Huntsville updates

[HSVTiger]

"In business Thursday night, the council approved a new downtown zoning classification with provisions that would allow loft apartments, create a brew pub district and entice other trendy venues such as arts and crafts galleries. It sets a 10-story height limit on buildings in that area to minimize shadows and the "wind tunnel effect," and requires a landscaping buffer where the downtown commercial district abuts residential."

Not sure exactly what area this zoning is for, but the height limit is not for the entire downtown.

[HSVTiger]

nice pic of the new "dancing " fountain between the Von Braun Center and
Embassy Suite.



Workers replaced some screen filters near the nozzles, and some lighting, and reprogrammed the control box. They also hooked up a wind gauge that will "throttle down" the spray to limit mist on windy days.

Caylor, along with City General Services Director Jeff Easter and others, gathered around the canal basin Friday afternoon to watch the fountain go through its routine. "Everything seems done now," she said. "It has a show it was supposed to do all along."

The fountain was a gift from the Tom Thrasher family honoring the longtime civic and business leader. The $284,000 from the Thrashers provided benches, lighting, the memorial and the $251,000 fountain.

Caylor said Big Spring Partners is talking with other donors who may put more fountains downtown.

[HSVTiger]

World Premier

The first big Hollywood premiere here since "Tom and Huck" in 1995 is happening Saturday at the Hollywood 18 Regal Theaters when "Constellation" opens.

The $4.5 million movie was filmed entirely in Huntsville during the summer of 2004 and chronicles a black family in the South as it comes to terms with a past marked by an interracial affair.

There will be stars, bright lights, parties before and after and, yes, even a red carpet. So bring your cameras and autograph books.

Stars confirmed to be here include Billy Dee Williams, Hill Harper, Melissa De Sousa, Juliet Jeffords, Daniel Bess, Rae Dawn Chong and Alabama native Tonea Stewart. They'll roll into the Hollywood 18 on South Parkway in limos sometime before "Constellation" starts around 6:30 p.m. Just like the premieres in Hollywood, the stars and dignitaries will be introduced as they arrived.

The movie used about 800 area extras, many from Huntsville, including Kathleen Arthur, Tre Rogers and Mike Sales.

There are still tickets left for just the premiere at $60 (no pre- or post-parties) and for $350-$5,000 for the exclusive pre-movie bash at The Ledges, then a showing of the movie. The premiere benefits the Angels Among Us charity benefiting the victims of the Lee High bus tragedy.

Here's a list of some of the stars in "Constellation." Listed after each is the role that person plays.

Jordan Walker-Pearlman, director/writer/producer: The nephew of actor Gene Wilder and grandson of Harlem child welfare activist Adele Walker. He directed "The Visit," which won several independent film awards, produced and directed "Snow Taxi" and produced "Simian Line."

Billy Dee Williams, "Helms Boxer": Starred in "Lady Sings the Blues," "Brian's Song," "The Empire Strikes Back," "The Return of the Jedi," "Batman," on TV's "Dynasty," and appeared in Walker-Pearlman's "The Visit" and "Undercover Brother." Willams is also a painter and some of his work is in "Constellation."

Lesley Ann Warren, "Nancy": Starred in "Cinderella," "Victor, Victoria," "Clue," "Life Stinks," TV's "Will and Grace" and "Desperate Housewives" and TV miniseries "79 Park Avenue" (won Golden Globe) and "Family of Spies" (Golden Globe and Emmy nominations).

Hill Harper, "Errol Hickman": Plays Dr. Sheldon Hawkes in the CBS drama series "CSI: New York," starred in "The Visit," also in "He Got Game," "The Sopranos," "Lackawanna Blues."

Gabrielle Union, "Carmel Boxer": One of film's hot young actresses, she has appeared in "Bad Boys II," "Deliver Us from Eva," "The Honeymooners," "Say Uncle" and "Running With Scissors."

