Montgomery development news

[ExpatBaman]

New group to meet on RSA plans

By Cosby Woodruff

Citizens for Downtown Revitalization, a new group aimed to promoting its vision for developing Montgomery, will hold its first meeting Tuesday to address the Retirement Systems of Alabama’s plans for the Judicial Building.

The group will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Hank Williams Museum Assembly Hall at 118 Commerce Street.

Nathan Norris, who is heading the group, will speak, as will Catherine Farmer Light, superintendent of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail.


Montgomery Advertiser

[thoraudio]

Originally Posted by Chad Emerson

I think its pretty clear from the responses over the last couple of days that this board feels as if things in Montgomery are going well, the RSA project is a good thing, and those of us who don't live in the city limits should not get involved.

Okay, that's fine. I'll step away from the board.

Best of luck going forward. I sincerely hope that you all can help improve Montgomery as it remains terribly underperforming.

Take care to all, Chad.

Seriously, Chad, no need to take your ball and go home. There's a thing called an opinion, and everybody's differs..... diversity, remember?

Bystander likes the RSA building, and I don't. Guess what? I hadn't called him any names and he hasn't called me any either. We can discuss the merits of the opposite view points. I just happen to know that I'm right

Same with our view points on suburban smart growth developments. I never said they were all bad, never insulted you, just voiced and defended my position that they are not a panacea for all that ails Montgomery.

Montgomery has many issues, and there is no, one, band-aid cure. Plopping a coffee shop into the middle of Capitol Heights isn't going to fix the thug culture anymore than throwing money at schools is going to remove the racism.

Racism and thug culture feed off each other and compound the problems.... and there is no easy answer. Thug culture leads to violence and a sense of insecurity... that leads to abandonment... which breeds hate and resentment... which leads to a thug culture. We're paying for the sins of our past.

I've seriously considered moving to the Capitol Heights area. I've got family that lives there, and there's a beautiful house for sale about 20 feet from my church. It supports the city, it saves gas, etc... But there are issues that I consider.... This pre-teen wanna be gang that my sister's kids have to deal with, crime, and other issues you have to deal with in a relatively low income area. I don't have to deal with that here.... it's a tough, tough decision.

However, open and honest and friendly discussion can breed ideas and change.

Don't leave or get upset, just because somebody disagree's with you.

[Capital Heights]

I concur Thoraudio. These are serious issues and it is easy to become frustrated. But the consequences are too important for any of us who truly care to thow in the towel and walk away. I, too, believe that one day you will all see the wisdom of my argument. And upon further consideration......maybe a coffee shop on Pennsylvania is a good idea...

[Brown Duckz]

I live on the Morningview side of Federal Drive, and this area is experiencing a lot of "remodeling" by younger couples. I know the other side has some of it's own..... but it's kind of hit and miss.

[kevinlpugh]

You guys are really passionate about your positions. Might I make a suggestion... perhaps this discussion should be moved to a different thread... I went away for a couple of days and you guys are hard at it!

Just my $0.02

KP

[bystander1]

Man, just when Chad finally began to open up and make his true feelings known about his position and reasons for smart-growth, he up-and-leaves.

He encouraged this board to start discussing, thinking, and talking again about inner ring smart-growth, but then says he doesn't want to discuss it anymore...



I think his insight was interesting...

[kevinlpugh]

Officials afraid Wares Ferry Road project may hinder outer loop

By Jill Nolin




The state is looking into an interstate project to ease traffic congestion in east Montgomery, but local officials are worried it will interfere with the long-awaited outer loop.

Engineers with the Alabama Department of Transportation are studying the possible benefits of connecting Interstate 85 to Wares Ferry Road. The purpose of the project would be to ease traffic on other corridors, such as Chantilly Parkway and Atlanta Highway.

But elected officials on the city and county level are concerned that the project, which is estimated to cost about $35 million, would interfere with the more than $300 million outer loop, a project they believe would bring about the greater good.

