Huntsville updates

[bestdeception]

Originally Posted by JuanHunt

Best Buy is looking to move too. A store with a larger floorplan is in the works.

Best Buy is still on the "master" plan of Bridge Street, but I don't know if that's still a possible move for them. Originally they planned to move besides Sports Authority.

[neilson]

Originally Posted by bestdeception

Best Buy is still on the "master" plan of Bridge Street, but I don't know if that's still a possible move for them. Originally they planned to move besides Sports Authority.

That is incredibly stupid and ethically wrong for Best Buy to leave University Drive. They should not allow for their current center to go dead.

[chris21718]

Businesses seldom have any motive behind a move than relocating to a place where they can increase their profits. They care nothing about a particular building or shopping center once they move out, unless they themselves own it.

[| BRAVO |]

BINGO! I haven't been to University Drive in years. I used to visit Madison Square Mall occasionally in high school with a buddy from Huntsville.
I can remember Old Navy and Linens-n-Things being across from the mall.
Sounds disheartening now.

[gkcooper]

I just got this today from Border's (Waldenbooks)

On 1/24/2009 we will be closing our Waldenbooks store at
Madison Square Mall

[chris21718]

I was in the mall the other day and saw that Waldenbooks was closing. It's sad that all of the kinds of stores I associated with malls when younger have mostly gone. Record stores and book stores were always in malls. I remember when we 2: B. Dalton downstairs and Waldenbooks upstairs, and the B. Dalton closed back in the 1990s. I'm guessing it was 1995 or 1996 shortly after Bookstar opened on University Drive. Back in the day, there weren't many large book stores like Barnes and Noble and Books-a-Million around. I think Books-a-Million was the first large one in town which took over half of the old Loveman's store (with Toys R Us) at the old mall called "The Mall". I'm surprised that Waldenbooks lasted as long as they did with Barnes and Noble right across the street. In many other cities, the Waldenbooks stores were improved to take over two or three store spaces and have a much larger store and selection than the old small ones like Parkway City Mall and Madison Square had. The whole "pay so much a year to get a percentage off all the books you buy" that has to be repaid yearly tends to favor the larger store with the best selection, and I finally stopped renewing my Walden card and just used my Barnes and Noble one.

But anyway, I hate that Walden is closing. I have many good memories from that Madison Square store, and I knew a lot of people who worked there through the years. I remember Waldensoftware as well, before they got assimilated into Electronics Boutique. They had a lot of computer technical books and magazines, and actual software -- not just games, games, games.

I think Waldenbooks is one of the few original tenants that is in its original space from the opening of the mall.

[g-man435]

Huntsville's stimulus package requested:


City/State/Program/Project description/Funding required/Jobs

Huntsville AL CDBG Lowe Mill and Terry Heights Neighborhood Parks 1,000,000 47
Huntsville AL CDBG Clinton Avenue Streetscape Improvement 1,500,000 70
Huntsville AL CDBG Food Co‐op/Grocery Store for Terry Heights Neighborhood 1,500,000 70
Huntsville AL CDBG Ligh3ng and Repaving Public Parking Lots 1,500,000 70
Huntsville AL CDBG Holmes Avenue Bridge Replacement 2,000,000 95
Huntsville AL CDBG Clinton Avenue Bridge Replacement 2,500,000 120
Huntsville AL CDBG Meridian Street Improvements Phase II 2,600,000 120
Huntsville AL CDBG Courthouse Square Improvement Project 2,873,000 135
Huntsville AL CDBG Infrastructure and Drainage Improvements: Terry Heights and Lowe
Mill Neighborhoods 10,000,000 470
Huntsville AL CDBG Neighborhood Stabiliza3on: Terry Heights and Lowe Mill
Neighborhoods 12,000,000 565
Huntsville AL CDBG 3 Parking Garages 40,000,000 1880
Huntsville AL Energy Natatorium Back Pa3o Renova3on 200,000 10
Huntsville AL Energy Library HVAC and Chiller Retrofit 400,000 20
Huntsville AL Energy Hays Preserve Building‐ New Green LEED Building 750,000 35
Huntsville AL Energy New Green LEED Goldsmith Schiffman PreserveBuilding 750,000 35
Huntsville AL Energy Greenbrier Fire Sta3on 1,660,000 75
Huntsville AL Energy Alterna3ve (Rapid) Fueling Sta3on 1,700,000 80
Huntsville AL Energy Green Cove Fire Sta3on 1,700,000 80
Huntsville AL Energy Brahan Spring Park Landscape Management Facility 2,000,000 100
Huntsville AL Energy Energy Efficiency Upgrades to Calvary Hills and West Side
Neighborhood Recrea3on Centers 2,000,000 100
Huntsville AL Energy North Huntsville Public Safety Facility 2,200,000 105
Huntsville AL Energy LED Traffic Signaliza3on and Incandescent Ligh3ng Improvements 5,000,000 235
Huntsville AL Energy New Energy Efficient Fleet Building 5,000,000 235
Huntsville AL Housing Replacement of ligh3ng at various sites 500,000 25
Huntsville AL Housing Roofing at various sites 3,000,000 50
Huntsville AL Housing Replacement of bathroom fixtures at various sites 1,700,000 80
Huntsville AL Housing Repain3ng units at various sites 2,700,000 125
Huntsville AL Housing Installa3on of energy efficient windows at various sites 4,500,000 200
Huntsville AL Housing Rehabilita3on of 150 mul3family units 12,000,000 560
Huntsville AL Housing Construc3on of Gateway Place senior housing facility 16,000,000 750
Huntsville AL Public Safety Crime Preven3on through Crime Analysis Program‐Sobware
purchase 65,000 0
Huntsville AL Public Safety Mobile Repor3ng Program‐ Replacing 225 police in‐car mobile data
terminals 1,020,000 0
Huntsville AL Public Safety Mobile Video Program‐Installa3on of 175 in‐car mobile video
systems 1,050,000 0
Huntsville AL Public Safety Safety Advancement for Everyone (S.A.F.E.) Program‐Purchase of
equipment and training 350,000 0
Huntsville AL Public Safety Fill vacant police officer posi3ons 875,000 17
Huntsville AL Schools East Side Recrea3onal Facility 3,000,000 140
Huntsville AL Schools South Side Recrea3onal Facility 4,000,000 190
Huntsville AL Schools West Side Recrea3onal Facility 4,000,000 190
Huntsville AL Schools Big Cove Elementary School 22,000,000 1030
Huntsville AL Schools Lee High School 45,000,000 2100
Huntsville AL Schools Local Public School Moderniza3on/IT Upgrade/Energy Conserva3on
50,000,000 2350
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Lake Four Repairs at Research Park 600,000 30
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Providence Main Street Streetscape 1,000,000 47
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Flint River Greenway Phase II 1,500,000 60
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Stonemark Infrastructure Improvements 1,500,000 70
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Taylor Road Extension 1,500,000 70
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Extension of Big Cove Rd to Big Cove Creek 2,000,000 95
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Balch Road 2,500,000 120
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads California Street Bridge Project 2,500,000 120
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Franklin Street Bridge Project 2,500,000 120
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Galla3n Street Bridge Project 2,500,000 120
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Madison Street Bridge Project 2,500,000 120
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Taylor Lane Widening 2,500,000 120
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Townsend Street Bridge Project 2,500,000 120
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Explorer Blvd Extension 3,000,000 140