Zoe Saldana, "Rosa Boxer": Has been in "Terminal," "Dirty Deeds," "The Pirates of the Caribbean," "Haven," "Get Over It," "Drumline" and "Crossroads."

Rae Dawn Chong, "Jenita": The daughter of comedian Tommy Chong appeared in "The Visit." She was also in "Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers," "Quest for Fire" and "The Color Purple."

David Clennon, "Bear": Appeared in "Flags of our Fathers," "Rocketboy," "Coming Home" and "Being There," on TV's "Scrubs," "West Wing" and "thirtysomething."

Melissa De Sousa, "Lucy Boxer": She is probably best known for her role in "Miss Congeniality" as Miss New York and was also in "Biker Boy," "Valley of the Dolls" and "Lockdown."

Ever Carradine, "Celeste Korngold": The daughter of Robert Carradine, granddaughter of John Carradine and niece of Keith and David Carradine was in "My Boss' Daughter," "Life Without Dick" and TV's "Veronica's Closet," "Party Of Five," "Grey's Anatomy" and "Commander in Chief."

Shin Koyamada, "Yosito": Had a featured role in "The Last Samurai" with Tom Cruise.

Clarence Williams III, "Forrest Boxer": Was "Linc" in the TV hit series "The Mod Squad" and also appeared in "Reindeer Games," "The General's Daughter" and "Purple Rain."

Tre Rogers, young "Helms Boxer": A student at the local Academy of Science and Foreign Language who plays the part of the young Billy Dee Williams character. He has appeared in Tyler Perry's "Madea's Family Reunion" and in "Dirty" with Cuba Gooding, Jr.

Kathleen Arthur, young "Rosa": The 12-year-old seventh grader at the Academy of Academics and Arts is a dancer and appeared in local productions such as "Seussical."

[HSVTiger]

It is a flat boring building but does show the demand is still strong for office space in Research Park and still more to come.

By MARIAN ACCARDI
Times Business Writer [email protected]
Project to offer 210,000 square feet of new space

InterSouth Properties Inc. is developing Highland Office Park, a multi-tenant office park on Quality Circle in Thornton Research Park.

The project's first phase, which will include two buildings with a total of 97,000 square feet, is scheduled to be completed in May, according to Alan Jenkins, president of InterSouth Properties.

In all, Highland Office Park will have 210,000 square feet of office space on 27 acres, Jenkins said. The land was purchased from the UAH Foundation last summer.

The project is being developed in response to the market's demand for multi-tenant office space, Jenkins said. "Our Park West Center development, completed in June 2006, is currently over 90 percent occupied. We will continue to supply the market with high-quality space at competitive lease rates."

Joe Still Building Co. Inc. is the general contractor for Highland Office Park. Fuqua and Partners Architects is the design team.

The second phase of the project consists of two additional buildings, with a total of 113,000 square feet of space.

"Once we reach a stabilized occupancy level (with Phase 1), we'll begin Phase 2," Jenkins said. Construction could start in the first or second quarter of 2008, he said.

Other InterSouth Properties development projects include Progress Center, Research Park Office Center and Research Place. Jenkins also owns University Square Business Center.

[HSVTiger]

St Judes new clinic

Located inside Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children, the clinic will see its first patient at 9 a.m. today.


The new clinic means area children no longer have to travel to Memphis, Birmingham or Nashville to receive top-notch treatment for leukemia, brain tumors, sickle cell anemia and other diseases.

[HSVTiger]

Helicopter work, Other companies in Huntsville also do alot of work with Apache's Longbow and Cobra gunships. Lockheed Martin, Sanmina, Avion
to name a few.



DONNA FORK
For the Times [email protected]
With test work to improve the U.S. presidential helicopter and other projects, ARINC Inc. is going to need a lot more office space in Huntsville.

The $915-million-a-year company, which started out in the aircraft communications business, is expanding here to support military customers.

