Huntsville updates

[Huntsville_secede]

Moores Mill Road link in works
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Huntsville Times

Behind the scenes, work is beginning to build a service road on the south side of U.S. 72 to connect Moores Mill Road and High Mountain Road on Chapman Mountain.

The road is among the public improvement projects included in the latest tax increment financing district approved by local governments in the fall.

The City Council on Thursday night approved a contract with Harris Hill Development LLC for the developer to pay for the design of the project and any construction cost overruns.

Harris Hill Development, which is represented by Cole Walker and Ben Walker, plans a residential and commercial development on the south side of U.S. 72 across from Moores Mill Road, said Steve Dinges, an assistant director in the Huntsville Planning Department.

"The service road will go through their property," Dinges said. "They're trying to coordinate the location of the road with the development plan for their property."

The contract approved Thursday night requires Harris Hill Development to pay the city $337,000 for the city to hire an engineering firm to design the project.

The city will spend $5 million to build the road and the developer will pay any costs that exceed $5 million.

The developer must also donate any right of way or easements the city will need for the new road.

The road will be about three-quarters of a mile long and will be from two lanes to five lanes wide, Dinges said.

The city hopes to begin construction in April, he said.

Dinges said the road will be a minor collector road that will serve the Harris Hill development and future development in the area and in the High Mountain Road area.

The road, which will eventually connect to Old Gurley Road, will not be affected by the planned extension of the limited access of U.S. 72 through Moores Mill and Shields roads, Dinges said.


Slaughter work resumes

Work on installing turn lanes on Slaughter Road at Old Madison Pike is expected to begin again this week after a property access dispute was settled.

Ron Adams, the assistant director of the Huntsville Engineering Department, said the issue involved property for the right of way that the city said it owned and a property owner said he owned.

Adams said the property was considered "prescriptive" right of way because it had been used for right of way for many years. The dispute was settled by the city agreeing to give the property owner a curb cut, Adams said. The city closed Slaughter Road south of Old Madison Pike in July to build the turn lanes and cut the hill south of the intersection. But, work has been stopped since at least September because of the dispute.

Work will resume this week when the ground is dry enough for heavy equipment to move around, Adams said.

The project could be completed in three to four weeks, if the weather cooperates, he said.

[HSVTiger]

Huntsville Hospital addition

The new tower is eight stories tall, Hornsby said two lower floors are being roughed in for later expansion. Also, the attached 240-space parking deck was made sturdy enough to support the weight of a future patient tower.

"We're trying to worry about that future need as the community grows and ages," Hornsby said Friday.

The enlarged emergency department will cover nearly an acre of land and include six state-of-the-art trauma rooms. Hornsby said an elevator will go from the E.R. to the hospital roof, allowing MedFlight helicopter paramedics to deliver wreck victims into doctors' hands more quickly.

Construction cranes have been a fixture at Huntsville Hospital for years, and they won't go away once the new patient tower is finished. Last week, Birmingham-based Inkana Development announced plans to build a five-story, $30 million medical office tower at the corner of Governors Drive and Gallatin Street, directly across from the hospital.

It will be tied to the hospital via a new, longer pedestrian bridge over Governors Drive. The hospital is being forced to tear down its old skyway because of the upcoming Governors Drive widening project.

[HSVTiger]

Embassy Suite developer hints at another downtown hotel.

John Q. Hammons in town for the grand opening of his hotel

"The mayor said the hotel is already reaping big dividends for the city in terms of lodging and sales taxes from large conventions. She also revealed Hammons has expressed interest in another hotel downtown but declined to elaborate.

Local developer Scott McLain, owner of Heart of Huntsville/MarketSquare mall adjacent to the Embassy Suites property, has said he plans to include a hotel as part of the MarketSquare site's redevelopment."

[HSVTiger]

Hilton Garden Inn plans second location

A Knoxville-based hotel group has received approval from Hilton Hotels to develop a 102-room Hilton Garden Inn on Boulevard South off South Memorial Parkway.

"What attracted us to Huntsville and this location in particular is the overall growth of Huntsville," said Alpesh Patel, president of Kana Hotel Group. "It looked like most of the new hotels were on the west side of Huntsville, and we saw there was a demand for a new, nice hotel in south Huntsville."


