Tuscaloosa Discussion Thread - Page 7

cityscapes · #**121** Posted **Jan 30, 2013, 4:59 AM**

The detailed renderings are somewhat disappointing. The design is pretty uninspired and the fact that we are going to be losing the park on the corner for a suburban looking hotel with a small surface lot behind it doesn't make me too thrilled about this project, but at least it's something.

SpawnOfVulcan · #**122** Posted **Jan 30, 2013, 5:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cityscapes

The detailed renderings are somewhat disappointing. The design is pretty uninspired and the fact that we are going to be losing the park on the corner for a suburban looking hotel with a small surface lot behind it doesn't make me too thrilled about this project, but at least it's something.

I'm really not concerned about losing that corner park, since I've honestly never seen more than a couple people at it every other month. When you consider the amenities the hotel will offer, I think they tend to offset the loss of the park. I'm kind of on the fence about the look of the hotel itself. Really, downtown doesn't exactly have a characteristic look like the University's campus does; it's basically just a hodgepodge of a lot of different looks. The only thing that I consider to be in some way symbolic of the look of downtown is the 2nd floor porches/decks. I think a lot of how well this thing will blend in with the neighborhood depends on the distance between University Blvd and the main structure; I haven't looked at any detailed plans, so I really don't know how much of a setback there is.

Either way, I completely agree about the parking situation. I hate the idea of using that area just for parking. It seems like you could use it for so many better things... another hotel, another tall-ish building, expansion of downtown, etc... I dunno, hopefully the entity that is building the hotel is open to the idea of future use of that area for uses other than parking.

ttownfeen · #**123** Posted **Apr 4, 2013, 1:07 PM**

With the T-News falling prey to the scourge that is the paywall, I will be relying on al.com and the CW for news to post here.

Thus, it appears my updates about will be even less frequent now.

bamastu13 · #**124** Posted **Apr 10, 2013, 2:19 AM**

Thankfully al.com is still free...though it won't provide as much information. As for today:

Looks like the riverfront apartments are a go. I like this project personally, though I know a lot of people are unhappy about it.

http://blog.al.com/tuscaloosa/2013/0..._river_default

SpawnOfVulcan · #**125** Posted **Apr 10, 2013, 2:30 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by bamastu13

Thankfully al.com is still free...though it won't provide as much information. As for today:

Looks like the riverfront apartments are a go. I like this project personally, though I know a lot of people are unhappy about it.

http://blog.al.com/tuscaloosa/2013/0..._river_default

I like the project, but I'm not in love with it. I think the problem most people have with it is that it is so short... though, I am glad the developers were willing to go back and put more retail in it.

ttownfeen · #**126** Posted **May 21, 2013, 6:53 PM**

Can developers not think of anything else beside apartments or condos for the lot?

Student housing plan for Hargrove Road site fails to get OK

Quote:

It’s now residents 3, developers 0 when it comes to proposals for a student housing complex on Hargrove Road.

After two hours of discussion on Monday, the Tuscaloosa Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-0 to recommend to the City Council that it deny a rezoning request for a tract at 101 and 103 Hargrove Road, where a developer proposed a $20 million complex.

...

The proposal was the third since 2011 that sought to house college students on the 17.96-acre site.

...

Now, the 149-unit, 473-bedroom Aspen Heights development appears dead on arrival before the City Council.

rolltide2013 · #**127** Posted **May 21, 2013, 9:23 PM**

It seems like so many student apartments have gone up in Tuscaloosa in the past year. I know that enrollment is growing, but the apartment growth doesn't seem in proportion. I have a hard time seeing how all of these new apartment complexes will be filled. Where did all of these students live before?

ttownfeen · #**128** Posted **May 22, 2013, 4:06 PM**

Correct. There was a study conducted I think by the Real Estate Data Research center at UA indicating that there was no projected need for more apartments in Tuscaloosa, but a large projected need for single-family dwellings.