"We will probably look to double the size (of office facilities) later this year," said Laura Walters, director of Huntsville Operations Army & Advanced Applications, located on Old Madison Pike.
Presidential helicopter

One project ARINC is involved with here is redesigning the cockpit of the presidential helicopter.

It's being converted into what is known in the business as a "glass cockpit," Walters said. This doesn't mean the entire cockpit is made of glass, but that the cockpit will go "from analog to fully digital," she said, "from dial gauges to computer screens."
A testbed helicopter, the NSH-60F, located here, is used to test changes and improvements that then may be incorporated into other helicopters. If all goes well with the current design and testing, the new glass cockpit will be incorporated into the helicopter used by the president.

The Huntsville work "is a very focused contract," Walters said. ARINC and its partners have about one year to design and test the improvements. Then the project goes to the Navy for additional testing. ARINC is responsible for mechanical design.

Though much of ARINC's business revolves around the military, the company is still heavily involved in civilian aviation, Hartwig noted.

"If you've ever taken a flight, you've been an ARINC customer without knowing it," said Hartwig. The company provides the software for check-in, a database that tracks fraudulent and stolen tickets, flight information displayed in airports, seating information, and other communications.

"We average 15 million operational messages every day," she said. Also, 25 million people each day travel on railways with rails controlled by ARINC software. The company is also involved in access control of nuclear power plants, Hartwig said.

"Everything we do in one way or another relates back to the safety of human beings. Everything. And not many companies can say that."

[HSVTiger]

Not all development has to be big and tall to make an important impact.
These homes are in well established but somewhat less than ideal conditions.
This should help reverse that

By KENNETH KESNER
Times Staff Writer [email protected]
Alabama A&M University Community Development Corp.'s efforts to revitalize the Edmonton Heights neighborhood got a $52,500 boost Thursday from the Wachovia Bank Foundation.

The donation will augment a $600,000 federal Housing and Urban Development grant that A&M was awarded last fall, said Joseph A. Lee, executive director of the CDC.

The grant money will be used to buy three more homes in the 1950s-era neighborhood just south of campus, renovate them, sell them and establish a loan program to help existing homeowners refurbish their property, Lee said.
he CDC began with a 1997 HUD grant. Lee said it focused initially on improving Edmonton Heights - where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spent the night in a home during his March 1962 visit to Huntsville - but soon expanded to work in Meadow Hills, another "troubled" area.

In addition to renovating homes, the CDC worked with the city, organized the residents and created after-school and enrichment programs to improve life in the area, he said. The CDC also started the First Time Homebuyers Club to counsel people considering purchasing a house.

"Those neighborhoods have improved significantly," Lee said.

Four years ago, another HUD grant helped the CDC repair eight houses in Edmonton Heights. One became a community center, and the other seven were sold to first-time buyers. All are occupied today, he said.

In 2002, the city and state designated the CDC a "community housing development corporation," allowing it to partner with a private developer, Olympia Construction, on a 48-unit affordable housing apartment complex. Since it opened in 2004, Olympia Gardens apartments have been fully occupied and maintain a waiting list, Lee said.

"We would like to think we have spurred growth in this area," he said

[HSVTiger]

Downtown properties getting ready for development. High rise housing, hotel and retail and medical facilities are all possible. This valuable land sits
squeezed between the Medical District and the Centarl Business District.

By JOHN PECKTimes Staff Writer, [email protected]
A year after announcing a major redevelopment of the Councill Court housing project downtown, officials are close to choosing a development firm.

The job will clear most of the 20-acre site for redevelopment.

Dick Fountain, chairman of the Huntsville Housing Authority, said the board may pick a firm within a month. "We're hoping within the next 30 days to hear back from these negotiations and get something presented," Fountain said last week.

A request for qualifications turned up a bidders list that has been narrowed to Pennrose Properties of Philadelphia and Integral Group of Atlanta. Both report extensive experience in developing mixed-use, mixed-income, multifamily housing in urban areas, according to their Web sites.

