Montgomery development news

[bystander1]

Originally Posted by thoraudio

A new smart code 'suburb' under construction. I have mixed feelings about these.

This much anticipated Hampstead development has been in the planning stages for a few years now and I'm glad to see it finally moving forward. Unfortunately, we don't hear much about these kinds of developments in the city because of the current media slant against any development within the city. No one knows much about the even larger development going up next to Hampstead called New Park by Jim Wilson and Associates. Or the future Aronov development near those two projects. Nor have we gotten much coverage of the 2000+ acre Hudson Farms project.

But had these very projects been anywhere else in the region, there would be 7 articles a week in the paper and featured as the top news story twice a week on the local TV news...
We need better news coverage...badd!

[bystander1]

Originally Posted by RSAHort

12 stories is what I heard.

Wow, really? That's interesting because that would be pretty close to the Capitol Complex height limit; if they still even use that rule.

So RSA is now finishing their 10-story HQ, their 12-story hotel, and starting a new, possibly 12-story office building...

...sounds like they have their own height limit, huh?

[Brown Duckz]

This building isn't exactly on the capitol complex is it? Seems it right outside, unless they have a large boundary.

[Capital Heights]

Downtown block closing 8 weeks

By Andre Coe
[email protected]





With progress comes growing pains, and downtown Montgomery is no different.

Lee Street from Montgomery to Bibb streets will be closed for nearly eight weeks starting Monday while workers re-align the street in preparation for the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center's grand opening next year. The facility is slated to open sometime in late January or early February.

The entire block is being given a vintage look to match Court Square, said city engineering director Chris Conway. The street will be closed to traffic beginning Monday and engineers have already marked portions of the area with orange and red spray paint.

Downtown visitors will see clouds of dust with all the work, but they'll also see new trees, sidewalks and light poles, he said.

Workers will "shift" the street to add an S-curve at the exit from the convention center parking deck, Conway said.

The target completion date for the road re-alignment is Jan. 1.

The Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center will add 346 rooms and suites to the downtown area when it opens next year. Located across the street, the Embassy Suites has 237 suites and the old Tuskegee Bank Building that is being renovated into a Hampton Inn & Suites will boast 85 rooms.

The three hotels are part of what will become a new downtown entertainment district that includes the Riverwalk Amphitheatre, Riverwalk Stadium and Troy University's Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts.

In September, the Montgomery Area Transit System opened a $9.3 million bus terminal and parking deck a week after celebrating its millionth rider. And downtown Montgomery has been home to the two-time Southern League champion Montgomery Biscuits baseball team since 2004, when Riverwalk Stadium opened.

Two featured attractions for the convention center will be the return of the Buckmasters Expo in August and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame's induction ceremony in February.

[thoraudio]

from wsfa.com

Those of us who've lived here in Montgomery for a long time know our way around town, especially when it comes to navigating the maze of one-way streets downtown.

Now, we'll have to re-learn our way around because virtually all of those one-way corridors will become two-way.

Remember the days of downtown traffic congestion and two way streets? About forty years ago it all changed because folks moved to the suburbs and two way streets became one way to help ease the traffic in and out of town.

City traffic engineer Bubba Bowden says, "The city hired some planners, some urban planners..."

As a result of that study, the planners recommended that streets like Washington Avenue experience an about face.

The change could be good news for downtown businesses.

Chris Conway is another of the city's engineers and says, "With the one way operation, probably half of your block is neglected because you're not getting the traffic facing each of the four corners on a daily basis."

But what may look like a simple conversion, switching one-way traffic to two, won't be an easy task.

Traffic lights have to be hung and timed for traffic going in the opposite direction.

Street resurfacing will also have to take place, "Because if you try to eradicate the markings, it looks terrible," said Bowden. "They've been down so long you can't easily take them up."

To complicate this process even more, the whole street may have to be torn up because when it comes to re-surfacing, if you add a layer of pavement to what's already here, it could be too high for the storm drains and the curbs.

In other words, it will take about six months to a year to finish just Washington Street and the city has ten more streets to go.

All the downtown streets will become two way except Union and Decatur, which will remain one way.

It could take ten years to finish all of them.

The study that was done of downtown Montgomery also shows that cars tend to go over the speed limit on one way streets and that's not likely to happen on two way streets.

The surveying of Washington Street has already begun and motorists will start seeing the beginning of the conversion by December.

Reporter: Eileen Jones

[Brown Duckz]

New High Rise Jail for Montgomery


The downtown Montgomery skyline is changing again.

This time it's not another RSA building or state government project. It's a new high-rise jail.

Montgomery Sheriff D.T. Marshall says construction on the $50 million facility is about two weeks behind schedule, but other than that, there have been no major problems.