Students used to live in the older homes and apartments near campus, and that was enough because total enrollment at UA was only around 20,000 in 2000.

ttownfeen · #**129** Posted **Jul 24, 2013, 3:43 PM**

Walt Maddox was declared the winner of the mayoral election as he had no registered opponent and earned a third four-year term as mayor of Tuscaloosa. The only time he's ever won a contested race for mayor was his first one when he defeated somw guy who's name I can't remember to succeed Al DuPont, who was mayor for 200 years or something like that.

SpawnOfVulcan · #**130** Posted **Jul 30, 2013, 9:10 PM**

Homegrown Alabama continues Thursday with Melon Celebration

By Melissa Brown
AL.com
LINK

Quote:

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- The Homegrown Alabama farmers' market will celebrate the summer's melons rolling in with special activities and samples this Thursday.

The market will feature recipe demonstrations and samples of fresh produce like watermelon, cantaloupe and other seasonal ingredients.

According to a Homegrown press release, new limited edition posters designed and letterpress printed by local artists will also be for sale at the market, in addition to shirts and reusable tote bags.

The farmers market is held on the Canterbury Episcopal Chapel lawn at 812 5th Avenue in Tuscaloosa on the University of Alabama campus every Thursday from 3-6 p.m. from April through October.

Homegrown Alabama accepts Bama Cash and debit/credit cards that can be exchanged for tokens at the info tent. Cash can be used at vendor stalls.

Homegrown is a non-profit, student-led group at the University of Alabama that works to foster local partnerships between farmers, the university and Tuscaloosa.
.......

This isn't groundbreaking news, but Homegrown Alabama has become pretty popular. It always results in me not being able to get a parking spot anywhere near Farrah...

thunder89 · #**131** Posted **Aug 18, 2013, 5:33 PM**

Just in case no one follows Todd Media (whether it be through Facebook or otherwise), they specialize in aerial photography mainly around the Tuscaloosa area. They posted a video of a flight around Tuscaloosa County, and it shows a lot of the developments going on and such. Here's the video, and I must say, I would love to be a passenger on board.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=dPXSAEBJsKU

EDIT: Yea, I couldn't ever figure out how to code the actual Youtube player so I just made the link to the actual page.

SpawnOfVulcan · #**132** Posted **Aug 18, 2013, 6:06 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by thunder89

Just in case no one follows Todd Media (whether it be through Facebook or otherwise), they specialize in aerial photography mainly around the Tuscaloosa area. They posted a video of a flight around Tuscaloosa County, and it shows a lot of the developments going on and such. Here's the video, and I must say, I would love to be a passenger on board.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=dPXSAEBJsKU

EDIT: Yea, I couldn't ever figure out how to code the actual Youtube player so I just made the link to the actual page.

I'm pretty sure I saw that plane flying by when I was running. I was wondering wtf it was doing making so many passes.

Thanks for posting!

SpawnOfVulcan · #**133** Posted **May 7, 2014, 8:17 AM**

Beautiful day on the river!

TheCapstone · #**134** Posted **Jun 10, 2014, 1:14 AM**

So this thread hasn't been bumped in a while, but I'll bump it. I don't know what to discuss, but I'll go ahead and say I'm hoping for a Dave&Busters where the McFarland Mall is being demolished. Heard there would be around 6 new retail stores there, and the closes Dave&Busters is in Atlanta. Bring that to a perfect location right there and it would draw good crowds from all around the state.

As far as other stuff, I still haven't seen the Bed Bath & Beyond that was supposed to be built. Heard it was supposed to be across from the new apartment complex on McFarland, which is where the tornado came though, but still no construction there at all and still an eye sore to see. Just some of my ideas.

TheCapstone · #**135** Posted **Jul 10, 2014, 11:40 AM**

Tuscaloosa County approves PARA funding

Quote:

Over the protests of Probate Judge Hardy McCollum, the Tuscaloosa County Commission voted Wednesday to fund a $425,000 request from the Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority (PARA).

McCollum also opposed the lack of action taken by the County Commission over the donation of a tract of land that he said the county no longer needed.