Pennrose appears to be the leading candidate, said Michael Lundy, the Housing Authority's executive director and CEO.

"We want to make sure the costs are reasonable and that we own the property when it is completed," Lundy said.

Plans call for demolishing all 196 units of the 55-year-old Councill Court; building a 75- to 125-unit complex on the site, primarily for elderly residents; and selling the remaining property. Displaced residents would be moved into other housing with plenty of input on their preferences.

Money from the sold property (about 15 of the 20 acres) would go back into Huntsville's public housing program. Residents could begin moving out by the end of the year, Lundy said, while the entire redevelopment could take up to five years.

Officials say the plan will move tenants into better housing and away from traditional clustered housing "projects." Money for the new senior building (only residents 62 and older qualify) and replacement housing would come from the sale of prime real estate.

City Planning Director Dallas Fanning said the Councill Court property is in a high-growth corridor that provides a great opportunity for the Housing Authority to make money. "That's sitting on probably the most expensive land in the whole city," Fanning said in an earlier interview.

Officials estimate that the land could fetch $28 to $30-plus per square foot, or $900,000 to $1 million or more an acre. Lundy said that several prospective buyers have inquired about the property but that no offers will be considered until the land is officially on the market. Those interests range from retail to medical to other commercial.

Huntsville Hospital has had its eye on Councill Court since at least the early 1990s and is still interested. Lundy emphasized that the hospital does not have an edge in the bidding.

Lundy said public housing authorities nationwide must find innovative ways to pay rising operational costs in the face of shrinking appropriations.

"We're put in a position where we have to do something because we're receiving fewer and fewer dollars" from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, he said.

Records show a steady decrease in HUD appropriations over the last several years with a projected sharp drop in fiscal 2007. The local Housing Authority receives about 70 percent of its revenue from HUD in the form of an operating subsidy. Cuts have reduced Huntsville's revenue by more than $5 million over the last four years, he said.

Shift from 'warehousing'

Lundy said the authority wants to get away from "warehousing" public housing residents. The development firm will help identify available smaller apartment properties throughout the city for Councill Court tenants.

"Putting people in clustered housing perpetuates poverty. We want to help them break that cycle," Lundy said. Case managers will help residents move. Residents may choose to move to other public housing, seek federal Section 8 vouchers for private rental arrangements or take part in programs leading to homeownership.

Lundy said some of the money from the property sale will be used to buy vacant, small apartment buildings throughout the city to turn into affordable housing.

New housing options

The authority hopes to work with the development firm to seek low-income tax credits and favorable bond ratings to redevelop the new housing options. Lundy envisions multifamily complexes of maybe 10 to 20 units scattered throughout the city that would be refurbished and available to people outside public housing as well.

"If everything goes like we want it to go, the first relocation probably would not happen until about this time next year," he said. "It could happen as early as late summer, but I would venture to say that's too optimistic."

Fountain said a goal is to get Councill Court residents living in neighborhoods so they can feel they are in the mainstream.

"My vision for this is to create social service opportunities to match up to agencies and really help these folks become self-sufficient," Fountain said. "You can quantify this as much as you want as bricks and mortar, but it's really about people."

[HSVTiger]

Jetplex Park work adjacent to the airport
By MARIAN ACCARDI
Times Business Writer, [email protected]
The new year is already shaping up to be a busy one for Jetplex Industrial Park, the 4,000-acre park that wraps around Huntsville International Airport.

"Timing is everything," said park Director Brooks Kracke, explaining the activity at the park. "We've had a dry spell, but BRAC has put Huntsville on a lot of people's radar."

In 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended three military commands and aviation work be moved to Redstone Arsenal - moves that are expected to bring about 4,700 federal jobs to the arsenal over the next few years.

