originally Posted by pkp

Seriously, though. MGM has great potential for a serious dowtown - nice architecture, grid streets, and not too many buildings look vacant (far fewer than Mobile at least). If there were a few more places for dinner, groceries, etc..., it would be quite livable - especially for government employees and bankers (my company has a huge workforce dowtown).

Hopefully, more of that potential should begin to come to reality because of some much needed parking projects that the city wants to start through part of a bond issue. Developers claim that even with all the current projects underway, the lack of more parking spaces downtown is the only thing that's holding back even bigger developments. Well, we'll see.

The city has included money for 2 more parking garages. More than likely one on Coosa St. across from the baseball stadium and, surprisingly, one in the lower Dexter Ave. area. Those will be in addition to 2 other parking garages the city is currently working on now: the new Intermodal Parking Deck and the Convention Center/Hotel parking deck.



January 13, 2006
Bond sale to finance set list of projects

By Sebastian Kitchen
Montgomery Advertiser



Mayor Bobby Bright has placed a new westside golf course, the buyout of a crumbling housing project, two parking garages and other downtown improvements on a list of priorities for the city to finance with the sale of $35 million in bonds.

And although City Council members want to add projects to the list, including the City Auditorium and continued improvements at Cramton Bowl, Bright said the bond sale "won't happen" if they try to add to it.

"The amount is set," Bright said. "If they try to cut, slash or add projects, I am not inclined to approve it."

Some council members are frustrated, feel they are backed into a corner and will only be able to "rubber stamp" the $35 million in bonds, which they are expected to vote on Tuesday.

Councilwoman Janet May wants to table Tuesday's vote.

"We can't do anything but vote for them," May said. "If we decide not to vote for them, we hurt the city's credibility or financial rating."

Montgomery and Huntsville have the highest financial rating of any cities in the state.

About $16.5 million is for the projects funded by a downtown improvement district including parking garages and streetscaping, $12 million to purchase the Riverside Heights housing area, and $6.5 million for Gateway Park golf course and park. The Tax Incremental Funding District was approved by the council and any increased revenue from property taxes in the selected area are redirected to infrastructure improvements in the district. [...]

[bystander1]

Here's an article on Montgomery's rapidly growing tourism industry...


County cashes in on tourism

By Sebastian Kitchen
Montgomery Advertiser




More info:
TOURISM NUMBERS
The following are some statistics on tourism and people visiting Montgomery:

Room nights in Montgomery in 2003: 1,206,677

Room nights in 2004: 1,284,150 (6.4 percent increase)

Total number of visitors in Montgomery County in 2004: 1.3 million, a 7 per cent increase over the previous year

Lodging taxes collected by the city of Montgom ery for fiscal year 2004: $4.425 million

Fiscal year 2005: $5.099 million, a 15 percent in crease
TAXING VISITORS


The lodging tax and fees charged in Alabama cities and counties:

Birmingham: 14 percent

Madison County: 12 per cent plus $1 fee on each room

Mobile: 12 percent

Montgomery: 12.5 per cent plus $1 fee on each room

Prattville: 12.5 percent

Wetumpka: 12 percent

Source: Alabama Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus




With more people stopping in Montgomery to see attractions and historic sites, local officials want to make the most of visitors here to see the state Capitol, the First White House of the Confederacy, Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church and other locations.

Montgomery is leading all other cities and regions in the state, with the exception of the Gulf Coast in some categories, in tourism growth.

With this in mind, Montgomery County commissioners voted this month to add a $1 per room per night fee to lodging stays in the county. The fee will be tacked onto hotel and motel bills beginning April 1.

"It would appear by the county doing this that the commission recognizes the strength and the potential that tourism holds as an economic development catalyst for our community," said Anna Buckalew, senior vice president for public affairs with the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.

Commission Chairman Todd Strange said there are about 5,800 rooms in Montgomery and he expects the fee will add more than $1.2 million to the county general fund. He said the revenue will be used for economic and tourism development.

"This is a tax that will come from people that are visiting us and not from taxing the local citizenry," he said.

Strange said they wanted Montgomery to remain competitive with other communities for major conventions.