The investment in the planned Hilton Garden Inn will be about $10 million, Patel said.

This is Kana Hotel Group's first venture in Huntsville.; it has 10 other hotels in five Southeast states.

"We plan to break ground by March and open by March of 2008," said Patel. "We'll now get started on architecture and engineering drawings."

The five-story Hilton Garden Inn will be located west of the Radisson Hotel and the Hampton Inn on Boulevard South. It will have 2,500 square feet of flexible meeting space and a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. The rooms will feature high-definition televisions and high-speed Internet access. Wireless Internet access will also be available throughout public spaces and meeting rooms. "

HSV Times

[deesonic]

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/116176806090260.xml&coll=1

I'm very excited about this new Merrimack Hall development. I grew up in West Huntsville , with a capital "W", as opposed to west Huntsville which refers to everything from University Drive and Madison Square on back to Memorial Parkway. I recently moved back to the very same neighborhood I grew up in near Bob Wallace and Triana after living in Georgia, Colorado, Texas, and Maryland over the last 10 years (military). This part of Huntsville is rich with history and long neglected. I hope this is the spark to urban renewal in our area. Many are referring to the area as "the next 5 Points." I hope so.

By the way, is anyone aware of any neighborhood associations in the West Huntsville area?

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by deesonic

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/116176806090260.xml&coll=1

I'm very excited about this new Merrimack Hall development. I grew up in West Huntsville , with a capital "W", as opposed to west Huntsville which refers to everything from University Drive and Madison Square on back to Memorial Parkway. I recently moved back to the very same neighborhood I grew up in near Bob Wallace and Triana after living in Georgia, Colorado, Texas, and Maryland over the last 10 years (military). This part of Huntsville is rich with history and long neglected. I hope this is the spark to urban renewal in our area. Many are referring to the area as "the next 5 Points." I hope so.

By the way, is anyone aware of any neighborhood associations in the West Huntsville area?

Welcome home,yes this should create opportunities, sometimes these things get lost in these long threads. Seems I have heard of some groups working in this area.
check post #800
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=70301&page=32

[HSVTiger]

Mayor to run again

By JOHN PECK
Times Staff Writer, [email protected]
Mayor Loretta Spencer gave an upbeat assessment of Huntsville in her annual state-of-the-city address Wednesday and announced she will seek a fourth term as mayor in 2008.

Huntsville is reaching its potential, "but you haven't seen anything yet," Spencer, 69, told an announced crowd of 850 at the Von Braun Center. "I want to continue in this job, and I'm proud to say I want to be your mayor in 2008, too."

Her speech was preceded by a six-minute video recapping key events in 2005-2006. Highlights touched on major industrial announcements, including the Verizon Wireless state headquarters and service center (a $44 million investment and 1,300 jobs); expansions at Lockheed-Martin, Raytheon, Colsa and several other companies; and the recent opening of the $40 million, 295-room Embassy Suites Convention Hotel downtown.

Spencer touted the boom in city building permits ($344 million worth of retail, commercial and residential projects), a jump in sales tax revenue (up 8.7 percent over the previous year to $113.6 million) and nearly 8,000 home sites under construction or in the planning stages.

[neilson]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Mayor to run again

By JOHN PECK
Times Staff Writer, [email protected]
Mayor Loretta Spencer gave an upbeat assessment of Huntsville in her annual state-of-the-city address Wednesday and announced she will seek a fourth term as mayor in 2008.

Huntsville is reaching its potential, "but you haven't seen anything yet," Spencer, 69, told an announced crowd of 850 at the Von Braun Center. "I want to continue in this job, and I'm proud to say I want to be your mayor in 2008, too."

Her speech was preceded by a six-minute video recapping key events in 2005-2006. Highlights touched on major industrial announcements, including the Verizon Wireless state headquarters and service center (a $44 million investment and 1,300 jobs); expansions at Lockheed-Martin, Raytheon, Colsa and several other companies; and the recent opening of the $40 million, 295-room Embassy Suites Convention Hotel downtown.

