Huntsville updates

[David1502]

Originally Posted by mp7123

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Miller Capital Advisory, acting on behalf of Institutional Mall Investors, has acquired the retail component of Bridge Street Town Centre from an affiliate of O&S Holdings, the California company that developed and managed the mixed-use project.

http://blog.al.com/huntsville-times-...nt_of_bri.html

Miller Capital Advisory could bring significant changes to Bridge Street primarily in the form of a department store anchor and other retail. If you look at their website, http://www.miller-capital.com/ you will see pictures of a lot of high end retail at the malls they own - Saks Fifth Avenue, Von Maur, Crate and Barrrel. Also, they state their goal is to own the dominant retail center in the market. It is hard to see how Bridge Street can be considered dominant in the Huntsville area without even one department store.

I predict that the purchase by Miller Capital will result in the addition of at least one department store (Macy's or Von Maur or possibly both) and other retail. Also, O & S Holdings, (the original owner and present owner of the Westin and the office building as well as current manager of the retail portion) had plans to add a five star hotel to the complex, so it will be interesting to see if an additional hotel will be added. The Cheesecake Factory could also be another possibility - Keep in mind they have restaurants in places like Dayton, Ohio and Des Moines, Iowa which are of similar size to the Huntsville area.

Overall, the purchase by Miller Capital Advisory will bring great improvements to Bridge Street and the Huntsville area.

[mp7123]

Originally Posted by David1502

Miller Capital Advisory could bring significant changes to Bridge Street primarily in the form of a department store anchor and other retail. If you look at their website, http://www.miller-capital.com/ you will see pictures of a lot of high end retail at the malls they own - Saks Fifth Avenue, Von Maur, Crate and Barrrel. Also, they state their goal is to own the dominant retail center in the market. It is hard to see how Bridge Street can be considered dominant in the Huntsville area without even one department store.

I predict that the purchase by Miller Capital will result in the addition of at least one department store (Macy's or Von Maur or possibly both) and other retail. Also, O & S Holdings, (the original owner and present owner of the Westin and the office building as well as current manager of the retail portion) had plans to add a five star hotel to the complex, so it will be interesting to see if an additional hotel will be added. The Cheesecake Factory could also be another possibility - Keep in mind they have restaurants in places like Dayton, Ohio and Des Moines, Iowa which are of similar size to the Huntsville area.

Overall, the purchase by Miller Capital Advisory will bring great improvements to Bridge Street and the Huntsville area.

That was my first thought as well, but where would a dept store be built? The only space available is the area next to SAIC and there is already plans for another office building there (unless they have been canceled).

[David1502]

Originally Posted by mp7123

That was my first thought as well, but where would a dept store be built? The only space available is the area next to SAIC and there is already plans for another office building there (unless they have been canceled).

I have wondered the same thing. However, several years ago, Von Maur Department Store wanted to come to Bridge Street, so they had to have some location in mind. In fact, O & S Holdings petitioned the City of Huntsville to get a sales tax abatement to build a parking garage to accomodate the store. However, when the City would not agree to it, plans for Von Maur were dropped. This tells me that they had some specific spot in mind. My guess is that they would use part of the west parking lot, just north of the lake, and convert the rest of the lot into a high rise parking deck.

Another possibility would be to move some of the existing big box stores like Old Navy, DSW Shoes and Ulta to the strip center where Sports Authority is. then they could build a two or three story department store which would be connected to the existing stores.

Anyway, it is hard for me to see how Miller Capital would purchase Bridge Street without some plans to improve it and make it similar to their other existing high end retail centers.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by David1502

I have wondered the same thing. However, several years ago, Von Maur Department Store wanted to come to Bridge Street, so they had to have some location in mind. In fact, O & S Holdings petitioned the City of Huntsville to get a sales tax abatement to build a parking garage to accomodate the store. However, when the City would not agree to it, plans for Von Maur were dropped. This tells me that they had some specific spot in mind. My guess is that they would use part of the west parking lot, just north of the lake, and convert the rest of the lot into a high rise parking deck.

Another possibility would be to move some of the existing big box stores like Old Navy, DSW Shoes and Ulta to the strip center where Sports Authority is. then they could build a two or three story department store which would be connected to the existing stores.

Anyway, it is hard for me to see how Miller Capital would purchase Bridge Street without some plans to improve it and make it similar to their other existing high end retail centers.

