Huntsville updates

[HSVTiger]

Governors Drive expansion set to continue through the Medical District.

Huntsville Times
Residents will get the chance Thursday to review and discuss construction plans for the next phase of widening Governors Drive.

The city Engineering Department will hold the meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. in the first-floor conference room of the Public Services Building, 320 Fountain Circle.

The second phase will widen Governors Drive to seven lanes from Gallatin Street to east of California Street.

City Engineer Tom Cunningham will give a brief presentation about the project before taking questions from the public.

Copies of the construction design will be available for review. Comment sheets will be available for residents to comment on the plans.

The city held a similar meeting in August 2006 before starting construction on phase one of the widening from near Monroe Street to Gallatin.

Construction on the first phase started about a year ago and is expected to be completed in August. The city awarded APAC-Southeast Inc. a $6.8 million contract for phase one.

The city has more than $8.7 million budgeted in 2009 for construction of phase two.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

The word is now PF's will open Jan. 21 and the Five Guys location at Research
Park on Enterprise will open Jan. 19th. The Valley Bend location is already open.
Anthropologie opens Jan 31

From the paper today

Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer worked hard to persuade P.F. Chang's owners that they needed to be in Huntsville. Bridge Street was the perfect place for it.

This is the chain's "prototype," as Tyrrell(manager) calls it. It has about 175 seats inside and another 80 on an open patio that can be heated in winter or cooled with fans in summer. Stone walls are inset with warrior statues and others are painted with Chinese murals.

[HSVTiger]

Huntsville International news

By MARIAN ACCARDI
Times Business Writer marian.accardi@htimes.com
Low-fare carrier,addition of flightsboosted number

Huntsville International Airport didn't have a record number of passengers in 2007 but did post an increase over 2006.

The number of passengers reached 1,239,813 last year, a 7.5 percent increase over 2006, according to airport figures. In 2006, more than 1.15 million people flew into and out of the airport.

The airport was able to offer several new destinations, new airlines and low-fare service last year, said Barbie Peek, the airport's marketing director. "All of those had an influence on our traffic."

Low-fare carrier Allegiant Airlines started nonstop service to Las Vegas last year, then launched direct flights to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The carrier in December suspended the Las Vegas flights to Huntsville and several other cities, citing rising fuel costs.

Huntsville International had not had a low-fare airline since Independence Air, which started flights here in October 2004 but ended all of its operations in January 2006.

Delta Air Lines started weekday nonstop round-trip service between Huntsville and New York City's LaGuardia Airport in September.

United Airlines started direct flights to Denver International Airport in February and nonstop service to Washington Dulles International Airport in April.

A grass-roots marketing effort has begun to help promote Allegiant Air and the Delta nonstop flights to New York, Peek told the Huntsville/Madison County Airport Authority on Thursday.

Promotional material on those services has been provided to about 850 businesses so far, she said. Also, a coupon promotion with Steak-Out restaurants in Madison County started Jan. 11 in which Allegiant provides Steak-Out customers with $20 discount coupons for four weeks and a chance each week to win a family four-pack of airline tickets to Orlando or Fort Lauderdale. Peek said 60,000 coupons will be distributed.

The International Intermodal Center, which specializes in receiving, transferring and distributing international and domestic cargo, set a record for rail traffic last year with 45,486 rail lifts.

In other business, the authority voted to increase the budget for a new air cargo building at the Intermodal Center by $100,000. The budget for the project is now $7.6 million. The increased cost will pay for several design changes to the building and the addition of a 35-foot bay.

The building will be about 92,000 square feet. The contractor is Fite Construction Inc. in Decatur.

[HSVTiger]

A second medical district in the making, not downtown as the first one is but further south near Crestwood Hospital.

By STEVE DOYLE
Times Staff Writer steve.doyle@htimes.com
Governors Drive, long Huntsville's main street of medicine, suddenly has some competition.