Spencer touted the boom in city building permits ($344 million worth of retail, commercial and residential projects), a jump in sales tax revenue (up 8.7 percent over the previous year to $113.6 million) and nearly 8,000 home sites under construction or in the planning stages.

Good.

Yesterday I had a chance to meet her, Sheriff Dorning, Gov. Riley, Luther Strange, and Beth Chapman(She's the one running against Nancy Worley(the Hutt)); and I have to say that Spencer has the right plan for Huntsville and also is the kind of person we should have representing the Rocket City, as we have for the past Decade.

And remember to vote Cheryl Baswell Guthrie instead of Parker Griffith.

[deesonic]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

sometimes these things get lost in these long threads.
check post #800
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=70301&page=32

Oh, I wasn't trying to steal anybody's thunder. I saw that post. I was just posting the link in case someone didn't know what I was talking about. I should have cited/quoted the original post instead.

Thanks for the welcome home. I'm glad to be here.

[Rail Claimore]

Originally Posted by deesonic

Oh, I wasn't trying to steal anybody's thunder. I saw that post. I was just posting the link in case someone didn't know what I was talking about. I should have cited/quoted the original post instead.

Thanks for the welcome home. I'm glad to be here.

Wow, and I'm moving out of here (home for 20 years) at the end of the year! Well welcome back!

Relatives of mine recently bought a small business in that area, actually. That part of Huntsville has probably been hit hardest by decline in the last 20 or so years. I do hope they've kept that old railroad ROW clear. I see future development potential involving light rail.

[HSVTiger]

By G. Scott Thomas
Bizjournals.com
Updated: 10:52 a.m. CT Nov 8, 2006
The Sunbelt is an economic magnet. It’s attracting new residents and jobs, as well as political and economic power.

But which of the region’s metropolitan areas offer the best blend of comfortable lifestyle and warm weather?

Bizjournals analyzed the quality of life across the Sunbelt — defined as the area south of the 37th parallel — and ranked Huntsville, Ala., No. 1 on its list of Hot Spots, America’s most attractive warm-weather metropolitan areas.
It takes a newcomer just one glance to discover that Huntsville is not your typical Sunbelt community. The 360-foot-tall Saturn V rocket towering above the skyline is a clue to the city's high-tech economy.

Banking, tourism and other service industries are driving economic growth in most Sunbelt metros. But Huntsville — the self-proclaimed Rocket City — is different.

The engineers who launched America's space program, led by Wernher von Braun, were installed in the northern Alabama city after World War II. They were followed by military and aerospace contractors, biotechnology firms and telecommunications companies.

This high-tech base has given Huntsville several advantages that are reflected in its No. 1 ranking:

Forty percent of Huntsville’s jobs are classified as professional or management positions, a large number of them in the engineering field. Only four Sunbelt metros enjoy a higher concentration of these desirable jobs.
Thirty-one percent of its adults hold bachelor’s degrees, putting Huntsville among the study’s top six areas in the category of higher education.
Per capita income in the Huntsville area has risen by more than 20 percent since 2000, far exceeding the Sunbelt average of 16 percent.
Aiding its economic strength is the fact that Huntsville’s property taxes are among the lowest in all of America.
Second place on the Hot Spots list belongs to Naples, an affluent metro on Florida’s southern Gulf Coast. Its per capita income of $44,458 is easily the highest in the Sunbelt.

A strong commitment to education has pushed Raleigh into third place. It’s both the state capital of North Carolina and a major university center. Thirty-eight percent of its adults hold college degrees, a figure topped by just one Sunbelt metro, neighboring Durham at 39 percent.

In fourth place is Fayetteville, Ark., which also has a strong collegiate presence. The Fayetteville region is the home of the University of Arkansas, as well as the headquarters of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the largest retailer in the world.

The second Florida entry in the top five is Sarasota-Bradenton, which is northwest of Naples along the Gulf Coast. Its employment base has expanded by 21.5 percent since 2000, adding almost 900 new jobs every month. More from Bizjournals
• Profiles of the 10 hotspots
• Rankings for Sunbelt metros
• Information on methodology


Rounding out the top 10 in the Hot Spots rankings are Cape Coral-Fort Myers and Palm Bay-Melbourne, both in Florida; Durham, N.C.; Phoenix; and Tallahassee, Fla.