There are two vacant spots north or south of the west lake.
People need to forget Cheesecake,(HSV does not meet their population requirements for the time being anyway) I mean really how often would anyone
eat there. They do sell their product at Costco however.
Part of the Westin surface lot could be converted to a parking deck with another hotel above it (Sheraton, Aloft, W, maybe)

[HSVTiger]

Some talk that construction of a high end anchor store will begin this summer at
Bridge Street. Guessing this recent sale is the catalyst for this.

[HSVTiger]

Just to add a little speculation..connect the dots and has been rumored previously. They probably won't upstage the Birmingham plans and wait until
after it is under construction which will be soon but we will see, something is
about to happen at Bridge Street in the near future.
Wonder how this will impact Madison Square which needs to turn it's asphalt ocean into a landscaped park open air retail village, with the addition of a parking deck, another hotel and a manmade riverwalk restaurant row.

From last year
Department store operator Von Maur has officially announced its plans to join the lineup at Hoover’s Riverchase Galleria.

The Davenport, Iowa-based retailer’s plans were revealed last month, when the Hoover City Council approved up to $25 million in sales tax incentives for a redevelopment project at the Galleria.


Von Maur, which will renovate the vacant, three-story space that originally housed Macy’s, said today that construction on the 181,000 square foot location will begin in 2012.

The 140-year-old family-owned company currently operates 26 stores in 11 states, predominantly in the Midwest.

This month, Von Maur opened its first Georgia location in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta. The company also plans to open a store in a suburb of Rochester, N.Y.

President James von Maur said the company’s careful and measured approach to expansion has allowed continued growth.

“The Birmingham area is a thriving community with a lot to offer,” von Maur said in a prepared statement. “We’re excited to join a property that is committed to providing a quality shopping experience for its customers.”

July 23, 2008) – Los Angeles-area developer O&S Holdings, LLC, and Hollywood,
Florida-based Strategic Retail Development are pleased to announce that Von Maur department stores has
signed a letter of intent to become the anchor tenant at the $1 billion Bridge Street Town Centre,
Chicagoland development in Joliet, Ill. The two-story, 150,000-square-foot department store is Von Maur’s
seventh in Illinois. Von Maur currently operates 22 stores in the Midwest and is opening a location in
Dayton, Ohio and Overland Park, Kansas in fall 2008."

From the Jim Wilson Associates site which now has significant prescence in Huntsville with the Redstone Gateway project

Alabama’s first Von Maur will open to Riverchase Galleria’s new refreshed look in 2013. The 187,000-square-foot store is located in the eight story high glass atrium at center court under the world’s largest skylight. It will be the Galleria’s fifth department store with Macy’s Sears, JCPenney and Belk. Von Maur will join other soon-to-open retailers such as Jared Jewelry and Earth Fare.

"January 05, 2012 1:19 pm • Two months after Von Maur opened its doors in the Atlanta market, the Davenport-based department store is planning a second location in the metro area.

Von Maur will become an anchor at Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody, Ga., replacing a soon-to-be-vacant Bloomingdale’s."

[thunder89]

^ This excites me...

On another note, I guess it was pretty obvious with the front page of the Huntsville Times, but just in case one didn't see. Washington Street is getting a huge make over and facelift.

I would post a link to the article, but I am not liking the new look AL.com is doing, and have yet to master the new website

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by thunder89

^ This excites me...

On another note, I guess it was pretty obvious with the front page of the Huntsville Times, but just in case one didn't see. Washington Street is getting a huge make over and facelift.

I would post a link to the article, but I am not liking the new look AL.com is doing, and have yet to master the new website

yes, this will be an interesting makeover which may be a blueprint for other
downtown streets. The best part will be the large number of trees planted to create a canopy along the street.
Would be cool if Meridian Street could evolve into something similar.
This corridor is a goldmine waiting to happen.

[HSVTiger]

Twickenham Square change/opportunity

National Bank of Commerce has decided not to lease the ground floor of a proposed office tower at the corner of Gallatin Street and St. Clair Avenue, President Evans Quinlivan confirmed this week.

Instead, the bank will build a new downtown branch in the 400 block of Meridian Street, immediately north of a large office building that houses The Eye Center and Servis1st Bank.

Maybe an extra floor or two? The bank was looking at leasing part of the mid-rise.

Mayor Battle said Triad is still in "good shape" with the office building, as well as a hotel that the company is working to bring to Twickenham Square.

"I've heard that they're talking to another bank and a lot of other tenants," Battle said Tuesday. "They were originally talking 65,000 square feet, and they've now gone to 100,000.

"The footprint size has grown, which means they're having a lot of interest."
HSV Times source

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by thunder89

^ This excites me...

On another note, I guess it was pretty obvious with the front page of the Huntsville Times, but just in case one didn't see. Washington Street is getting a huge make over and facelift.