Five large medical office buildings are either under construction or soon to break ground on Whitesburg Drive, adding about 200,000 square feet of prime space for doctors who work at nearby Crestwood Medical Center. The buildings will line both sides of Whitesburg between Teakwood Drive and Whitesport Circle, transforming an area best known for its restaurants into a "Doctors Row" of cardiologists, orthopedic surgeons and other specialists.

"We're growing, and our expansion is really causing the need for more physician office space on or near our campus," Crestwood spokeswoman Lori Light said Thursday. "Doctors are busy in the hospital, they're busy in the office, and this will give them a quick travel time.
Triad Properties, which built the Big Spring Summit tower downtown, is scheduled to break ground in April on the first of two planned medical office buildings at the old Mayfair Church of Christ site.

SportsMed Orthopaedic Surgery & Spine Center is also in the midst of a major expansion of its distinctive, green-domed campus, adding a massive wing that is scheduled to bring the practice under one roof late next year. It's now scattered among three buildings.

Ben Walker, a partner with SportsMed on its expansion, got the new construction rolling with the 30,000-square-foot Bellwood Office Center, built on part of the old Fleming farm on the east side of Whitesburg Drive. Walker is married to Sally Fleming Walker, whose family still owns a large amount of property in the area.

Walker said his development company will share ownership of the building with the physician tenants. Huntsville Cardiovascular Clinic just relocated from Balmoral Drive; Alabama Digestive Disorders, a gastroenterology practice, is due to move in June from the Crestwood campus.

"What you wind up getting here are largely expanding practices," Walker said Thursday. "Part of the trend is that doctors that used to rent want to own, or at least have an ownership share in the building. It works out well for both of us."

Across Whitesburg Drive, a development company with ties to SCI Systems founder Olin King is adding a two-story medical office building where a Girl Scout headquarters once stood. It will house General Surgery Associates, now in the Crestwood Medical Pavilion; and Urology Specialists, now on Airport Road near Memorial Parkway.

Right next door, Triad Properties' planned Mayfair Professional Center will have 105,000 square feet of medical office space in two nearly identical brick-and-glass buildings. They will replace the old Mayfair Church of Christ, which has a date with the wrecking ball this spring.
http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletim...220.xml&coll=1

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Governors Drive expansion set to continue through the Medical District.

Huntsville Times
Residents will get the chance Thursday to review and discuss construction plans for the next phase of widening Governors Drive.

The city Engineering Department will hold the meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. in the first-floor conference room of the Public Services Building, 320 Fountain Circle.

The second phase will widen Governors Drive to seven lanes from Gallatin Street to east of California Street.

City Engineer Tom Cunningham will give a brief presentation about the project before taking questions from the public.

Copies of the construction design will be available for review. Comment sheets will be available for residents to comment on the plans.

The city held a similar meeting in August 2006 before starting construction on phase one of the widening from near Monroe Street to Gallatin.

Construction on the first phase started about a year ago and is expected to be completed in August. The city awarded APAC-Southeast Inc. a $6.8 million contract for phase one.

The city has more than $8.7 million budgeted in 2009 for construction of phase two.

Some details

By KEITH CLINES
Times Staff Writer keith.clines@htimes.com
Big Cove Road could become a right turn only

The city's plans for the next phase of widening Governors Drive through the medical district were generally well-received by residents attending a public meeting Thursday night, but several people had concerns about changes on the east end of the project.
Most of the widening in phase two will be on the north side, Cunningham said.
The plans include eliminating part of Big Cove Road in front of Huntsville Hospital for Women and Children between Governors Drive and California Street, removing the traffic signal at Big Cove Road and California Street, and allowing motorists on Big Cove Road coming from the Blossomwood area to only turn right onto California Street

The wider road will require the city to buy and remove four buildings - Robins and Morton Group and Wilson Cleaners (both between Madison and Franklin streets), a Chevron convenience store on the northwest corner of Governors and California, and a house on the northeast corner of California and Big Cove Road.