The BRAC decision has helped developers and real estate professionals feel more confident about moving ahead with projects, Kracke said.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday for a 208,000-square-foot speculative distribution center in the northern part of the park between Interstate 565 and Short Pike Road. The developer and owner is Graham & Co. Inc., a Birmingham-based commercial real estate and development firm.

The company also has an option on an additional 49 acres for second and third phases, said Kracke.

The sale of 18.7 acres on James Record Road, also in Jetplex North, to Huntsville-based Triad Acquisitions Group should close in the next few months. Triad's development project includes a 146,000-square-foot speculative warehouse distribution center and a two-story office building.

There was a lack of large space available in the park in the 50,000-square-foot to 100,000-square-foot range. "We now have something to market," said Kracke. "This gives us a good inventory."

Yet another project ahead is a 300,000-square-foot plant for International Truck and Engine Corp., the principal operating subsidiary of Navistar International Corp.

More than 175 employees are expected to work at the assembly plant, where Class 8 truck "big-bore" diesel engines will be produced.
A sales agreement with the diesel-engine maker to buy about 33 acres, also in Jetplex North, is being worked out. Site preparation work is expected to start early this month, and could take from two to three months, depending on the weather, Kracke said.

"They want to have production rollout in April '08," said Kracke.

International's existing plant in the industrial park - International Diesel of Alabama - produces engines for International trucks and Ford trucks and vans.

The park is divided into six sections that meet different business requirements.

In Jetplex Supplier Park, Industrial Properties of the South is building a 42,000-square-foot warehouse distribution building that will be ready in the spring, said Kracke. That partnership - made up of Charlene Graham and Dr. Jerry Graham - has just closed on the purchase of the former Perfect Home building. The 119,000-square-foot building is being renovated.

Sales contracts are now being drafted for two separate developers who want to build warehouse distribution buildings in Jetplex Supplier Park.

Kracke is also working with several companies already located in the park that are looking to expand. "We've also made the short list on two other brand-new projects," he said, and representatives from those two aerospace companies will be visiting here this month and in March.

About 2,800 acres of land are still available for development, said Kracke, with most of it in Jetplex South.

[neilson]

Thank you for your comments and questions. Every few years in the life of
a mall, leases will cycle through. Those stores which are phasing out
certain concepts eventually leave once their leases expire. While it is
difficult in the short term to see empty spaces, it's also a wonderful
opportunity in a growing market such as ours to replace them with new
merchants or offer space to expand those who are currently experiencing
growth. This keeps the mall's tenant mix updated. As an example, The
Limited group of stores has slowly phased out it's Limited stores as well
as it's Express concepts. Both of these stores were still located at
Madison Square until recently. Industry reports show the company is
focusing it's efforts on more profitable concepts within their portfolio.
Unlike some other developers, the policy of CBL & Associates is that we do
not announce or discuss who we are negotiating with until a deal has been
signed. I can assure you that at the current time we have some very strong
possible replacements for the recently vacated Taco Bell location, the
former Ruby Tuesday space, Express and the location at the top of the
elevator that was many years ago the location for KB Toys. At the current
time, Cinnabon and Wet Seal are both under construction as well as Steak &
Shake on the out parcel of the property.

We are looking forward to many exciting announcements over the next few
months and see this turn over as an opportunity to accommodate several
retailers that we may not previously have had the appropriate space
available. We appreciate your comments and invite you to visit our website
as details become available.

Original Comments: I was going through the mall today and I noticed there
were a high number of businesses that were either shut down or in the
process of closing. Considering that Huntsville is not "overmalled" and
Madison Square Mall is located in a high growth area of the metro area, it
suprised me to see the mall in its current state. With the pending
completation of the Bridge Street Towne Center, I was just curious what
Madison Square Mall plans on doing to avoid the label of being a "Dying
Mall". CBL Properties has an excellent track record with its malls, and I
just want to know what is down the pipeline to replace the numerous stores
and restaurants that have or will be shutting down in the near future.
Thank You and have a good day.