A bridge will connect the new jail to the old one, which is severely overcrowded.

There will be enough space to house 1,000 inmates.

However, the sheriff says even that won't be enough.

Completion is expected in late 2008.

[hiijakd]

I think we need to write some letters about the new RSA project at the top of Dexter. I am not sure why the city is allowing Bronner to build such a large structure in that area but in my opinion it will be out of scale, will totally cover up the judicial building, and will probably have the ugly turquoise top, which I know I am tired of. I think it is a big mistake to build what they are talking about there and I don't know what we can do to stop it.

[Capital Heights]

If the alternative is to let the old Judicial Building decay to the point of demolition, I would rather let RSA do its thing.

[RSAHort]

Why don't you wait and see what is planned before passing judgement?

[Brown Duckz]

Originally Posted by RSAHort

Why don't you wait and see what is planned before passing judgement?

That's what I'm thinking... no publicly released plans, but I can't help but think it's going to be a standard RSA office building--even though it's suppose to be 12 stories [RSA's tallest since the RSA tower]. Is there a lot of property there, or just enough for the building and underground parking?

[Brown Duckz]

Help Is On The Way For Bumpy Interstate 85 In Downtown Montgomery


Interstate 85 drivers--beware! Construction to make your driving a little safer is on the way on I-85 from the interchange back toward east.

What they are doing is raising the concrete barrier rail by 15 inches. The whole idea is to cut down on the glare and by making the wall higher it'll become more of a safety barrier for motorists.

"With an urban environment and with the type of traffic we have here, the actual height is good and it keeps the traffic separate if there was a collision. The higher wall would prevent a vehicle from climbing the wall," said Tony Harris, P.I.O. for the Alabama Department of Transportation.

This part of the construction will go for about 5 miles and every bit of it will be done at night and on weekends so traffic won't be disrupted. In fact, workers start at 7 every night.

Construction crews will also spend the next 7 months making the pavement on both lanes a little smoother. The work will stretch from the 85/65 interchange back toward east. This is the part where some 40,000 vehicles ride through everyday, and that's why most of us feel those harsh bumps.

"The main project will be the concrete pavement. It's been here 25 to 30 years. It's important that we do maintenance on concrete or asphalt so it's due for under-sealing. Undersealment will level it out and that'll make for a smoother ride," Harris said.

Harris says 12 companies put in a bid for the job, 7 of those companies were out of state, but the project went to the lowest bidder at a little more than 5 million dollars to the Knish Corporation of Minnesota.

[hiijakd]

Judgement is based on the previous 3-4 buildings RSA has built. I betcha this one will look similar. It may just be me but i can think of numerous other spots that the building could be built that wouldn't affect the view up dexter avenue. Montgomery doesn't need any more cookie cutter office buildings. I am glad RSA is here investing in the city I just don't agree with some of their decisions and plans.

[Brown Duckz]

Originally Posted by hiijakd

Judgement is based on the previous 3-4 buildings RSA has built. I betcha this one will look similar. It may just be me but i can think of numerous other spots that the building could be built that wouldn't affect the view up dexter avenue. Montgomery doesn't need any more cookie cutter office buildings. I am glad RSA is here investing in the city I just don't agree with some of their decisions and plans.

This property might be a little more state related with it's office space... if this is the case, the "capital complex" may have been the only option for Bronner, but until we see some plans or hear any other news I don't guess it's clear.

[RSAHort]

I truly believe the driving force for this project was to save the old judicial building. Wasn't the state going to tear it down anyway? I also do not think this will look like anything RSA has done to date. I'll bet its gonna look different.

[Brown Duckz]

Wish they would use some 21st century architecture with all that money they spend on the inside.

[Brown Duckz]

Ripley Street closed this weekend


Ripley Street between Adams Avenue and High Street will be closed this weekend.

The street will be closed to traffic as workers install a communication duct bank for the RSA Tower.

The project is expected to be completed by Sunday, and the street reopened to traffic by Monday.

-- Posted by Beth Gribble

[Capital Heights]

ASU opens new forensic science building named for Hatch

By Andre Coe
[email protected]





School officials beamed with pride as they opened the doors to Alabama State University's newest building -- a $10 million forensic science building 10 years in the making named after Robert Clinton Hatch, a pioneering black educator and former school president.

Inside the new building are dozens of classrooms dedicated to the field of forensic sciences. Science labs are outfitted with state of the art chemistry and biology equipment. Donned in white lab coats, scientists from the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences analyze bullet marks, fire weapons and test chemicals for traces of drugs in the building's lower levels.

Handheld pistols and long-range shot guns that line the walls of one room await forensic-science testing while "CSI" hopefuls walk to and from their daily classes, still thinking about mid-terms and what majors they want to study.