The curve on Governors between Gallatin and Madison streets will be made less severe in the new road, Cunningham said. The new road will have wider lanes, underground utilities, sidewalks on both sides, new curbs and gutters, new traffic signals and improved drainage.

The work will expand the traffic lane width from nine feet to 11 feet. On each side of the road will be a two-foot-wide gutter, a three-foot-wide strip of grass and a six-foot-wide sidewalk.

The width of the road from curb to curb will be expanded from 45 feet to 80 feet, Cunningham said.

Cunningham said the most challenging part of the project will be raising the elevation on the north side of Governors in the California Street area with fill dirt to place the roads on the same elevation.
http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletim...220.xml&coll=1

[marvingardns]

Fuqua has been making the papers quite a bit with their renderings. Despite the R/E slowdown, it is always heartening to see big ideas and optimism still splashing the paper.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by Rail Claimore

Sounds similar to what happened to the Aon Building here in Chicago about 20 years ago. It's currently our second-tallest building. The exterior was originally clad in marble, till it began falling off the 1136-ft tall building. They recladded the whole building with granite, and it wound up costing half as much as constructing the whole original building.

Nice shot of the building in question, the guy who was here giving advice I think was from Chicago. Maybe the same company??


Photo by Bob Gathany / The Huntsville Times

[HSVTiger]

New eats downtown, definitely check this place out..next to the Jazz Factory

MIKE.KAYLOR@htimes.com

Sam & Greg's is a coffee shop, right? Not exactly. You can call it an ice cream parlor - Italian gelato to be exact - but that still doesn't describe it. How about a pizza parlor? Almost.

Sam & Greg's is all three, depending on the time of day. This new eatery on the north side of Courthouse Square in downtown Huntsville is difficult to describe.

Exposed historic brick walls, high ceilings and wooden floors often have a cold and drafty feel. Sam & Greg's, though, is warm and cozy.

Maybe its contemporary coffee bar with inlaid colored lights sets the scheme. Or it could be the glass cases of gelato that greet anyone entering. Or the fact that the owners are on hand tossing pizzas or brewing espresso may contribute to the welcoming atmosphere.

For whatever reason, Sam & Greg's feels like downtown Huntsville. It opened late last year and has been quietly building a loyal crowd. It is the alternative to the loud restaurants and bars that dot the central city, although an air hockey table on the balcony can stir up some lively games.

Pizza is the food attraction. It is homemade and topped with some unusual combinations. A meat lover's style is smothered with pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham and bacon. The Guido includes feta cheese, Italian sausage, artichokes, black olives, onions and tomato slices. The garden variety is a vegetarian pizza with spinach and other toppings; the Southwestern includes corn; Key West has mangos; Polynesian features pineapple.

[HSVTiger]

new growth for the hip Five Points area, adjacent to downtown.

By GINA HANNAH
Times Business Writer gina.hannah@htimes.com
A residential development in the Five Points area aims to preserve the turn-of-the-century feel of the neighborhood while providing new housing options.

Up to 15 single-family houses are slated to be built on lots along Rison Avenue near England Street. The first phase, three houses to be built on the northeast corner of Rison and England, were approved by a city Planning Commission subcommittee Wednesday, said Crawford Howard, commission chairman.

The Planning Commission will consider the plans at its meeting Tuesday night, Howard said.
Because the revitalization of the Five Points historic area has moved north toward Oakwood Avenue, when Williams saw the lots for sale, he knew he wanted them. Home prices have risen dramatically in the area, and most construction projects involved remodeling older homes.

"There has been a push to revitalize the area," he said, "and there's not a lot of new construction down there." Older homes that had been on the lots were razed by the previous owner, he said.

In some ways, the houses will look like their older neighbors: smaller in size - between 1,400 and 1,500 square feet, with mature shade trees on the lots, Williams said. The models follow classic bungalow designs.