Bizjournals compared the performances in 10 statistical categories of 77 Sunbelt metropolitan areas south of the 37th parallel, which passes about 10 miles north of Virginia Beach and about 30 miles south of San Jose. The 10 communities with the highest scores have been designated as Hot Spots, indicating that they offer an outstanding mixture of warm weather and quality of life.

The study’s aim is to identify the areas that would be most attractive to people who might be considering a move to the Sunbelt.

The highest scores go to well-rounded places with steady growth, strong economies, moderate traffic, affordable costs of living, and first-rate educational systems.

Communities from 17 states have been included in the study, which was limited to metropolitan areas with more than 250,000 residents.

[HSVTiger]

They have recently announced an expansion

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (November 8, 2006) – International Diesel of Alabama in Huntsville has been recognized by the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association (AAMA) as the Outstanding Automotive Supplier in Alabama. International Diesel manufacturers over 175,000 V6 and V8 diesel engines. International Diesel employees over 400 at its 650,000 square feet plant in Huntsville.

[HSVTiger]

United Airlines adds two nonstops. The Dulles flights will compliment the nonstops to Reagan. This may be a proactive action as the airport is aggressively going after new airlines like Frontier.
When Independence was flying HSV, had 6 daily nonstops to Dulles so this isn't really new just a different airline. Denver is a big addition.

By MARIAN ACCARDI
Times Business Writer [email protected]
New western flight to start Feb. 14, eastern leg April 9

Huntsville International Airport is getting nonstop service to two new destinations, Washington-Dulles and Denver, United Airlines announced Wednesday.

The service to Denver is scheduled to begin Feb. 14; twice daily service to Washington-Dulles begins April 9.

[HSVTiger]

Madison Square Redo done

By MARIAN ACCARDI
Times Business Writer [email protected]
Multimillion-dollar renovation finished at Madison Square

A ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday officially marked the completion of a major renovation for 22-year-old Madison Square Mall - just in time for the year's heaviest shopping.

"We completely changed everything in the mall from the floor up," said Curt Hammontree, project manager with CBL & Associates Properties Inc., the mall's developer and owner.
http://www.al.com/business/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/business/1163153891251620.xml&coll=1

[HSVTiger]

The oldest and probably the worst stadium in the Southern League will get some much needed work.

city council
Approved a $29,730 contract with Bill Boehme Associate Architects of Huntsville to design a renovation and expansion of the Joe Davis Stadium clubhouse. The work will include new locker rooms, offices, showers, laundry and kitchen area, and other amenities. A recent lease agreement with the Huntsville Stars owners committed the city to spend up to $1 million on stadium repairs and upgrades including the clubhouse, lights, skyboxes and concourse.

[HSVTiger]

office space tight, growing
seems like a good opportunity for a tower downtown but no mention of it

By GINA HANNAH
Times Business Writer, [email protected]
It's widely known that the Huntsville area is seeing a housing construction boom, but office space is also on the upswing.

Compared with other cities, Huntsville's market for office space is tight, said Bart Smith, managing broker for Graham & Co./CORFAC International commercial real estate brokers. Vacancies here hover between 6 percent and 7 percent, compared with a national average of 10 percent to 13 percent, Smith said.

"Five (percent) is good for the landlords, but for growth or for tenants it isn't good because it makes it hard to find space," he said.

The Huntsville market currently has about 9.2 million square feet of office space, Smith said. During the next few years, that will change; more than a million square feet of office space is expected to be built and ready for occupancy.

Current projects include:

The Ophthalmic Ambulatory Eye Surgery Center, rising from a site on South Memorial Parkway next to the Goo Goo Express car wash. The four-story building's main floor will house the surgery center, Madison County's first free-standing eye surgery center. The second floor will be the new digs for the Maynor Mitchell Eye Center and Huntsville Laser Center. The third and fourth floors of the $8.5 million project will have office space for lease.