The outer loop project has been in the works for more than a decade. It would begin in east Montgomery at Interstate 85 and curve south down through the county and west to U.S. 80.

The Wares Ferry Road project is still in the beginning phase.

The state agency contacted Montgomery County Commission members and city officials recently about the proposal and asked if they could foresee any problems with it.

They did.

County Commission Chairman Todd Strange said he is concerned that it might be an "either/or" situation.

Both Strange and Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright have made it clear that they see the outer loop as a priority, and fear the Wares Ferry Road project could threaten the future progress of the outer loop.

"We are trying to understand the relative connectivity of the two (projects)," Strange said. "If it's both, we're fine."

The plan

Currently, Wares Ferry Road crosses over Interstate 85 near the Mount Meigs community on the east side of Montgomery.

It's a mostly rural part of town, with only a few small homes in the immediate area. North of the interstate is Wares Ferry Road, which curves back to the northwest and intersects Atlanta Highway near Forest Hills; on the other side is Pike Road, which intersects Vaughn Road.

"The purpose of this project is to provide a more direct access point to the interstate system than the current access point at Mitylene. Future growth models validate a necessity for a new interchange in this area," states a letter the Alabama agency sent to the County Commission.

The letter also states, "This area is experiencing rapid growth with several large residential and commercial developments ongoing and others planned for the near future."

Engineers will first explore the logistics of the project, said agency spokesman Tony Harris.

"If it is feasible, they will look at how an interchange might be designed and how it might pull traffic away from other congestion points and provide convenient access to the interstate in a way that reduces traffic flow in other places," Harris said.

This process could take three to five years to complete. Harris added that the Wares Ferry Road project is part of a long-term, continual planning process that includes hundreds of projects across the state.

Give and take

More than $60 million already has been invested in the $300 million-plus outer loop project, but it has been stalled for the past few years and prospects for progress in the near future are uncertain.

Harris said the project has been halted because there is not a dedicated stream of funding available.

"I can understand why some would like to see the outer loop advance -- I would like to see it advance also -- but we've got other needs that we have to address," Harris said.

State Rep. Thad McClammy, D-Montgomery, said the outer loop won't suffer because of the Wares Ferry Road project, and he's got an idea for funding it.

"The extension of 85 is a whole different ballgame. One of them is apples and the other is oranges," said McClammy, who called the east-side traffic congestion an interior problem. "There is a need for both."

On Jan. 15, McClammy prefiled a bill before the state Legislature that would allow Montgomery County to create a toll authority, which would help support the outer loop project.

It's the third time McClammy has submitted such legislation. Gov. Bob Riley vetoed the bill in 2006. Last year, the bill made it through the House but didn't pass the Senate before the session ended.

"This year, it's coming out of the shoot. We're hoping to get it up and going," McClammy said.

McClammy said the time is right for a toll road authority.

"Nobody likes tolls but at the same time, everybody wants roads," he said. "I think reality has set in. ... The economy is pretty good but it's not so good that you'll be able to take on that kind of project.

"There would probably have to be tolls of some degree in order for it to be successful," he added.

Strange said the county has been discussing the issue of funding the outer loop with the governor's office and state transportation officials. He's hopeful that in a month or so, there will be a local-state proposal to take to U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby's office.

[bystander1]

Wow. we posted this article at the same time.


This project is way more than a decade old and something needs to be done on completing this overdue road like yesterday.
ALDOT owes Montgomery for this project because of all the allocated money it stole from the outer loop over the years for, as they say, "other needs that we have to address".

Heck! The outer loop has been the "other need that had to be addressed" over fifteen years ago!!!...

[bystander1]

January 21, 2008



Little house represents big progress for Montgomery neighborhood

By Teri Greene
[email protected]

It doesn't look that big. The cute, three-bedroom dwelling on Ross Street, once a shotgun house, has been expanded to 1,200 square feet. That's hardly a mansion.

Still, what it represents to the people of the Centennial Hill neighborhood in Montgomery is nothing short of monumental. The house, the second residential renovation by the Centennial Hill Gardening Project, is the first that will have its own real estate listing.