Montgomery currently has a 12.5 percent lodging tax on every dollar. Four percent is collected by the state and the remaining 8.5 percent is collected by the city.

Buckalew said the tax on visitors to the county is not uncommon and is used in Boaz, Decatur, Huntsville, Guntersville and Madison County.

"With where we are today, we will still be very much competitive with every other city in the state," she said.

She said tourism is second only to Hyundai in the chamber's economic development strategy for economic growth and job creation.

Buckalew and Strange do not believe the increase will hurt tourism in the city, even though convention organizers do look at the rates when looking at a city to host an event.

"Compared to other cities, we are still very competitive and right in line with what our competition is offering," Buckalew said. "I do not see it as a detriment at all."

Buckalew noted the number of hotel rooms has increased in Montgomery, but the growth has been outpaced by the demand.

"Our occupancy is still climbing," she said. "That is a very healthy indicator. We have more capacity and more rooms and the demand is growing to match that. In Montgomery, we have a greater volume of hotel rooms yet occupancy continues to climb."

Montgomery's occupancy rate was up 3.4 percent in 2004.

Buckalew said this is a healthy number and the city is outpacing its fellow cities' tourism indicators from 2000 to 2004 including travel-related employment and earnings, and is second to the beaches in growth of travel related expenditures and number of visitors. The 2004 occupancy rate for Montgomery, which is 64 percent, was second only to the Gulf Coast.

The state average is 61 percent, according to the Alabama Department of Tourism and Travel.

"We are consistently outperforming other metro cities other than the beaches in key indicators," Buckalew said. "Tourism is growing. With the new convention center opening in 2007, the sky is the limit."

Tourism is increasing while the convention center remains closed. The convention center is expected to reopen in the fall of 2007 along with a four-star hotel.

"All the indicators point to a strong tourism market and we feel it will be an even stronger market in the future," Buckalew said.

[thoraudio]

Saw this today in the posted building permits.

Doster Construction will construct a 27-story hotel with parking deck and common area to connect to the existing Montgomery Civic Center. There also will be renovation to the existing civic center building. The building and renovation in this project will cost $65.8 million

Got all excited then figured it was a typo

oh well.

[bystander1]

I saw that too this morning and thought: Huh, they've changed the height again?! Nooo. It must be a typo......but, boy, if only...



OK, let's see, 16, 22, 21, 10, officially 12, and now 27. Just build it already!

oh well, it's nice to dream.

[thoraudio]

I'm trying to figure out why they just got the license now... you're supposed to have it in hand before you break ground, and they've been working out there for several months now...

I though maybe they were putting something up in the Colonial parking lot, but I checked to see that, yes, Doster is the group doing the hotel/civic center.

BTW, it's nice to see a steel crane up over the skyline with the Judicial (I think) building going up on Clayton street behind the Federal courthouse.

[bystander1]

I think someone applied for the building permit a few weeks after the official ground breaking a few months back for a 12 story hotel on Commerce Street; I remember seeing it in the paper. So this request is kind of puzzling to me too.

It is nice to see the crane on Clayton Street. I don't know what they're building there; I was kinda' hoping you would know. But it's good to see that part of downtown getting some development too.

There's going to be quite a few cranes going up downtown in the next few weeks: (1) the intermodal center, (2) observation tower, (3) Coosa Street deck, (4) lower Dexter Ave. deck, (5) Convention hotel and deck; likely more than one crane, (6) RSA Headquarters and deck; likely more than one crane, (7) County courthouse/jail expansion and deck; likely more than one crane.

Colonial Bank could have had one downtown also but they decided to put their crane in the Technacenter off of I-85.

[bystander1]

Well, after the usual council drama, the bond for downtown and other city projects was approved.

The Smart code zoning laws that many developers in the city were waiting for was also approved.
Thoraudio, maybe your developer friend can come up with something really big to build in order to take advantage of Smart code zoning. You did say he was looking to do a big project.