[HSVTiger]

yeah CBL does an excellent job, probably one of the best. Getting mall tenants and keeping them is difficult everywhere especially with "new and exciting" places being built. I would still like to see Madison Square be
re-developed into a more inviting and better landscaped facility.
Add a parking deck turn some of the surface lots into a greenway with
water features. This could connect the outlying restaurants so you could walk to them from the main building, add several mid-rise hotels, improve vehicle access, consider a light rail link to the planned Bridge Street Intermodal Center or Research Park and UAH. Maybe UAH could get grant money to study the effects light rail would have on retail.

[HSVTiger]

A sign of similar things to come for the Councill Court Housing area downtown.
These are done by Pennrose




and Integral Group

Park Place in Birmingham


College Park Memphis

[HSVTiger]

good deal on new nonstops to Denver

Special Fares to the West
United begins nonstop flights from Huntsville to Denver on February 14. To celebrate, they've announced specials on flights to cities in the West from their Denver hub. Book before February 13 to fly to Denver for $228 round trip or Seattle for $286

[HSVTiger]

I'm against this building, but not for the reasons mentioned. It is a poor design for that location and really offers nothing unique. (Has anyone really seen a detailed plan or rendering???)I think Triad may actually want the contract cancelled so they don't have to build it. It already is a year and a half behind what was scheduled. They have danced around the wording of the contract for a year now. You had your chance. It will probably still get the go ahead.
The city should make Triad come back in a month with 5 new concepts that
offer downtown architectural significance, affordability, and opportunities.
That would probably mean using different architects beside the " Boring Brothers" firms that seem to dominate this area. It's too bad the best architecture in Huntsville is in the historic districts.

By JOHN PECKTimes Staff Writer [email protected]
With two members for, two against, Russell is key vote

The fate of a proposed eight-story condominium tower in Big Spring International Park could be decided tonight.

The development plan by Triad Properties is on tonight's City Council agenda. The meeting starts at 6 p.m.

The go-ahead hinges on an option clause in a development agreement the Council approved in December 2003 for the Big Spring Summit office building. Triad had two years from the Summit groundbreaking to invoke the option clause for the condos.

Council President Glenn Watson and Councilman Richard Showers plan to support the second building. Council members Sandra Moon and Bill Kling are against it. Councilman Mark Russell could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

During a council work session last week on the condo project, Russell indicated a special tax district the council approved that would help build a new Lee High School and several downtown improvements may have factored in tax revenue from the twin Triad buildings in the park. Lee High is in Russell's district.

Kling said Wednesday Triad isn't deserving of the second building because it reneged on a requirement in the Summit deal to include a 3,000 square foot restaurant. Triad executive William Stroud said he's had discussions with several prospects and fully intends to put a restaurant in the building.

Kling said the development agreement does not require a permanent presence of a restaurant. "To me, it would be sort of an in-your-face statement to the public if the City Council made an agreement to allow for a private development in Big Spring Park and the one public amenity we had just went away," Kling said.

Showers said downtown Huntsville would never progress if controversial developments like the civic center, and now the summit and condo projects, were rejected because of some public opposition. Showers said the condo would be a "plus for downtown." Showers said he won't support a proposal to fine Triad $5,000 for reneging on the restaurant requirement

Also a project announced a year or so ago appears dead, it sounded a little
premature then. This developer is trying to do something in Decatur so it may have had something to do with that.
"Plans by developer Doug Gooch to build a Providence-like community with homes and shops near Country Day School have apparently fallen through, according to the city planning office." HSV Times

[HSVTiger]

City's home sales still strong
Despite reports of a deflated housing market, Huntsville home sales remain strong, according to a statewide industry study.

In December, 866 homes were sold in the Huntsville market, up from 728 in November and 778 in December 2005, according to a report from the Alabama Real Estate Research and Education Center at the University of Alabama. For 2006, 10,788 homes were sold, nearly a 17 percent increase from the 9,252 homes sold in 2005.