[HSVTiger]

The 9th area Publix set to open

The County Line Rd. Publix will open Jan. 23. .

Publix, which started construction on the anchor store of the Village Shoppes of Madison last year, chose County Line Rd. because of its high traffic volume and residential growth, said Brenda Reid, Media and Community Relations Manager for the Atlanta division of Publix.

[HSVTiger]

New chicken concept restaurant Frizzles, at the old Krystal site on Jordan Ln/I565. Nice looking building they put up.
http://www.frizzleschicken.com/

[HSVTiger]

Permit issued for Apple Store. Probably an early spring opening.

"A building permit was issued this month to Shawmut Woodworking & Supply for Apple Inc. at 320 The Bridge Street, Suite 266. Apple's Web site, under the job opportunities section, lists Bridge Street in Huntsville among five new stores."

[g-man435]

Update pics?

[HSVTiger]

A great shot taken at Huntsville International by Lexy of Nashville. He is a fantastic photographer and to see all his photos follow the link.
The new air traffic control tower in the background, Huntsville has daily
International 747 cargo service from Europe and Asia.

Panalpina offers daily service, the UPS freighter was here for training



Once again credit to Lexy for the great shots.

http://flickr.com/photos/perspectivephotography/

[HSVTiger]

Major road work set to begin, Ripley's believe it or not on hand to see if it's really true.

"Construction is scheduled to begin next month on the long-awaited overpasses on Memorial Parkway at Weatherly Road and Whitesburg Drive.

The $18.6 million construction project is among some $71 million worth of federal/state-aided work scheduled to start this year on Huntsville area roads, including $23.1 million for Memorial Parkway overpasses at Sparkman Drive and Oakwood Avenue in November."

WInchester Road from the Huntsville city limits to Dominion Circle, $4.77 million, in March.

Alabama 53 from north of Research Park Boulevard to south of Jeff Road, $14.68 million, in May.

Meridian Street from Pratt Avenue to Monroe Street and from Oakwood Avenue to Pratt, $2.37 million and $$2.45 million, respectively, with the first segment beginning in June and the second in November.

An interchange at Max Luther Drive and Memorial Parkway, $5.73 million, in November.

Taylor Lane improvements from Taylor Road to U.S. 431, $2.15 million, no startup month listed.

Road work scheduled to begin construction in 2009 includes $23 million worth of improvements to U.S 72 from Maysville Road to Shields Road including interchanges; widening of Alabama 53 from Jeff Road to north of Harvest Road, at a cost of $7.5 million; and Church Street improvements between Oakwood Avenue and Monroe Street at a cost of $14.2 million.

The 2010 construction lineup includes $20.48 million for a new interchange at County Line Road and Interstate 565."

HSV Times

[HSVTiger]

Traffic message boards on the way?
http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletim...220.xml&coll=1
The Memorial Parkway/Interstate 565 interchange may be the first location in Huntsville to get the technology.

Richard Kramer, director of traffic engineering for Huntsville, discussed the feature at a City Council work session Thursday night. He also gave a detailed status report on major city road projects.

The city has about $5 million at its disposal to integrate ITS technology into its traffic-control systems. Half is from a federal highway bill several years ago that earmarked about $40 million to Alabama for "smart-traffic" technology. The city committed the required 50 percent match.

"It's communications technology where we can make our operations on the street more responsive and interactive," Kramer said. The overhead message signs are just one of the ITS features.

Cameras will be installed soon at about a half-dozen locations throughout Huntsville to help city traffic planners identify trouble spots where ITS technology could be employed.

"Approval from state and federal highway officials is needed before any message board can be installed on state or U.S. highways. Kramer said the study cameras don't require such approval. The feeds will be put on the city's Web site, he said.

"One of the first things we will look at is trying to alleviate traffic congestion at I-565 and the Parkway," Kramer said of the site where backups occur frequently for northbound motorists turning west on the interstate.