I would post a link to the article, but I am not liking the new look AL.com is doing, and have yet to master the new website

From the article you mentioned

"This fall, contractors will begin ripping out the uneven brick sidewalks, raised planters and disco-era street lights along Washington Street between the courthouse square and new Huntsville-Madison County Veterans Memorial.

Plans call for wider sidewalks to encourage patio dining, 50 parallel parking spaces -- up from 18 today -- nicer benches and street lamps, and 72 new shade trees that will eventually grow together to form a canopy.

The project also includes straightening a gentle curve on Washington Street, adding nine parking spaces at the veterans memorial, and incorporating public art along the quarter-mile corridor."

[David1502]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Just to add a little speculation..connect the dots and has been rumored previously. They probably won't upstage the Birmingham plans and wait until
after it is under construction which will be soon but we will see, something is
about to happen at Bridge Street in the near future.
Wonder how this will impact Madison Square which needs to turn it's asphalt ocean into a landscaped park open air retail village, with the addition of a parking deck, another hotel and a manmade riverwalk restaurant row.

From last year
Department store operator Von Maur has officially announced its plans to join the lineup at Hoover’s Riverchase Galleria.

The Davenport, Iowa-based retailer’s plans were revealed last month, when the Hoover City Council approved up to $25 million in sales tax incentives for a redevelopment project at the Galleria.


Von Maur, which will renovate the vacant, three-story space that originally housed Macy’s, said today that construction on the 181,000 square foot location will begin in 2012.

The 140-year-old family-owned company currently operates 26 stores in 11 states, predominantly in the Midwest.

This month, Von Maur opened its first Georgia location in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta. The company also plans to open a store in a suburb of Rochester, N.Y.

President James von Maur said the company’s careful and measured approach to expansion has allowed continued growth.

“The Birmingham area is a thriving community with a lot to offer,” von Maur said in a prepared statement. “We’re excited to join a property that is committed to providing a quality shopping experience for its customers.”

July 23, 2008) – Los Angeles-area developer O&S Holdings, LLC, and Hollywood,
Florida-based Strategic Retail Development are pleased to announce that Von Maur department stores has
signed a letter of intent to become the anchor tenant at the $1 billion Bridge Street Town Centre,
Chicagoland development in Joliet, Ill. The two-story, 150,000-square-foot department store is Von Maur’s
seventh in Illinois. Von Maur currently operates 22 stores in the Midwest and is opening a location in
Dayton, Ohio and Overland Park, Kansas in fall 2008."

From the Jim Wilson Associates site which now has significant prescence in Huntsville with the Redstone Gateway project

Alabama’s first Von Maur will open to Riverchase Galleria’s new refreshed look in 2013. The 187,000-square-foot store is located in the eight story high glass atrium at center court under the world’s largest skylight. It will be the Galleria’s fifth department store with Macy’s Sears, JCPenney and Belk. Von Maur will join other soon-to-open retailers such as Jared Jewelry and Earth Fare.

"January 05, 2012 1:19 pm • Two months after Von Maur opened its doors in the Atlanta market, the Davenport-based department store is planning a second location in the metro area.

Von Maur will become an anchor at Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody, Ga., replacing a soon-to-be-vacant Bloomingdale’s."

I agree that Von Maur is the most likely candidate to be added to Bridge Street because at the time they announced they were building at North Point Mall in Alpharetta, they said that they have plans to expand to other locations in Alabama, Tennessees and the Carolinas. However, after having been in their North Point Mall store, I wonder if they may be too high end for the Huntsville area. One thing I noticed in particular was nothing was on sale. Macy's, on the other hand, always has some merchandise marked down and is the leader in moving inventory. It could be that the Von Maur's North Point store carries more high end merchandise than most of their stores - I have a hard time believing they are able to sell the same expensive lines in some of their stores in small cities in Iowa and Illilnios.

Speaking of Macy's, a merchant at Bridge Street said that she had heard from a customer that Macy's is coming to Huntsville. This would seem logical as Huntsvile has to be the largest city in the country without one of their stores - Even Bowling Green, KY and Jackson, TN have them! Their is still an anchor space at Parkway Place which would be in the west parking lot near Dillards. However, I think the more likey event is that Miller Capital will find a way to squeeze in both Von Maur and Macy's in to Bridge Street by using the existing parking lots and building parking decks.

When it comes down to who is a better owner/manager of retail property, I would give it to Miller Capital Advisors over CBL & Associates (the owner of Madison Square and Parkway Place) any day! O & S Holdings plans to continue managing Bridge Street and will ontinue ot own the Westin, the 6 steory office building and Monaco Pictures.

