Huntsville updates

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by Alabadrock

there's no height limit in research park

or in most of downtown/Medical District, just the historic CBD, blocks around the courthouse square, with buffers next to Twickenham and Old town.
But because no one has shown exactly the area in question everyone assumes
the whole area. May 22 will see this clarified and I believe the whole thing
will probably be rejected and sent back for revision. There are projects/proposals that may challenge this stupid limit.

[HSVTiger]

This summer a great air show at Huntsville International
the Golden Knights, The Blue Angels and much more



http://www.hsvairport.org/airshow/index.html

[TimCity2000]

I mean look at Mobile(nice city),they have a 34 story RSA building.34 stories! And they are I thought to be slightly smaller of a city than Huntsville?

Mobile is bigger than Huntsville.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by TimCity2000

Mobile is bigger than Huntsville.

For now

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Some pics of the Madison project, looks similar to Constellation, parts of it anyway.

Some comments from the Madison Council meeting

Mayor Sandy Kirkindall also announced that the city was notified last week that its bond rating went up two points from a AA-minus to a AA-plus.

"That's like getting 150 points added to your credit score," he said.

The council also approved two changes to the city's zoning ordinance to establish a mixed-use zoning district and create a traditional neighborhood development.

Both will give developers more flexibility in designing innovative projects like Providence and Bridge Street in Huntsville.

Resident Bill Fuller told the council he was concerned about how the new zoning designations could impact existing neighborhoods if multi-story hotels or gas stations are allowed within those new districts that would not be allowed under the existing ordinances.

Councilman Tim Cowles, who also sits on the city's planning commission, said the new zoning ordinances simply allow builders flexibility to be creative with multiple uses in a large area - but within a unified concept.

Joe Gehrdes, governmental affairs liaison with the builders association, called the changes "excellent ideas in light of the competitive nature of development right now."

Both zoning amendments were unanimously approved and will allow developments such as the billion-dollar project Kirkindall announced last week that will add 4 million square feet of shopping, dining, entertainment, residential, hotel and office space to the city.

Jennings said council members were notified about the announcement an hour before Kirkindall made it at the annual State of the City address Thursday night.

"While I and the others fully support this development, in the future we would like adequate notification for such major announcements," said Jennings, who is running for mayor in the August city elections. "It happened, it was unfortunate and I hope the future is brighter."

After the meeting, Kirkindall said he made the announcement Thursday at the request of the developer because a legal ad about the project was scheduled to appear in a Friday newspaper. Anyone see this?

"They did not want the legal ad to be the public announcement of the development," Kirkindall said. "I wish we could've given the council more notice but it just didn't work out that way."
http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/120946054729760.xml&coll=1&thispage=1

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Great news for Decatur.

http://decaturdaily.com/stories/9860.html

The city school system is now the first in the state to offer all three stages of the IB Programme. The city was the first and currently only school system to offer the Primary Years programme, and now the Middle Years programme.

So, Decatur City Schools now contains 7 IB schools. I think the school system with the next most has...1.

[neilson]

Originally Posted by Alabadrock

Great news for Decatur.

http://decaturdaily.com/stories/9860.html

The city school system is now the first in the state to offer all three stages of the IB Programme. The city was the first and currently only school system to offer the Primary Years programme, and now the Middle Years programme.

So, Decatur City Schools now contains 7 IB schools. I think the school system with the next most has...1.

What makes IB better then AP? Or is it a case of similar yet distinctive different like SAT vs. ACT?

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by neilson

What makes IB better then AP? Or is it a case of similar yet distinctive different like SAT vs. ACT?

Hmmm, well, the easy way to say it would be...if you graduate from an IB school, it's pretty much like graduating from any highschool in the world. AP is usually called "college level", which is true. But, the IB kids are usually on completely different schedules from the rest of the student body and take classes like Theory of Knowledge. A lot of people think it's a load of crap, but ask a student that successfully graduated from the IB programme and they'll probably tell you that they had a lot of choices about where to go to college.

A lot of my friends were in the IB programme when I was in HS, and believe me AP coursework has nothing on the IB workload.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Some comments from the Madison Council meeting

Mayor Sandy Kirkindall also announced that the city was notified last week that its bond rating went up two points from a AA-minus to a AA-plus.

"That's like getting 150 points added to your credit score," he said.

The council also approved two changes to the city's zoning ordinance to establish a mixed-use zoning district and create a traditional neighborhood development.

Both will give developers more flexibility in designing innovative projects like Providence and Bridge Street in Huntsville.

Resident Bill Fuller told the council he was concerned about how the new zoning designations could impact existing neighborhoods if multi-story hotels or gas stations are allowed within those new districts that would not be allowed under the existing ordinances.