Drs. William Mitchell and Bob Maynor currently have their practice on Governors Drive across from Huntsville Hospital, occupying about 5,000 square feet, said Lisa Mendyke, practice administrator.


Mark Anderson Rise Real Estate Inc. on Drake Avenue, across from Parkway Place mall. The new 15,000 square-foot building will include the agency's new offices and office space for lease. Mark Anderson Rise Real Estate is currently at 3603 S. Memorial Parkway.

The enhanced-use lease site on Redstone Arsenal planned for office and retail development. The 400-acre project, located at the Arsenal's Gate 9 along Rideout Road, could add another 500,000 square feet of office space to the market, according to Redstone officials. City officials and some local business interests have raised concerns that the arsenal site could siphon tax money from Huntsville's coffers and compete with properties in the city limits.

The former Sanmina-SCI building on the southwest corner of Clinton Avenue and Memorial Parkway, which has been undergoing about $12 million in renovations. The eight-story, 96,000 square-foot building, now called Commerce Center, was purchased by Madison County's Breland Cos. in 2005. Most of the exterior work is completed, with some interior work still remaining to be done, said John Hayden of the Concourse Group, which is handling the leasing on the building. Landscaping on the site is about to begin, he said.

"As the building starts to take shape and people see how nice it's turning out, it's generating a lot of interest," Hayden said. "I think one of the things they like about the space is, you have easy access to Memorial Parkway and I-565." The building's close proximity to the post office and downtown's core also makes it an appealing site, Hayden said. Hayden said tenants should be able to move in this April. Breland Cos. is planning to use part of the space for its offices.

Bridge Street Town Centre at Cummings Research Park. The $210 million mixed-use project will have 138,000 square feet of high-end office space when it opens next fall, said Rachel Forman, spokeswoman for O&S holdings, Bridge Street's developer. Rental rates for the space will average "in the low $20s" per square foot, Forman said, compared with average market rates of $13 to $19 per square foot, depending on quality and location of the space.

Plans call for a second office tower to be built if there's a market demand, she said.

"There's been tremendous interest," she said. "Our goal is to have (the tower) 100 percent leased by the time we open."

[HSVTiger]

downtown road widening

Church Street widening

The Huntsville City Council on Thursday night approved a new contract with the Alabama Department of Transportation for the widening of Church Street from Monroe Street to Oakwood Avenue.

The new contract increases the estimated cost from $6 million to about $9.3 million and extends the contract period for four years to 2011.

The contract extension is standard procedure after a gubernatorial election. All existing contracts between local governments and the state DOT are void at the end of the governor's term and must be renewed.

In the new agreement, the state pledges to use about $7.4 million of federal highway money and $504,000 of state money for the project. The city's share will be more than $1.3 million. The city is also responsible for paying any costs exceeding the estimated $9.3 million cost.

The project involves widening Church to five lanes from Monroe to Oakwood in two phases. It also includes building a new portion of Pratt Avenue to remove a severe curve.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Huntsville International parking deck expansion.
over a 1000 slots, the existing deck is to the left, new part
foreground.Should be finished next year.

Construction set to begin

By JOHN PECK
Times Staff Writer [email protected]
City panel reviews six-story addition set to open in '08

A new parking garage soon will pierce the skyline at Huntsville International Airport.

Plans for a six-story, 1,330-slot parking deck were unveiled Wednesday before a city planning subcommittee.

The project comes six years after the airport opened a multilevel, 1,600-slot deck. The new structure would adjoin the existing one and include covered canopies leading to the main terminal along with office space for car rental firms.

"Our objective with our capital improvements is to provide better customer service for passengers. To be able to provide additional covered parking is a great thing for the airport and our community," airport spokeswoman Barbie Peek said Wednesday.

Construction on the garage addition is scheduled to begin in January with completion in March 2008.

Officials say increasing passenger traffic has rendered the initial parking deck inadequate. "During the week, the deck can become full as early as Tuesday," Peek said.

The $18 million expansion is part of an airport improvements master plan that calls for a third baggage carousel, a larger concession area with more seating and food vendors, baggage lifts at several additional gates and a new waiting area. The new waiting area would include plenty of windows to give "meeters and greeters" a view of the airfield, Peek said.