[bhammer]

I've been seeing a lot of good news coming out of Huntsville lately. It's growing quickly and it can't happen soon enough because we really need more development in north Alabama. I wish Huntsville was as big as Birmingham.
Also, a lot of the new development seems really good. I seriously can't praise that new Lendon development enough, I wish that we had been building stuff like that through the 90s instead of these sprawled subdivisions.

[mp7123]

Does anyone know if a single condo has ever been occupied at the Westin. Seems like they would convert the top floors to more rooms since the hotel is supposedly doing well... I guess a dept store could fit in the top 6 floors?

[HSVTiger]

a significant addition to this long vacant Winn Dixie. This is adjacent to the up and coming Dallas Mills renovation and the soon to be completed Meridian Street
widening in NE Huntsville just north of downtown.
PS There is a very good BBQ restaurant in this shopping center.

Henderson, N.C.-based discount retailer Variety Wholesalers plans to open a Rose's store on Aug. 2 in the Oakwood Village shopping center at 200 Oakwood Ave. in Huntsville.
The store's merchandise includes clothing and shoes, home furnishings, housewares, toys, food and candy, health and beauty products, giftware and seasonal products like lawn and garden items.
The new store will create 40 to 50 new jobs, according to the company.
In Alabama, Rose's has a store in Alexander City. There are also Rose's stores in Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee.
Variety Wholesalers, a family-owned business that has been operating since 1922, operates more than 380 stores in 17 states.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by mp7123

Does anyone know if a single condo has ever been occupied at the Westin. Seems like they would convert the top floors to more rooms since the hotel is supposedly doing well... I guess a dept store could fit in the top 6 floors?

Supposedly Goldie Hawn/Kurt Russel had several. They stayed there while their son attended UAH

[thunder89]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Henderson, N.C.-based discount retailer Variety Wholesalers plans to open a Rose's store on Aug. 2 in the Oakwood Village shopping center at 200 Oakwood Ave. in Huntsville.
The store's merchandise includes clothing and shoes, home furnishings, housewares, toys, food and candy, health and beauty products, giftware and seasonal products like lawn and garden items.
The new store will create 40 to 50 new jobs, according to the company.
In Alabama, Rose's has a store in Alexander City. There are also Rose's stores in Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee.
Variety Wholesalers, a family-owned business that has been operating since 1922, operates more than 380 stores in 17 states.

And the explosion is set to commence

[stewdog1]

Stick this in the "I'll believe it when I see it pile" for ALDOT:

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/05/..._river_default

... the status of widening Old Madison Pike between Thornton Research Park and Slaughter Road.


Construction on the project is scheduled to begin in fiscal 2013-14, which begins Oct. 1, but depends on how long it takes to buy the needed right of way, said Johnny Harris, the Alabama Department of Transportation's division engineer for this area.

[Saj07]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

...Henderson, N.C.-based discount retailer Variety Wholesalers plans to open a Rose's store on Aug. 2 in the Oakwood Village shopping center at 200 Oakwood Ave. in Huntsville...

Murfreesboro TN has had a Rose's for years. I want to say there was once one in Athens, AL as well. That will be a good thing for that area.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by stewdog1

Stick this in the "I'll believe it when I see it pile" for ALDOT:

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2012/05/..._river_default

Amazing isn't it, 20 years and counting, it's like why even bother.
ALDON't won't do anything proactive, it's always someone else, they offer no solutions just obstacles.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by David1502

I have wondered the same thing. However, several years ago, Von Maur Department Store wanted to come to Bridge Street, so they had to have some location in mind. In fact, O & S Holdings petitioned the City of Huntsville to get a sales tax abatement to build a parking garage to accomodate the store. However, when the City would not agree to it, plans for Von Maur were dropped. This tells me that they had some specific spot in mind. My guess is that they would use part of the west parking lot, just north of the lake, and convert the rest of the lot into a high rise parking deck.

Another possibility would be to move some of the existing big box stores like Old Navy, DSW Shoes and Ulta to the strip center where Sports Authority is. then they could build a two or three story department store which would be connected to the existing stores.

Anyway, it is hard for me to see how Miller Capital would purchase Bridge Street without some plans to improve it and make it similar to their other existing high end retail centers.

Well it sounds like the plan is to drain the west lake and build there. Depending on how it's done it may hurt the overall appearance.
The "bridge " was the key focal point, now what? Maybe it will just be reduced in size and maintain the look for the restaurants, carosel and sometimes gondolas (do they even still do that) on that side.