Mobile Development Thread

[SouthSky]

As it is right now, the city will not own the airport, as it is a private entity that does not get a whole lot of public funding. If the city does annex the airport, the change will be in name only.

However, I will concur that Mobile cannot get a decent average air fare. It is really amazing that a city of Mobile's size only has flights from the legacy air carriers and not any LCC.

[Verve]

Originally Posted by bayourat 15

you make great points!

Question of the day..............If the city does get area A, and say next year gets the airport . Will air travelers benefit by the city running the place?

Maybe lower airfares and most important given it a modern facelift ?

I feel ashame when i have to geaux to Biloxi to flyout. That a metro area of 700,000 (Jackson,Mobile &Baldwin Co.) can't get a big time airport . One would think with all these jobs and new development coming to town a major airport is a must.

The fares are set by the airlines and if someone can suggest something short of the city subsidizing the fares, it would be great.

We just happen to be sandwiched in between cities that are nearby and have other things driving their traffic such as casinos in Gulfport and Navy in Pensacola.

You mentioned the airport needing a facelift and it seems that they have done that by upgrading the flooring and changes to the concessions in the terminal.

If we want the traffic to increase, we have to use our own airport. However, I realize there's a significant savings to be had by using the other airports, and people are following the lower fares. Thus the catch 22 situation.

[BlessedMobile]

I have been having withdrawal pains from this site being down. It may take a few minutes for the fix to get in my system good. Please pardon any confusing posts!
Mobile's airport needs more big corporate travelers who travel on convenience and not price. We once had more of that when IP, Scott and larger industrial users were going strong. I would look for much better times when TK gets started with both building and operating the mill. I was once one of those type travelers and we NEVER flew based on price...time is money.

[Scottybo]

Alabama Motorsports Park will also be a huge contributor to a future increase in air travellers coming to MRA.

[pkp]

I fly out of Mobile weekly - some fares are actually OK compared to others if you are flying to smaller cities. All of the carriers except American kill you on non-stops, though. Non-stop to Houston upwards of $900, ATL $800, Memphis $650 - Dallas is about $260, though.

[elb401]

I was looking for flights for my brother from Denver, CO to Mobile and it was $236. Gulfport, MS was $220 and Pensacola, FL was $109. Even with the gas spent you save a little money.

[nimsjus]

Nice to have the forums back. Here is an article on the Carriage House project that has been mentioned and photographed multiple times in this thread. They ahve had a sign up for about 6 months to a year, but maybe this article means they are about to get started.
Carriage house to be condos
Sunday, September 09, 2007By KATHY JUMPERReal Estate Editor
It was a carriage house for storing horse-drawn buggies in the 1860s, and soon the structure at 709 Dauphin St. will be condominium units for downtown residents.

Construction is under way on The Carriage Works on Dauphin, which will include seven condo units in the historic carriage house and four new townhomes to be built on an adjacent lot at 701 Dauphin St.

The 11 units are priced from $229,000 to $399,000, according to Todd Drummond, who is developing the units with former Alabama state Sen. Ann Bedsole and Michael Kopf of Kopf Construction. Kopf is also the contractor for the project. The new, three-story townhome building will face Washington Street. Two-car garages on the first floor and iron balconies overlooking the Mardi Gras parade route are planned, Kopf said.

A parking lot will separate the old and new buildings, and the entire project will be gated, the developers said. The units should be complete in April.

Several units have sold to buyers who either don't work downtown but want to live there, or who plan to use the unit as a second home, according to Drummond.

"We don't want to sell it to investors who want to buy up a bunch of condos and resell them, or save them as an investment," Bedsole said. "We want to see people living there."

"Our finishes will be high-end and put us over and above what others have done downtown," Kopf said.

Carriage Works is one of at least seven condo or townhome projects under way downtown at prices from $166,000 to $500,000. The complexes include historic warehouse reworks and new construction. Drummond and Bedsole have partnered with contractor Tilmon Brown to renovate the O'Gwynn building at Conti and Conception streets into 10 condo units.

The Carriage Works' townhome building will be similar in style to the 10,000-square-foot carriage house, according to architect Nick Holmes III, who designed the 11 units. The townhomes will feature painted brick, old brick details and iron balconies.

Amenities will include marble baths, antique hardwood floors, 10- to 12-foot ceilings, stainless steel appliances and an elevator in the carriage house, according to Kopf.