If an overhead message board is approved, it would likely be installed around the Drake Avenue overpass so northbound motorists could be forewarned and have ample time to detour onto Governors Drive or another suggested alternate route. Additional electronic message signs will be added as the technology (and the money availability) improves.

Smart-traffic systems have been in place for years in large metropolitan areas but are sometimes fraught with technical difficulties, traffic planners say. It's an outgrowth of the realization that cities can't build their way out of urban congestion.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Permit issued for Apple Store. Probably an early spring opening.

"A building permit was issued this month to Shawmut Woodworking & Supply for Apple Inc. at 320 The Bridge Street, Suite 266. Apple's Web site, under the job opportunities section, lists Bridge Street in Huntsville among five new stores."

This location: Suite 266 may actually be on the second level which looks east
out over that lake and the Westin. Originally they were on the ground floor and still may but the numbering would suggest the second level. There are at least 3 tenant spots on that level and look to also have patio space outside.
The contractor is out of Boston and has built more than 75! Apple stores including the
flagship 5th Avenue store in New York.

[g-man435]

^^We're not getting our Apple Store until fall 2009. Same goes for Cheesecake Factory. However, there is a store called iplace here which is the only place in South Carolina you can buy all of the apple products.

[g-man435]

New Bridge Street aerials are up: http://www.sellersphoto.com/clients/...ent/index.html

[HSVTiger]

new infrastructure improvements in Merrimack Mill Village. I have seen several shows at Merrimack Hall and it is an outstanding venue for up
close performances. This area along with Lincoln Mill (new condos) are destined to be the next Five Points in Huntsville. Old neighborhoods being
reborn and in high demand due to their unique architecture and their closeness to downtown.

By JOHN PECK
Times Staff Writer john.peck@htimes.com
Council OKs new street lights for Huntsville's oldest mill village

Brighter nights are in store for Huntsville's oldest mill village neighborhood.

The City Council has approved a $40,155 work order for Huntsville Utilities to install 49 new street lights in Huntsville Park Village, also known as the Merrimack Mill neighborhood is southwest Huntsville. The project calls for filling in dark spots with the additional street lights and retrofitting 94 utility poles with brighter sodium lights.

City Councilman Bill Kling said recent street resurfacing in the subdivision, the new multimillion-dollar Merrimack Hall performing arts center formed out of the old mill village gym, and the still-developing city soccer fields on the former factory site are examples of public and private investments that can help revitalize older neighborhoods.
http://www.merrimackhall.com/

The new street lights should help Huntsville Park Village off Triana Boulevard, he said." It cuts down crime and will improve the appearance of that area," Kling said Friday.

The Merrimack work comes just months after a similar street light improvement project was approved for the Lowe Mill neighborhood. That $32,000 work order called for 27 new light poles and 119 brighter sodium lights. An investor recently announced plans to convert the former Lincoln Mill off Meridian Street into a mix of condos, retail stores and offices.

James Marek , leader of the Merrimack Mill Village Organization, welcomed the street lighting work. Marek said Friday he moved to the neighborhood four years ago from Madison because he was attracted to the vintage homes in a core part of the city.

"We wanted an old neighborhood close to everything. It's like an old-time neighborhood with alleys and a neighborhood feel to it," he said.

Marek said the project is just one more step in the community's attempts to revitalize the neighborhood. "The safety of the residents and the streets is paramount. This lighting will help significantly," he said.

Merrimack was the first textile mill in Huntsville and at one time may have been the largest mill in the Southeast. It opened July 9, 1900, with 750 workers. A second mill was built in 1903. It employed more than 1,100.

After nearly a century of operation, then-owner Huntsville Manufacturing closed the plant. The mills were demolished in 1992 but rows of turn-of-the-century mill homes remain.

Marek said the mill neighborhood consists of nearly 300 houses. Kling said the neighborhood is bordered generally by Drake Avenue on the south, Triana Boulevard on the east, Holiday Drive on the west and Bob Wallace Avenue to the north.