In a neighborhood where 10 years ago there was little more than dilapidation and neglect, this modest house represents hope, said Donald Jenkins, executive director of The Centennial Hill Gardening Project Inc.

The nonprofit organization has worked for the better part of a decade to improve the Centennial Hill community. Renovation and renewal of existing historic homes is aimed at bringing in residents who otherwise might not have considered moving into the neighborhood, inviting diversity, enthusiasm and further growth, Jenkins said.

The house next door to the latest residential renovation was the first completed project, but it sold so quickly (to a neighborhood couple who had watched from their windows as the property was transformed) that there was no need to list it.

The newest house, however, will become the latest listing from Sandra Nickel Realtors. It's a mix of the old and the very modern.

Using the 75-to-80-year-old "shell" of the existing shotgun structure and preserving such original elements as a tiled fireplace in the living room, workers expanded the home and added modern amenities.

Throughout the home are 9 1/2-foot ceilings and light coming through windows on all sides, making a relatively small space seem much larger. There is a spacious kitchen with brand-new appliances, cabinetry and hardwood floors and a flat-panel TV on the wall as part of the package.

The house has central air and heat, and in a small nook sits a modern, stacked washer and dryer. An all-new bathroom with a garden tub with whirlpool links two small bedrooms. The spacious master bedroom has its own bath and a sizeable walk-in closet.

And then there is a deck in the back -- 10 feet deep and 24 feet wide.

"When people walk into the house, they can't help but say, 'This is a nice house,'" said Jenkins, who grew up in this neighborhood and has for years lived in a renovated house a block over on Watts Street.

"Not 'a nice house for this area.' Just a nice, 1,200-square-foot house," he said.

In addition to its new amenities, another plus is the house's price: from $58,000-$60,000, Jenkins said. What this project is doing, he said, is redefining "affordable housing."

The renovation, which took a little more than two months, was funded in part by a Community Development Block Grant. Such grants aim to improve the living conditions of dilapidated areas.

But despite occasional bad press and a longstanding "bad reputation" because of nearby locations popularly seen as "crime hot spots," the neighborhood is steadily becoming anything but dilapidated, said Amina Kilgore Hall, project director.

"This is a great location," she said. "If you have any worries about whether to live in Centennial Hill, there is no need for them."

She cited the strong neighborhood bond and the Centennial Hill organization, based in the Joe "Alabama" Morris House, which serves as a community center/educational resource.

Kilgore Hall said the family that moves in to this house will get in on the ground floor of a movement that, once begun, will grow at a surprising pace.

"It will just be a domino effect from there," she said.

Jenkins said the classic setting -- people sitting out on their front porches, waving and speaking to their neighbors -- is "the very in vogue thing right now." Developers who have cashed in on this trend are building huge, nostalgic neighborhoods, "carbon copies," he said, and charging five to 10 times more than folks would be asked to pay for the real thing in Centennial Hill.

Jenkins calls himself "a preservationist, but not a purist," meaning that he knows that not every house in the neighborhood is a candidate for renovation. But the ones that are -- those are the ones he wants to celebrate.

"We don't complain about what's going on. Crime is everywhere. Despair is everywhere. Dilapidated houses are everywhere. Who wants to hear about that?" Jenkins said. "What we talk about is, 'How can you work with what you have?' We have wonderful old houses with wonderful architecture that can never be re-created again. What we can do is try to save as much of it as possible."

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com


...part of the solution...

thanks, bystander2.

[ExpatBaman]

Both sides can win

By Nathan R. Norris


Unfortunately, the recent debate over the proposed Retirement Systems of Alabama Judicial Building on Dexter Avenue has focused on whether the RSA should construct a building or not, instead of how the project's design flaws can be corrected in order to adequately leverage its economic development potential for the benefit of the city, region and state.