"I really believe downtown is coming back, and I'm putting my money into it," Bedsole said. "I thought this was an ideal building, with those exposed brick walls inside. It has a gracefulness that a lot of old buildings don't have."

[bayourat 15]

http://www.lagniappemobile.com/article/1076

[BlessedMobile]

I think Ashley has it right. Either come into the city and pay for what you get now and will require in the future or we have to reduce services in order to provide them for Mobile citizens. I did not realize that the city was only obligated to provide services up to the amount of tax collected; $800,000 is a drop in the bucket to what they cost now. We all know how often we see city police out on Schillinger. My biggest concern is that the fire and paramedics who serve our area won't be there when we need them. I would like to have them WANT to join the city because they will get all the services they need both now AND in the future.

[bayourat 15]

Hey Blessed great to be back isn t it Hope the vote goes good for the city! Ive been reading the press register lately and it seems that they are very anti on the annexation But maybe it's just me

[LHG]

I toured the Carriage Works recently. They have all of the interior walls up and are almost finished with the elevator enclosure. They claim they are about to break ground on the 4 new townhomes to be constructed on Washington Ave. - they've already moved the job trailer for site prep.

[Musicisright]

Did anybody see the kick ass shots of downtown Mobile on the National Geographic channel about a week ago? They did an hour-long show about building the Hawaii Super Ferry which was built at Austal Shipyard, right across the river from downtown. It was a cool show and there was a lot of skylike eye candy.

[elb401]

I don't think the press register is anti-annexation. Their editorial board is pro annexation and the articles always have something good to say about annexation even if they are talking about the possible negatives. by the way that group of people that formed that anti-annexation group only has like 40 to 50 people in it.

[BlessedMobile]

Originally Posted by bayourat 15

Hey Blessed great to be back isn t it Hope the vote goes good for the city! Ive been reading the press register lately and it seems that they are very anti on the annexation But maybe it's just me

good new Bayou....it is you! The MPR is for annexation. AND it is nice to have the forum back. I am in a Friday lunch group of business guys who actually think I am in the KNOW about what's happening so I feel like my information sources (i.e. you and others) have been silenced during the five day drought. You folks make me look good...now if I can only convert this to cash!

[BlessedMobile]

Originally Posted by elb401

I don't think the press register is anti-annexation. Their editorial board is pro annexation and the articles always have something good to say about annexation even if they are talking about the possible negatives. by the way that group of people that formed that anti-annexation group only has like 40 to 50 people in it.

Elb...I agree with you totally. I read the 9/12 issue of Lagniappe and it showed this guy who is always calling the Uncle Henry morning show to belly ache about Mobile and the annexation. Seems he lives in Tillman's Corner( I would never have guessed it) and works in WeMo. Ashley did a bang up good job of laying out the details of the annexation.

[bayourat 15]

If the vote is a big NO ! Should the naacp get involved ? Seems like they have been everywhere lately

[bayourat 15]

Here is my outlook on some projects/dreams :

1) A second cruise ship..... 25% or A larger one ...... 60%
.......within the next year......25%

2) Racetrack/ Amusementpark in Saraland.......50%


3) Condo tower / retail shops on water street......10% WAS A MUST!

4) A park at the old county courthouse site.....5%

5) Airforce Contract.......20%

6) A highrise condo or a office tower over 400ft. within the next 5yrs....30%


7) Annexation vote next week that will vote yes ... Area A....75% and the rest 10%


8) Adding a new tower at the Admiral Sims Hotel....20%


9) Bayou la batre....

10) Dauphin Island washing away?...100%

11) The Mobile Civic Center ever going to have a big name concert ...0%

12) Crown on the Riverview Plaza....80%

13) Crown/facelift on the Amsouth Building.....30%


Here are just some thoughts(i was board)

What are some that y'all might have ?

[BlessedMobile]

Most of them I agree with more or less but I do know that the racetrack is more like an 80/20 to happen. The money is there and the support has been good. I'm not too thrilled at the idea of the French building our military planes and then send them over here for us to tie the sections together...it is even less than a real "assembly" plant. Yes, it is jobs but I prefer to spend our money with homeboys Boeing than send it to a far-less-than-friendly France.

[SouthSky]

The business people in France generally like the US for its economy and the generally lowly US dollar.

[SouthSky]

Also, I don't know if anyone has noticed or has posted this, but Google Earth has updated its downtown Mobile satellite imagery. Nice top view of the RSA Tower and Cruise Terminal.