Council approves bond projects

By Sebastian Kitchen
Montgomery Advertiser

More info:
IN OTHER BUSINESS
The council approved smart code to allow more options for developers and landowners. Mayor Bobby Bright said the code allows for pedestrian-friendly mixed use that resembles traditional neighborhoods from decades ago. The city will have both the current zoning that people and developers are accustomed to along with the smart code.

The council did not vote on proposed ordinances to crack down on overcrowding in nightclubs and other retail establishments. Although the vote on the ordinance has been delayed for weeks, council members expect to vote on the ordinance at their Feb. 7 meeting.
Council members are also likely to continue to debate whether to revoke a business license after two or three capacity violations in a year.

The council voted to demolish more than 20 additional dilapidated structures in the city. The council's upholding the demolitions brings the number approved to be razed in the last two months to almost 100.




Montgomery City Council members approved about $40 million in bonds Tuesday to fund Gateway Park, the buyout of Riverside Heights and downtown development projects, including two parking decks.

"These are all three major projects we have been talking about and working on for years, and we're finally making it happen," Mayor Bobby Bright said.

Although the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of approving the bonds, several council members said they were concerned that Bright didn't consult with them before he presented the package.

"Why is it you did not sit down with the council and have substantial discussion?" Councilwoman Janet May asked.

May was the only council member who voted against all three of the bond issues. Councilman Willie Cook voted against one. May said she believed Bright went to the bond market without consulting the council about their priorities.

Councilman Jim Spear said the majority of the money is going to finance projects the council previously approved.

Gateway Park is a community park under construction along Interstate 65 in west Montgomery. The park will include a nine-hole golf course, a lodge, a walking trail, sports fields, tennis courts and other attractions. The city has spent about $7 million on the project to date, and the bonds will bring the total price tag to $13.5 million.

Bright said the $6.5 million is not enough to finish the park.

"We had a commitment to Montgomery to finish what we started," Councilman James Nuckles said of the park.

May and Councilman Glen Pruitt said they were uncertain where the $6.5 million originated. Pruitt, May and Cook all discussed potential projects including Cramton Bowl, the need for more fire stations and the City Auditorium.

Bright admitted the city needs three fire stations.

Bright said there are a lot of needs and potential projects, but it's his job to control the spending and total bond amount. He said he didn't want to see the bond amount grow to as much as $70 million.

The downtown projects are funded by a Tax Incremental Financing District the council approved previously. Any growth in taxes in the district will be reinvested to pay for the infrastructure improvements. The priorities include the two parking garages, streetscaping and a New Orleans-style alleyway along Commerce Street.

Bright said they are already working on the projects. He said this would allow the city to close as soon as possible on the purchase of Riverside Heights, a housing project now owned by the Montgomery Housing Authority. A portion of the antiquated housing on the property will be traded to Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base to use for housing.

Bright said there was some dissension over the bonds. He said some council members were upset projects in their district were not included.

"There is not enough money for every need," he said.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[thoraudio]

drove by the construction at Clayton to see if there was a name posted but there wasn't. I seem to remember it being a judicial building of sorts but I can't find the article.


Also while I was there, I drove through Cottage Hill... such potential there... a couple of artsy shops and coffee houses in the 5 points area, turn that huge old housing project into dorms for Troy U or artists lofts, restore the Winter mansion and some of the others....

but how do you transform a whole neighborhood?

[bystander1]

Originally Posted by thoraudio

but how do you transform a whole neighborhood?

...one building...at a time...


Yeah, I know, that was corny...but true.


It would be nice if TU bought Hilltop Apts. and turned them into dorms. They have plans to expand in that section of downtown, so, who knows what they may do in the future.

[bystander1]

Much, much needed request...



Montgomery Mayor Wants I-65 Improvements
Jan 21, 2006

One of the biggest road problems in Montgomery, according to Mayor Bobby Bright, is a problem the city has no control over. He's talking about Interstate 65.

If you've driven down Montgomery's portion of I-65, you know that there are plenty of bumps along the way. Mayor Bright says he'd like to see the interstate repaired and widened.

"It's like a washboard," the mayor told WSFA 12 News. "You're lucky if you get down it without throwing your car out of line. There are bumps that I'll hit and I'll feel like they've taken my front wheels out of out from under me!"