Downtown Montgomery has been an under-leveraged economic asset for this region for more than 50 years. Fortunately, over the past several years we have had the nation's leading planners and designers of downtown areas, such as Andres Duany, Victor Dover, Rick Bernhardt, Tony Nelessen and Ed McMahon, visit the downtown and provide their thoughts on how to leverage it economically.

All agreed that:

• The downtown operates like a sterile 9-5 suburban commuter office park instead of a vibrant 24/7 downtown regional center;
• Despite the substantial amount of investment in construction in the downtown area over the past 40 years, these investments failed to sufficiently foster the economic revitalization of downtown due to the failure to follow basic rules of urban design for downtown buildings;
• The downtown still has great potential due to a wide variety of factors such as the grandeur of the Capitol and its surrounding grounds, its underlying block structure, and the institutions that need to remain downtown.

In 2006 the Chamber of Commerce released its Economic Development Report for the region. It correctly concluded that the downtown would not be revitalized so long as developers had no predictability in the nature of what would be built downtown. For years, developers were drawn to the suburbs where there has been much greater predictability.

The city of Montgomery wisely heeded these conclusions and commissioned the award-winning firm Dover Kohl to work with the city and its citizens to craft a game plan for turning the downtown around. Dover Kohl answered the call with a world-class master plan and zoning code that was unanimously adopted by the City Council. The RSA did not actively participate in this planning effort.

In 2007, the City Council unanimously adopted a mandatory zoning code for the downtown area that requires the master plan to be followed. These actions set the stage for downtown developers to invest in the downtown area thanks to the certainty it would now bring to development in the downtown area. Other cities are so jealous of this remarkable turn-around, that they are inviting representatives of Montgomery to come to their cities to explain how they can follow a similar path.

Now, less than a year after Montgomery made this quick turn-around, the RSA wants to reverse the progress that has been made by constructing a building on the most important street in downtown. It does not comply with the unanimously adopted master plan or the unanimously adopted zoning code due to numerous design flaws.

While there are several correctable design flaws, the most fundamental violation is the height of the structure. The height limitation in the master plan is premised upon several reasons including the need to safeguard the grandeur of the downtown's most valuable asset -- the view and primacy of the Capitol and its surrounding grounds.

This requirement, along with the others found in the Master Plan, seek to emulate the success of Charleston, S.C., Washington, D.C., and Paris as opposed to the "anything goes" policies that have produced disinvestment in places like downtown Houston.

It is absolutely imperative that this $200 million project move forward in a manner that will allow it to stand the test of time. After all, this is not only Montgomery's Main Street, it is Alabama's Main Street, as well as the Main Street for the Civil Rights Movement. Add to that the fact that the RSA constructs building to last for generations, and we have no choice but to demand that the RSA refrain from moving forward with all deliberate speed on a design that does not even stand up to the concerns of the current generation due to correctable design flaws.

The good news is that we have a precedent for dealing with this impasse. One hundred years ago there was a similarly heated controversy that arose over the addition of wings to the Capitol. Our forefathers reached out to the nation's most respected architect, Charles McKim, who helped guide everyone to a solution that worked for everyone. This example can be replicated by bringing in some of the nation's most respected designers who have had a direct hand in helping breathe life into Washington, D.C. These designers can help us understand the possibilities that will allow the RSA to move forward with a design that meets their economic goals while conforming to the master plan and zoning code. And the solutions will not only work now, but for generations to come -- just like the guidance given by Charles McKim 100 years ago.

These issues will be fully discussed at the next RSA Judicial Building Forum hosted by the Citizens for Downtown Revitalization at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the Hank Williams Museum Meeting Hall. If you are concerned for the future of downtown, we strongly encourage you to attend and let your concerns be heard.

Nathan R. Norris is a Montgomery developer.