The new food court and baggage-lift project should be completed next fall for an estimated $2 million, according to architect Mike Chapman. Peek said the expanded food concession area will feature new vendors, including McAlister's Deli and a gourmet coffee shop.

[Huntsville_secede]

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/116375874240780.xml&coll=1

Hotels may be part of mall makeover
Friday, November 17, 2006
By JOHN PECK
Times Staff Writer [email protected]
McLain has two in $100 million plan, talks to Hammons

The site of MarketSquare at Heart of Huntsville, a vacant mall, will be at the heart of a cluster of hotels if developer Scott McLain follows through with plans to build two hotels downtown.

McLain confirmed Thursday that he is planning a pair of hotels in the redevelopment of the mall. The 18-acre site is next to the Von Braun Center and the newly opened Embassy Suites convention hotel.

The twin hotels would be part of a $100 million redevelopment plan to include restaurants, shopping and parking, McLain said.

"I think you can certainly expect MarketSquare to have at least two hotels," he said Thursday. He declined to elaborate on a brand name or type but said the hotels would have 400 to 450 rooms combined.

The Embassy Suites offers 295 rooms, and the Holiday Inn (formerly the Hilton) across the street has 289.

McLain revealed more about his plans Thursday after telling a Madison City Council work session Wednesday that he recently met with hotel developer John Q. Hammons about the MarketSquare makeover.

Hammons, president of Missouri-based John Q. Hammons Hotels and Resorts, built the 10-story, $40 million Embassy Suites and has been scouting for other hotel investment opportunities in the city, Mayor Loretta Spencer said.

McLain said Hammons is one of several major hotel executives he has talked with about his hotel plans for the site.

"We talked about the hotel industry in Huntsville and downtown Huntsville specifically, and we look forward to more conversations," McLain said of his discussions with Hammons.

Spencer helped arrange their meeting while Hammons was here for the Embassy Suites opening, said Joe Vallely, the city's economic development director.

The former mall site occupies prime space off Memorial Parkway where the state has committed to build a downtown access road. McLain said a multimillion-dollar plan to landscape and improve Pinhook Creek, which runs between the mall site and the Embassy Suites/VBC complex, should enhance the appeal and marketability of the property.

The creek improvements call for replacing an aging railroad trestle spanning the creek. Other features call for a promenade of walkways and benches to improve water flow.

Vallely said Hammons' 2004 decision to build an Embassy Suites may have caused other hotel developers to take note of Huntsville.

"They figure he's on to something," Vallely said.

Among the hotels that have opened or been announced since Hammons launched the city's first Embassy Suites include the four-star Westin Hotel in the Bridge Street development in Cummings Research Park, the Hilton Garden Inn near the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and a Homewood Suites in the Village of Providence.

[Huntsville_secede]

http://www.al.com/business/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/business/116375904340780.xml&coll=1

All Points bulletin: 500 jobs possible
Friday, November 17, 2006
By MARIAN ACCARDI
Times Business Writer [email protected]
New corporate office here will see major expansion

All Points Logistics Inc. marked the grand opening of its corporate office in Huntsville on Thursday, and its work force is expected to grow to several hundred in the next three to five years.

All Points has 25 employees in the Huntsville office now. In the next three to five years, there could be "300 to 500 employed here in this location," said Deryl Wright, the president and chief executive officer of Chickasaw Nation Industries Inc., which acquired All Points Logistics in May.

All Points, now a division of CNI's professional service sector, provides technical and management services to the federal government and to private industry customers.

"Alabama is (the state with) probably the sixth-largest presence" for the company, Wright said. "We expect that to grow to the top three within three to five years. Huntsville is where we expect the majority of the growth to be."

Chickasaw Nation Industries, based in Ada, Okla., is a tribal corporation owned by the Chickasaw Nation. It has about 2,000 employees in all, located in all 50 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and South Korea, Wright said.

Historically, this area is Chickasaw Nation homeland, Wright said, "so it's kind of like a coming home for us."

All Point's headquarters had been in Gainesville, Ga.