But the mayor says the city can't make the necessary repairs. He says that's the responsibility of the Department of Transportation. He says he's asking the governor and state and national lawmakers to make improvements to I-65 a priority.

http://wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=4393728

[nick1982]

I guess I'm the only one who enjoys the rythmic "click-clack" as one speeds down I-65.

[bystander1]

yeah, that's not too bad, but this part of I-65 is more like: "BOO-ka-ti-BOO-ka-ti-BOOM!!"

[thoraudio]

Historic Dexter Avenue ripe for revival

By Sebastian Kitchen
Montgomery Advertiser

Dexter Avenue is stuck in the past.

A witness to much of Montgomery's history, the street -- the last leg of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March -- hasn't moved toward the future.

City officials, developers and business owners hope one day to see specialty shops, restaurants and bars along the thoroughfare, which offers a stunning vista of the state Capitol. They're finding their efforts hampered by landowners asking princely sums for boarded-up buildings.

The high prices, though, are at least a sign of progress.

"Dexter Avenue has been neglected for so long," Mayor Bobby Bright said. "It's now sticking out like a sore thumb. I am proud of that. Now, we can hopefully start putting pressure on the owners."

Bright said the time is especially right for the avenue's rebirth because other downtown redevelopment projects -- most notably Riverwalk Stadium and the Montgomery Civic Center -- are under way or completed.

"We are relying on the landowners to get on board with us," Bright said. "They are slow to do that as the city improves around them."

The mayor has talked with city attorneys about an ordinance that would require property owners in a historic area such as Dexter Avenue to maintain their property.

"Sometime in the future, we are going to find a way to upgrade these businesses," Bright said. "By buying and holding onto it, they are hurting our city."

Craig Howell has worked for 15 years on Dexter Avenue and sees Bright's point.

"It's a shame to see all this empty, rundown space," said Howell, who helps his uncle at City Pawn in the first block of Dexter.

The pawn shop, a Subway restaurant and City Drug share the street with boarded-up buildings that once housed major retailers such as Kress, Sears Roebuck, JJ Newberry's and J.C. Penney.

"People spoke with pride of the stores that we had in downtown Montgomery," historian and author Richard Bailey recalls. "People from outlying areas came to Montgomery on weekends. Downtown was the place to be and the place to go in those days."

Bailey hits on something city officials, business owners and development experts think is key to revitalizing Dexter.

"We have got to make downtown a 24-hour destination -- a place where you work, play and live," said Anita Archie of the Montgomery Riverfront Development Foundation. "We have residential started downtown. Once you get the residential piece going, retail will follow."

Dexter, though, suffers two problems plaguing all of downtown: too little parking and the perception of too much crime.

The shortage of parking spaces should soon ease. Plans are in the works for several parking garages, including one just south of Dexter Avenue.

As for crime, Howell and his uncle, Barry Ehrlich, said a bigger police presence on Dexter would ease shoppers' safety concerns and help attract others would-be consumers.

Howell envisions Dexter Avenue as an entertainment district. Bright could see that happening, too.

Bright hopes a developer will come to Dexter Avenue and make a significant investment. He said one or two strong moves could trigger a domino effect.

Archie said the riverfront foundation wants to see development on Dexter, including retail stores, office space and restaurants. She said foundation officials must do a better job of working with current business owners and marketing downtown for visitors and businesses.

In early April, a national organization will visit downtown to discuss the possibility of creating an artists community along Dexter.

[bystander1]

I did a thread on the history of Dexter Ave. about 2 years ago in the city photos forum. A lot of viewers there couldn't believe the amount of history-changing events of national and world importance that happened on that short, 6-block avenue. I still have those photos and may recreate that thread soon.

Locally, ''Off the Wagon'' is one of the hottest clubs for rock and alternative rock on Dexter Avenue and is a great example of things to come for an area that is certainly due for a revival.

[thoraudio]

I have noticed that in just the last month or so, several for sale signs on vacant buildings down there have gone up. Maybe people are trying to cash in on their speculation of several years ago....

Once the transfer station is built that will open the area up some.... but we need a developer with a unified view.