Montgomery development news

[bystander1]

Originally Posted by Brown Duckz

Also.... not to stir anything up, but has anyone heard of a new RSA building planned for the Bibb/Catoma/Bell St. area. I've got a little inside info, just curious to see if it's real.

I haven't heard about any RSA building, just that that area has been tagged for possible condos and/or apartments. But with that block being next to the new RSA hotel and convention center, I'm sure something RSA-related could be possible.

So tell us, what have you heard? Give us some info.

[Brown Duckz]

I've got a friend who works for his parent's compay that does all-purpose cleaning, they have clientele like RSA and Hyundai. They bid and won all of RSA's current and future buildings. My friend says he knew about Bronner's new HQ over 2 years ago. I'm just starting to believe it's reliable info. I told him anything and everything he found out about I had to know. He said it was indeed a "skyscraper" he heard about out, and not a mid-rise office building. I have a feeling Bronner might want a new tallest overlooking the centerpiece of the Downtown redevelopment.

[bystander1]

Hmmm....interesting, but we just need a little more concrete info about the possibility of such a project--like what type of demand for space would they be courting in order to build a new building. Would it be office, condo, mixed-use, etc? That would be pretty cool though if such a project actually came to fruition...

If anymore info comes about, please inform us.

[thoraudio]

I get the feeling that downtown office space is plentiful, so I dunno if a spec office building (aside from the new RSA headquarters) would be a good investment right now...

BTw, anybody else notice that there is a freakin ton of available property downtown right now? There's a for sale on every corner it seems like. I don't know if it's speculation or what, but a developer could have there pick down there.

[Brown Duckz]

I'm unsure of the need for office space actually. I heard Bronner's HQ was basically filled already. RSA should do a mixed use 30-story+ with office and residential condos, that'd prob make a good investment. It would look oh so sweet next to the hotel, or rather behind it depending on which view you have. IMO it would be skyline altering.

[Brown Duckz]

The construction of the round-a-bout@ Court Square starts in the morning at 5:30AM.

[RSAHort]

The building across Union from the RSA HQ is going to be a First Tuskegee National Bank. They put a sign up on Union Street.

I haven't heard anything about a new RSA building but I will certainly ask around.

Originally Posted by Brown Duckz

I've got a friend who works for his parent's compay that does all-purpose cleaning, they have clientele like RSA and Hyundai. They bid and won all of RSA's current and future buildings.

By all purpose cleaning do you mean janitorial service? If so does he work for ABM becuase that's who does our janitorial.

[Brown Duckz]

Originally Posted by RSAHort

The building across Union from the RSA HQ is going to be a First Tuskegee National Bank. They put a sign up on Union Street.

I haven't heard anything about a new RSA building but I will certainly ask around.



By all purpose cleaning do you mean janitorial service? If so does he work for ABM becuase that's who does our janitorial.

Can someone pinpoint the location on a map. I had no idea they were going to build another property. Will it be mid-rise?

**I'm unsure of the type of cleaning they do, but I'd guess in a building it would be janitorial type.

[Brown Duckz]

Downtown Montgomery Construction


Construction set to start Tuesday may affect your route to work.

construction will start at 5:30am on the city's round-about at the Courthouse.

Dexter Avenue, Commerce Street and Montgomery Street will be closed where they intersect with Court Square.

The city advises drivers to take an alternative routes until the construction is complete.

The work is part of a downtown beautification project.

[thoraudio]

Originally Posted by Brown Duckz

Can someone pinpoint the location on a map. I had no idea they were going to build another property. Will it be mid-rise?

**I'm unsure of the type of cleaning they do, but I'd guess in a building it would be janitorial type.

The Tuskegee bank building isn't a new one, just an older one that's been repainted

it's on the right in this pic, with the Sale Pending on it... it's now been painted white.

[RSAHort]

Tuskegee National Bank is going into the existing building on the corner of Adams and Unions. I think it used to hold the Alabama Roadbuilders Association. I had heard a while back that they were moving to the Adams St. location and that the location where they are now was going to be renovated into a hotel like it used to be. Now, I don't know if it used to be a hotel or not or if that part is true.

[thoraudio]

Originally Posted by RSAHort

Tuskegee National Bank is going into the existing building on the corner of Adams and Unions. I think it used to hold the Alabama Roadbuilders Association. I had heard a while back that they were moving to the Adams St. location and that the location where they are now was going to be renovated into a hotel like it used to be. Now, I don't know if it used to be a hotel or not or if that part is true.

It did used to be a hotel, and it's going to be a hotel in the future, they're already doing interior demo on it.