Nationwide, existing home sales slid by 0.08 percent between November and December, and the median price of $222,000 remained the same, a sign that a drop in the housing market could be stabilizing, said Suzanna Allaway, a real estate resource specialist at the center.

Gina Hannah

[HSVTiger]

At the Intermodal Center at Huntsville International

Intermodal Center sees record month
Wednesday, February 14, 2007From staff reportsHuntsville Times
The International Intermodal Center handled its highest lift volume on record for the month of January.

The center, which receives, stores and distributes international and domestic cargo, performed 4,021 rail cargo lifts in January, a 7.2 percent increase compared with January 2006.

[HSVTiger]

The Hudson-Alpha Institute for Biotechnology expects to open for business in September, institute President Jim Hudson said Tuesday.

The institute, in Cummings Research Park, will be home to eight to 10 companies at its opening, Hudson said Tuesday while addressing the Alabama Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research annual meeting at the University of Alabama in Huntsville
The $130 million project, which combines private and state resources and will house nonprofit research teams and for-profit companies and about 900 total employees, is moving forward quickly, Hudson said. He effectively created the biotech sector in Huntsville through his former company, Research Genetics.

The institute was announced in August 2005.

[thoraudio]

Nice article in the Travel section on CNN.com

'Constellation' shines light on Huntsville, Alabama
POSTED: 11:41 a.m. EST, February 16, 2007

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama (AP) -- It's fitting that a movie titled "Constellation" was filmed in a city that boasts the country's only vertically erect Saturn V rocket, a white beacon that stretches 363 feet into the sky.

The fearless can take a mission to the red planet that suddenly turns into a ride on a Martian roller coaster, or head back in time by visiting historic homes, living history museums, a cemetery where slaves are buried and an exhibit about Buffalo Soldiers.

Visitors can find these and many other attractions in Huntsville, where the first moon rockets were built and where the down-to-earth film, "Constellation," was shot. The film, starring Billy Dee Williams, Gabrielle Union and Zoe Saldana, was filmed in Huntsville in 2004, and had its premiere here January 27. It opened nationwide on February 2.

Tourism officials are offering self-guided "Constellation Tour" maps that point visitors to sites that are shown in the movie, which prominently displays many of the locations like a big-screen brochure.

Only a few of the locations in the film are the product of movie magic. Some film viewers, upon seeing the majestic exterior of the seven-gallery Huntsville Museum of Art, thought the building was actually a set, "Constellation" director Jordan Walker-Pearlman said.

Walker-Pearlman said the film, about an interracial family coming to terms with their past and present problems, needed to be in a Southern city with old-world charm and modern-day advancements. But, he said, he didn't know at first "if such a place existed."

"Most everywhere I went, I could not find my small shining city in the hills in the South," said Walker-Pearlman, who is a native New Yorker with a home in Los Angeles. He says he has since made Huntsville his third home.

"There is almost a European-like energy here where everyone was not just friendly, but engaged. I suddenly had this revelation that what I had put on page actually existed and it was Huntsville, Alabama."
Rocket Center

One of the biggest draws to the North Alabama city is the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, where there are several flight simulators, dozens of rockets and military equipment on display and a rock-climbing wall for the athletically inclined.

An exhilarating ride can be had on the Space Shot, which zooms adventurers 140 feet into the air with four Gs (four times the force of gravity) for a spectacular view of the city and a few seconds of weightlessness.

The Rocket Center is also home to one of the city's most interesting attractions, which will take you virtually beyond Earth's orbit (emphasis on virtually) -- all the way to outer space via a silver shuttle and computer screen.

The research mission suddenly turns into a surprisingly rousing roller coaster where riders learn that Martians listen to country music.

State tourism director Lee Sentell said Huntsville is a draw not only for tourists but also permanent residents partly because of its growing job market.