A first-time collaboration between ASU and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, campus professors and administrators hope the nation's next crop of criminal science experts will learn their trade from inside the new building.

"The building adds a new education dimension to campus," said school President Joe Lee. "It has cutting-edge technology and space to work in for forensic science. It is a 21st century partnership that should set the stage for more partnerships in the future."

[Capital Heights]

Church getting new facilities

By Kenneth Mullinax





The Montgomery church where the Rev. Martin Lu­ther King Jr. served as pas­tor is building a $1.7 million addition to house its educa­tional and clerical offices.

The 6,000-square-foot mul­tipurpose building will be built behind Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church on the corner of Washington and Decatur streets, said the Rev. Mi­chael Thurman.

When it opens in Novem­ber 2008, the church will shift its weekday ministries to the new building, allow­ing visitors greater access to the National Historic Land­mark church, he said.

The official groundbreak­ing will be Dec. 9 on the 130th anniversary of the church, said Thurman.

Organized in 1877 in a for­mer slave trader's pen on the corner of Dexter Avenue and Decatur Street, the red brick building was the site of many historic events, said William Gary, head deacon.

The church served as the first registration site for Alabama State University's students in 1887, Gary said, and the Montgomery Bus Boycott was directed from its basement during 1954-55 by the church's pastor, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The church is using public and private pledges and a loan through Regions bank to fund the project, said Thurman.

"We are proud that our loyal church members have already donated $600,000 for our new addition, and we have several ideas on rais­ing more capital," Thurman said.

Also planned is the sale of 1,200 memorial bricks at $250 each to be placed in the new honor courtyard that will house a bronze statue of King, he said.

The church's governing body has approved the de­sign of Montgomery archi­tect Scott Steen of the firm of Goodwyn, Mills and Ca­wood.

The modern-looking building will have a brick and stucco façade that evokes a continuity of the historic structure's red­brick exterior, Steen said.

"My design ties together the design elements of the traditional church building behind it and the modern Southern Poverty Law Cen­ter beside it," he said.

The cruciform shape that emanates from the new building's roof will extend 90 degrees through a wall to the ground, forming a canopy over the building.

"The cruciform shape ob­viously looks like a cross and is an easily identifiable symbol for a church build­ing," said Steen.

The building's courtyard will face the SPLC's Civil Rights Memorial, designed by Maya Lin, said Steen.

"We feel the King statue is a civic gesture and evokes a trinity of design between the church, the civil rights me­morial and our new build­ing," he said.

Thurman said the court­yard should become a popu­lar downtown tourist attrac­tion, adding to the thousands of people who al­ready visit the church annu­ally.

"I'm excited about this new building because it completes Dexter's two-fold mission of providing civil rights education and serv­ing as a vibrant center for church and community ac­tivity," Thurman said.

[Capital Heights]

November 23, 2007



Adding to history: Trinity Presbyterian Church upgrading for the future

By Teri Greene





These days, when you hear about massive expansion projects in Montgomery, it's easy to assume that the site of the new growth is the booming east portion of town.

Not so with Trinity Presbyterian Church, one of the city's oldest congregations.

The project now under way at Trinity will add 45,000 square feet to the building and also calls for renovation of the church's existing space (35,000 square feet). Enormous change is not something you see in the heart of the Garden District, the church's site for nearly a century.

The Rev. Patrick Curles, the church's executive minister, said there have been opportunities for Trinity to move out east, such as when the church acquired land off Vaughn Road in the early 1990s, for instance. However, at that time, instead of building a new church, the clergy decided to start Young Meadows Presbyterian Church, one of six area churches Trinity has started over the last 70 years.

Staying in one of Montgomery's oldest sections of town was important to the congregation, Curles said.

"This is a historic town, a historic district and a historic church, and this is where she belongs," Curles said of the church. "Look around other Southern cities, such as Charleston, Macon and Memphis -- they all have historic neighborhoods with historic churches. There is always going to be that, and there will always be a need for that."

To ensure that the expansion and renovations remained in the historic vein of the original church building, the church brought in Cole and Cole Architects Inc. of Montgomery.

"They are known for their historic architecture," Curles said of the firm. "The sanctuary was built in 1919, and we wanted this to be in keeping with that historic sanctuary, taking design cues from that building."

The church broke ground in July, and the project should be complete by mid-2009, he said.

[hiijakd]

well i saw the plans for the new RSA project and they weren't as horrible as i had thought they were going to be but they are still not right mainly in scale with the surrounding area. i am going to try to post a few pictures on here that show the size and scale of the project in relation to the capital and the rest of dexter avenue. see what you think. these were drawn by an architect using the plans that were submitted so it isn't just a random fabrication.