It was constructed in 1929, and was known as the Greystone Hotel.

Of course, I liked my idea better.




BTW, we're approaching 1000 posts, so I'll open a new thread soon.

[Brown Duckz]

Wow it took so long to reach this point, haha. Is it forum policy or what?

[Brown Duckz]

Public meeting on I-85 extension slated for Thursday

Montgomery Advertiser

A public meeting has been scheduled for Thursday in the Capital City to discuss the state’s proposed Interstate 85 extension project.

The meeting will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the conference center of the Embassy Suites downtown. The purpose of the meeting is to get input from the public on the social and environmental issues related to the project, said Charles Barnette, a public relations agent working with the state.

State and federal officials will be present to answer questions during the meeting, Barnette said.

The meeting is part of a third set of meetings held to gauge public opinion on the project, which would extend I-85 from Montgomery to the Mississippi state line.

Meetings were also held this week in Demopolis and Selma.

[mgmrebel]

Long time reader of this forum...finally had to jump in...

[bystander1]

Welcome, mgmrebel!

[Brown Duckz]

We are getting a crowd. I like when this place is active, even if it's just discussion. Thoraudio--if we make a new thread, let's keep it one general thread. We aren't big time enough for a discussion & development thread.

[kevinlpugh]

Traffic around Court Square in downtown Montgomery will be disrupted for at least two to three months, city traffic engineer Bubba Bowden said.

Fences will force detours in the area around the Court Square fountain plaza as work continues on a downtown improvement project. The streets affected are Dexter Avenue, Montgomery Street and Commerce Street.

The idea for the project came from a series of sessions involving members of the community and city planning firm Dover, Kohl and Partners. It is the first idea from those sessions to be put into action.

The city plans to spend $1 million to install cobblestone streets in the fountain plaza, opening the area to both pedestrians and cars. The plaza will have more than 33,000 square feet of cobblestone surface.

Michael Briddell, executive assistant to Mayor Bobby Bright, said the sessions with Dover, Kohl and Partners laid the groundwork for a series of downtown projects.

"They in essence gave us the backbone of what the final product would look like," Briddell said.

The firm will visit the city again in December to help develop more ideas and more fully realize existing plans.

Other downtown projects still are in the planning stages, said Ken Groves, the city's director of planning and development.

Full Story

[Brown Duckz]

Anybody up for a small Saturday meet, maybe lunch, then cruise Downtown--I want to take some pics from certain "skyline" views since the hotel has kind of risen up quite a bit in the past few weeks. From Bell St. it's def changing the look. I can't wait for the RSA HQ to climb up in the air as well. Montgomery needs a new tallest for sure.

[Brown Duckz]

Local home sales defy trend

By David Irvin
Montgomery Advertiser



The Montgomery housing market has remained strong, despite the weakening seen nationally.
-- Karen S. Doerr


Home prices in Montgomery experienced a slight drop over the past year, but a leading real estate analyst says the area housing market still is gaining in value while the national market is on the decline.

Numbers released today by the University of Alabama show Montgomery's median home price decreased slightly from $140,000 in August 2005 to $138,885 this year.

However, the average home price increased by more than $6,500 in the same period, while the average median price rose by $17,000.

The news comes at a time the national market is experiencing its first pricing downturn in 11 years, according to the National Association of Realtors.

"Alabama is, at this point, bucking the national trend," said Leonard Zumpano, executive director of the Alabama Real Estate Research and Education Center, the department that compiles Alabama's home market numbers.

Nationally, the median price of homes decreased by 1.7 percent in 2005 compared to this year. In the South, the median home price decreased by 2.6 percent, the association reported.

"This is the price correction we've been expecting -- with sales stabilizing. We should go back to positive price growth early next year," said David Lereah, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors, in a statement.

Zumpano said most markets in the state seem to be beating national numbers and continue to show health. The exception is Baldwin County, which is losing value as condominium prospectors go belly up.

Average home prices in Montgomery appreciated to $164,427 in August, up from $157,851 in August 2005, the National Association of Realtors' report states.

The number of existing homes sold in Montgomery also went up during the same period. Last month, 597 homes sales were reported, compared to 529 homes last August.

Norman Schlemmer is responsible for managing more than 90 agents at Alfa Realty in Montgomery.His sales office touches all levels of homes in the River Region.

"The last two or three years has been the high water mark for this area," Schlemmer said, "and this year is ahead of last year, which is a good sign for our local economy."

The regional market is extremely competitive today, Schlemmer said, adding at least 150 agents into the mix since last year.

"Usually you don't attract new agents into this business if it is going the opposite way," Schlemmer said.