As for the PARA funding, the money is half of an $850,000 remodeling project for the front entrance to the McDonald Hughes Community Center on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Gary Minor, executive director of the Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority, said the remodeling would reduce the current three entrances to one and allow for easy access to a planned $3.29 million, 1,700-person tornado shelter and gymnasium.

The city of Tuscaloosa is funding $2.04 million of the overall work, with $2.47 million coming from state and federal disaster recovery allocations.

The County Commission’s total contribution is the $425,000 approved on Wednesday.

McCollum’s resistance to the project stemmed from the failed negotiations between city and county leaders over a multimillion plan to overhaul Munny Sokol and Bowers parks in order to attract additional sports tourism dollars while upgrading facilities for all residents of Tuscaloosa County.

“The city of Tuscaloosa was very emphatic that they weren’t going to spend one nickel in the county, and the county wasn’t going to spend one nickel in the city for facilities,” McCollum said.

County Commissioner Jerry Tingle supported the county’s involvement, primarily, he said, because of the benefit it would bring to city and county residents alike.

“Whether it’s the city or the county or whatever,” it’s a public safety issue, Tingle said. “The county couldn’t build a tornado shelter for 1,700 people for $425,000 now.”

Prior to this vote, McCollum chastised his fellow commissioners when a request to donate a small tract of land off Old Alabama Highway 69 died for lack of a second.

The city of Tuscaloosa had requested the land on behalf of Birmingham-based Tuscaloosa Hotel Partners 1 LLC, which is planning to construct two hotels — one under the Marriott brand and the second under the Hilton brand — near the corner of Courtney Drive and Old Alabama Highway 69, also referred to as Greensboro Avenue.

The tract in question once was owned by the state of Alabama, but it was donated to the county government when Highway 69 was rerouted.

After the request received no second, McCollum questioned why.

“For the life of me,” McCollum said, “I cannot understand why we would want to hold this up ... where we have no interest. We’re making something out of something that shouldn’t be an issue.”

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/articl...home?p=2&tc=pg

ttownfeen · #**136** Posted **Jul 10, 2014, 5:52 PM**

I think you got the two threads mixed up. I would have placed this in Development and the law firm merger in this one.

Tanner & Guin had a nice little campus at the west end of University Blvd. Is Tanner it's own firm now? The T-News article was kinda vague on the that.

TheCapstone · #**137** Posted **Jul 11, 2014, 1:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ttownfeen

I think you got the two threads mixed up. I would have placed this in Development and the law firm merger in this one.

Tanner & Guin had a nice little campus at the west end of University Blvd. Is Tanner it's own firm now? The T-News article was kinda vague on the that.

I just realize I did this. My bad

TheCapstone · #**138** Posted **Aug 7, 2014, 4:02 PM**

Tuscaloosa named one of the top 10 most affordable mid-size cities

Quote:

Tuscaloosa is one of the top 10 most affordable mid-size cities in the U.S., according to a survey released by The Simple Dollar, a website that focuses on personal finance.

Tuscaloosa ranked ninth among 150 cities with populations between 50,000 and 150,000 people.

The survey measure affordability through median house prices, average rent of a one-bedroom apartment, median household income and a cost of living index, which included housing, utilities, groceries, transportation, and health care. The survey also considered climate, employment opportunities, access to cultural activities and amenities as well as natural resources and the landscape.

“Tuscaloosa is an ideal Southern city for those seeking a lively college town experience with plenty of outdoor recreation opportunities without breaking the bank,” the website states. “The median house price in Tuscaloosa is $137,000, and the average rental cost of a one-bedroom apartment is $654, with a cost-of-living index score that is 5 points below the national average.”

The website's survey summary of Tuscaloosa also touts the University of Alabama and its football team, a thriving downtown and Tuscaloosa's parks, trails and waterways.

Syracuse, N.Y., topped the survey of most affordable mid-size cities, followed by Grand Rapids, Mich,, Harlingen, Texas, Chattanooga, Tenn., Eau Claire, Wisc., Port Saint Lucie, Fla., Knoxville, Tenn., Greenville, S.C., Tuscaloosa and Asheville, N.C.