Montgomery Advertiser

[RSAHort]

I for one do not agree with the idea that just because someone lives in a 'border' town they do not have credibility or shouldn't contribute. Not everybody can live downtown or wants to for that matter. That shouldn't discount their ideas. I don't want to live downtown...even it it was the thriving place everyone here seems to dream of. Thats just not me. That said, I still would like downtown to be a great place to go eat and have a good time with lots of choices. I first found this site looking for pics of the RSA Tower in Mobile. It just so happened to have a Montgomery section. I don't contribute much...I mostly like to read others posts and opinions about things going on and upcoming projects. Lets not 'kick' people just because they might not live here. As far as I am concerned, people from all the surrounding communities of Montgomery are welcome. They just as much as the citizens of Montgomery will have just as much to do with a successful downtown area. And by that I mean the ones visiting and spending money in the restaurants and other venues.

[OldCloverdale]

any of y'all have any comments on the state capitol in Tallahassee?

BEFORE:







AFTER:

[thoraudio]

A singular tall structure flanked by a pair of spheroid objects.

nope. no comments at all.

[| BRAVO |]

It's hideous. It would be sad to have such an atrocity destroy the integrity of a historic structure... for the entire state.

[thoraudio]

On a more serious note, I think it emphasizes the need for a unifying theme in the capitol area.

The current (AL) capitol and the building flanking it had a unifying theme (albeit unfinished). The addition of the Gordon Persons building was a bad choice, and subtracted from the area.

Take a look at this pic.

Other than taking up a city block, the Persons building doesn't add to the Capitol grounds, it takes away.

But, if the legislature ever does actually build their building (and doesn't use the old Pizitz/One Court Square building), look the parking lot behind the Capitol.

local.live

A 4 or 5 story building would fill in the area nicely, and wouldn't ruin the view from the fountain up Dexter.

[kevinlpugh]

By Hilary Funk




Three new hotels are set to open near The Shoppes at East­Chase, joining three existing ho­tels.

The 66-room Sleep Inn & Suites on Chantilly Parkway, the 106-room Holiday Inn Ex­press Hotel & Suites on Boyd-Cooper Parkway and the 102-room Hampton Inn & Suites at EastChase have been operat­ing and reporting good busi­ness.

In the spring, a 92-room Stay­bridge Suites will open at East­Chase, in addition to an 80-room Comfort Inn on Chantilly Park­way. A third new hotel at East­Chase is under development, but details have not been re­leased.

UniHost Inc. owns the Hamp­ton Inn & Suites and the Stay­bridge Suites.

"We are very pleased with business at EastChase and are very happy to be there," Un­iHost Vice President Mary Wan­sley said from her office in At­lanta.

Wansley didn't have exact hotel occupancy rates, but she did say business was good, espe­cially during football season.

"Auburn football is impor­tant to us," she said.

Millard Williams, general manger of the Holiday Inn Ex­press, said business has been good since the hotel opened in May 2005.

"We think that the Montgom­ery market is a good market and it's growing," Williams said. "Fortunately for us, the growth seems to be heading out east."

Williams said occupancy rates are generally high and steady.

"We are doing real well, and we feel very fortunate that we got in early on the stage. We feel real fortunate that we had the foresight to do that," he said.

Dawn Hathcock, vice presi­dent of Convention and Visitor Bureau of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, said the new hotels in east Montgomery are following a larger trend in Montgomery.

"I really think that tourism and hotel-building is growing throughout the city as a whole. Obviously, there's a lot of activi­ty downtown as well as on the east side. The groups that build these hotels, they do their re­search," and know where the best sites are, Hathcock said.

Part of that research in­cluded east Montgomery's shop­ping and dining options.

"One of the number one things that people like to do when they're out of town is shop, and obviously dining is high on the list," Hathcock said, adding that the proximity to In­terstate 85 is another plus. "It's easy to get to downtown, it's easy to get to the Shakespeare Festival, and it's easy access by virtue by the interstate."

[bystander1]

After 7 years of procrastination....


Montgomery's Alleyway Project A 'Done Deal'

Updated: Jan 24, 2008 05:59 PM CST

Construction Just Around The Corner On Montgomery's Downtown Alleyway


It's back on track and full steam ahead for the so-called alleyway project in downtown Montgomery.