Councilman Tim Cowles, who also sits on the city's planning commission, said the new zoning ordinances simply allow builders flexibility to be creative with multiple uses in a large area - but within a unified concept.

Joe Gehrdes, governmental affairs liaison with the builders association, called the changes "excellent ideas in light of the competitive nature of development right now."

Both zoning amendments were unanimously approved and will allow developments such as the billion-dollar project Kirkindall announced last week that will add 4 million square feet of shopping, dining, entertainment, residential, hotel and office space to the city.

Jennings said council members were notified about the announcement an hour before Kirkindall made it at the annual State of the City address Thursday night.

"While I and the others fully support this development, in the future we would like adequate notification for such major announcements," said Jennings, who is running for mayor in the August city elections. "It happened, it was unfortunate and I hope the future is brighter."

After the meeting, Kirkindall said he made the announcement Thursday at the request of the developer because a legal ad about the project was scheduled to appear in a Friday newspaper. Anyone see this?

"They did not want the legal ad to be the public announcement of the development," Kirkindall said. "I wish we could've given the council more notice but it just didn't work out that way."
http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/news/120946054729760.xml&coll=1&thispage=1

Some more from WAFF, this thing has a long way to go in a short time if they want to start this summer

"a new school is planned to fulfill the need of an expanding community that's already out-grown the states largest high school, Bob Jones.

Kirkendall says there's been no discussion on the level of incentives the city would pay the Wann Springs Development, the group set to build the development.

Kirkendall says they still need the high school, and the new development would increase both sales and property tax to pay for a school as well as other projects like roads.

The development agreement is still months away.

Once it's done, the money the development will still have to be approved by the city council. "

[marvingardns]

Not surprisingly, I've been left unimpressed with Madison's PR work on this announcement. Their city council sure knew how to rain on Sandy's parade.

Madison reminds me of Poland before the 18th century partitions.

[jonnie256]

I thought Sparkman High School was the largest school in the state? Does anyone know when they are suppose to start building the super walmart on the corner of Balch rd and hwy 72? B/c I live off East Limetstone rd and it would be alot easier access to it other than traveling to athens or huntsville!

[Huntsville_secede]

Originally Posted by jonnie256

I thought Sparkman High School was the largest school in the state? Does anyone know when they are suppose to start building the super walmart on the corner of Balch rd and hwy 72? B/c I live off East Limetstone rd and it would be alot easier access to it other than traveling to athens or huntsville!

Bob Jones has more students than Sparkman, i believe Sparkman is second in the state though.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by Huntsville_secede

Bob Jones has more students than Sparkman, i believe Sparkman is second in the state though.

\

Murphy in Mobile is second.

[jonnie256]

When is Constellation suppose to be started to build? I really hope they put a Cheesecake Factory restraunt there!

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by jonnie256

When is Constellation suppose to be started to build? I really hope they put a Cheesecake Factory restraunt there!

If you have time you might go back through the posts. Start about 25 pages back and cruise through them. There will not be a Cheesecake Factory at Constellation.

[jonnie256]

Ok this is bad!...MONTGOMERY has a taller building than Huntsville.LOL they have a RSA building like mobile and it is just over 400ft tall! And Mobile's RSA building is even taller than that! Huntsville needs a RSA building. I think Huntsville is building too many shopping plaza's.... Huntsville would look really good with some 15-30 story buildings with the mountains in the back ground.

[Jacknah]

If someone really wants to build a tall building, they ought to simply sue the city if the city government tried to stop them. The city would back down, because if they didn't they would risk losing the case which would require the elimination of the height limits everywhere.

Alternatively, they could bribe members of the Planning Commission and/or City Council. I think this is the real intention of the height regulations. They're just setting up obstacles in order to get bribe money to remove the obstacles. I've dealt in real estate, and I know this kind of stuff goes on all the time behind the scenes. When a restriction is lifted, there's a good chance that that's what happened behind closed doors. They'll concoct a different story for the news on why the restriction was lifted, and the public never knows any better.

[Port_of_Bama]

Originally Posted by Alabadrock

\

Murphy in Mobile is second.

The City-Data Website says :

Murphy High (Mobile) 2,369

Hoover High 2,044

Prattvile High 1,965

Virgil Grissom High(Huntsville) 1,916

Theodore High (Mobile) 1,719

Mar G Montgomery (Mobile) 1,699

Oak Mounatin (B-ham) 1,650

Lee High (Montgomery) 1,564


BOb Jones(Madison) 1,506


based on 2006 student High school population who knows now City-Data.com

[TimCity2000]

in the past 2 or 3 pages, we've had like 4 first-time posters from the huntsville area. welcome everyone!

[midwestrabbi]

I think Prattville is two or three in student population, check it out they have over 2200 students. I just read on the city-data.com site where they say 1990 in school population in Prattville High.