"Huntsville is among the most progressive communities in the state in terms of education and equal opportunity for African-Americans," he said. "That really stems from the 1950s when that area had an influx of people from across the country to work for the U.S. Army in connection with the German rocket scientists. So the theme in the movie of open-mindedness and acceptance from one another is very valid in the Huntsville area."

Those looking to dine at the rooftop restaurant that was shown in the movie will be disappointed because it doesn't exist. But other restaurants featured in the film, like Humphrey's Bar and Grill with its outdoor stage and brick patio and the white-tablecloth Chop House, are very, very real.

Consider trying a Humphrey's hot dawg with the sweet salsa-like topping called chow-chow and the jalapeno coleslaw. A trip to Melvin's Barbecue is a must for those wanting a taste of the down-home cooking that was shown in Constellation. The barbecue spot has since moved to a new location, but owner Melvin Rogers says the food hasn't changed.
Living history

Nightlife in Huntsville is anything but dull -- especially on the weekends when most venues have live music. The Jazz Factory is a laid-back swanky spot for the slightly older, professional crowd while Humphrey's and The Crossroads cater to young professionals.

Parking in the downtown Washington Square area can be a bear, but it's worth the hassle to find something for just about everyone within a few blocks.

Barbara Webb, director of the Huntsville Cemetery Department, said slaves and black veterans of America's wars beginning with the Civil War are buried in Glenwood Cemetery, where the movie's funeral scene was filmed. The cemetery was established by Huntsville in 1870 and is still being used, Webb said.

Alabama A&M's Black Archives Research Center and Museum is another site for black history, with several exhibits, including one dedicated to the Buffalo Soldiers.

The city's three historic districts -- Twickenham, Old Town and Five Points -- are located downtown near the Washington Square area. The homes are privately owned and not usually open to the public, but visitors can tour Twickenham's 1819 Weeden House, the former home of 19th Century poet-artist Maria Howard Weeden.

Big Spring International Park with its gazebos, fountains and dozens of ducks is one of the most scenic locations in Huntsville -- and the film.

Huntsville has five hands-on and living history museums, including one at 167-acre Burritt on the Mountain, where history interpreters spin cotton, and the kid-paradise EarlyWorks museum, where visitors can don costumes from pioneer days and sign their names on Alabama's constitution. They can pump a lever to create an explosion in a coal mine, romp around a fully stocked playhouse and when they get tired, sit and listen to stories told by the large aforementioned tree.

A colorful mural painted by Alabama artist John Moore is one of the centerpieces of the museum and is included in the movie.

EarlyWorks executive director Bart Williams said they're expecting an increase in visitors wanting to see the popular mural after its exposure in the film.

"There were three or four hundred people here for the opening," he said. "It's as much a draw as anything we have in the museum."

Others also are looking forward to seeing how the movie will affect the town's tourism.

"Having a premiere like this in Huntsville is a really big deal for us," said a city marketing executive, Charles Winters. "We could get used to this."

And why not? For a city whose motto is "The sky is not the limit," anything is possible.

[AlabamaGuy2007]

Originally Posted by thoraudio

Nice article in the Travel section on CNN.com

Very nice article. Sept for one thing, on the bottom where it says "the sky is not the limit", not true, look at the dowtown area.

[HSVTiger]

Huntsville Times
Another long-awaited commercial development, located downtown , could start taking shape soon.

The last outbuilding at Heart of Huntsville/Market Square mall has been demolished. Scott McLain, the property owner, said demolition on the main structure will likely begin within the next couple of months. One tenant, Sandollar Tanning, currently leases a space in the mall, McLain said.

"We're in discussions with Sandollar, allowing them to keep going until then," he said.


McLain said the site's new development is in the design stage and, once designed, he'll be able to recruit retailers.

He said he hopes to announce two new hotels within a couple of months.

Gina Hannah