"It's a done deal," said Jeff Downes, Executive Assistant to Mayor Bobby Bright.

One year from now expect an entirely different look, nothing like the shattered past of neglect and brokenness. The alleyway is located at the corner of Commerce and Tallapoosa Streets and right now it's home to some vacant warehouses that clearly had seen better days.

"There will be restaurants, cafe tables outside, people strolling through and shops,' Downes said.

In other words it'll have a New Orleans style feel to it, but getting the concept off paper wasn't easy. All 7 property owners had to make some hard, hard choices.

"They had to agree to deed a portion of what they own in the alleyway to the city as well as agree to fix up their facade with their own money," said Downes.

In fact, WSFA 12 News interviewed Downes on a balcony that had already been constructed by one of the private property owners. It overlooks at the alleyway.

Greg Allen, for one, initially had reservations whether the idea, first proposed 7 years ago in a city master plan study, even made sense.

"I really didn't understand that plans all that well," Allen said.

Now Allen is on board. The alleyway's formal entrance will begin at Allen's building on Commerce Street with the rear of his building exiting to the alleyway.

The property owners even had doubts whether or not the downtown Marriott Renaissance Hotel and Spa would be built. Now it's here. The hotel is less than a block away.

And much like the hotel the alleyway is costing a bundle. For property owners, millions of dollars to do their part. The city and county are forking over a million, all of it coming from taxes collected from properties that have appreciated in downtown. Jeff Downes knows there may be critics, wondering if this is a good use of public money, especially in light of all the talk about a national recession.

Reporter: "What if this doesn't work?"

Downes: "It will work. Remember, this is a long term project."

Allen adds 'if you stay stagnant, you won't grow.'

Construction is expected to begin in mid-March and wrap up 6 months later.

Reporter: Bryan Henry

http://wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=7770969

****************************
OK, soapbox time...

TRULY UNBELIEVEABLE. 7 years behind schedule, and it's revealed that the ones who truly held up this project were the very ones who say they want to do something to bring more business and people downtown, the very property owners themselves.

To say they didn't believe the hotel would be built is totally asinine!!! Shouldn't they have known something was going down after the groundbreaking and cranes went up for it 3 YEARS AGO?!!!

Now we'll have to wait another year before we can stroll down the "alley" before the Biscuits games...

....la-li-gaging....

[midwestrabbi]

The Alley Way project was one that I was looking forward to. To me it seemd like this project should have been one of the first completed, with the Riverwalk Stadium and Brew - Pub across the street. For those in the know, does anyone remember the building that was supposed to be built at the corner of Commerce and Bibb. One building was to be a office building and the other was to be a hotel. And there was to be a mall area in between. I believe that the office building was to be 15 floors and the hotel was to be either 10 or 12, and Jim Wilson was to build it. Now my question in the past 25 years how many " if " projects has downtown Montgomery had, that were never developed or built ? Great Topic

[bystander1]

Originally Posted by midwestrabbi

For those in the know, does anyone remember the building that was supposed to be built at the corner of Commerce and Bibb. One building was to be a office building and the other was to be a hotel. And there was to be a mall area in between. I believe that the office building was to be 15 floors and the hotel was to be either 10 or 12, and Jim Wilson was to build it. Now my question in the past 25 years how many " if " projects has downtown Montgomery had, that were never developed or built ? Great Topic

I remember. Wilson wanted to build a 15-18 story hotel with retail on the bottom floor that would connect to an expanded civic center. The former mayor wasn't a bit interested in expanding the civic center at the time, so away went Wilson and the proposed hotel.

The other proposed building on that site was a 16 story Colonial Bank building. Bobby Lowder wanted the city to build a parking deck dedicated to the bank only. The city was already in the process of building a parking deck nearby and wasn't willing to build Lowder his own deck at the same time, so away went Lowder and the proposed bank building (to east Montgomery).

[thoraudio]

There were also plans to renovate the Frank Leu building at that site that never moved foward.

Link to the history