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Old Madison Pike Improvements 3,841,000 180
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Nance Road Improvements 4,000,000 190
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Road Extension Research Park 4,000,000 190
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Beadle Lane Improvements 5,000,000 235
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Church Street Bridge Project 5,000,000 235
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Jeff Road Widening 5,000,000 235
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Hobbs Island Bridge Project 6,000,000 280
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Lifle Cove Road and Lifle Cove Greenway 6,500,000 300
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Dug Hill Road/US 431 Intersec3on Improvements 7,100,000 330
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Mar3n Road Bridge Project 10,000,000 470
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Resurfacing various streets 10,000,000 470
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Governors Drive Phase II 11,000,000 520
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Mar3n Road Widening (Redstone Gate to West of Wall Triana
Streets/Roads) 20,000,000 940
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Infrastructure Improvements for Redstone Arsenal EUL 50,000,000 2350
Huntsville AL Streets/Roads Memorial Parkway South Overpass (Byrd Springs/Lily Flagg/Mar3n
Rd) for Improved Mobility to Redstone Arsenal 53,000,000 2400
Huntsville AL Transit Procure 15 transit buses with alterna3ve fuel capability 3,750,000 0
Huntsville AL Transit Replace 2 trolley buses @ $250,000 each 500,000 0
Huntsville AL Transit Updated Transit Center Message Board 15,000 0
Huntsville AL Transit Install 15 bus camera systems @$5000 each 75,000 3
Huntsville AL Transit Replace bus stop signs and bus maps 25,000 5
Huntsville AL Transit Install 25 bus shelters @ $5000 per shelter 125,000 6
Huntsville AL Water County Line Road Sewer Extension 630,000 30
Huntsville AL Water Flint River Sewer Extension 735,000 35
Huntsville AL Water Sewer Abatement Infrastructure Projects 750,000 35
Huntsville AL Water Big Cove Sewer Rehabilita3on 800,000 40
Huntsville AL Water Chemical Root Control Applica3on for Spring Branch and Aldridge
Creek Sanitary Sewer Basins 800,000 40
Huntsville AL Water Knox Creek Sewer Extension 787,500 40
Huntsville AL Water Sanitary Sewer Rehabilita3on: Test and Seal Chemical Grou3ng 800,000 40
Huntsville AL Water Logan/Vermont Pump Sta3on Upgrade 1,000,000 47
Huntsville AL Water Spring Branch WWTP ‐ Digester Upgrade 1,000,000 47
Huntsville AL Water Sanitary Sewer Rehabilita3on: Sanitary Sewer Evalua3onSurveys
(SSES) 1,200,000 55
Huntsville AL Water Sanitary Sewer Rehabilita3on: Cured In Place Pipe Installa3on 1,400,000 65
Huntsville AL Water Sanitary Sewer Rehabilita3on: Manhole Rehabilita3on for Spring
Branch & Aldridge Creek Service Basins 2,300,000 100
Huntsville AL Water Ware Park Sewer Project 2,126,000 100
Huntsville AL Water Restore Historic Big Spring Park Drainage Basin 3,000,000 140
Huntsville AL Water Sanitary Sewer Rehabilita3on: Line Replacement 3,500,000 165
Huntsville AL Water Western Area Forcemain Phase III 3,916,500 185
Huntsville AL Water Western Area Interceptor Phase IV 4,095,000 190
Huntsville AL Water Western Area Pump Sta3on Phase II 4,011,000 190
Huntsville AL Water Sanitary Sewer Rehabilita3on: Pipe Burs3ng 4,200,000 200
Huntsville AL Water Western Area 16" Forecemain Phase VI 4,200,000 200
Huntsville AL Water Western Area Interceptor Phase V 4,242,000 200
Huntsville AL Water Flood Mi3ga3on and Drainage Improvements 4,645,000 220
Huntsville AL Water Sewer Capacity Assurance Program and Expansion 5,500,000 260
Huntsville AL Water Redstone Arsenal EUL Sewer 7,000,000 330

[gkcooper]

Maybe my job will dry up so that I can go install LED traffic lights underneath a big red banner with a hammer and sickle.

[Colin Giersberg]

Well, it looks like the Certificate of Need Board has ruled in favor of Huntsville Hospital for Madison's new hospital, but Crestwood has 90 days to review their options. Maybe this will end the turmoil.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by Colin Giersberg

Well, it looks like the Certificate of Need Board has ruled in favor of Huntsville Hospital for Madison's new hospital, but Crestwood has 90 days to review their options. Maybe this will end the turmoil.

What a stupid messed up system,going on what? 5 years and it could still be 2-3 years before the hospital is finished. Does Hoover Al have a hospital? I'm not questioning the need, it is, but Hoover a city larger and growing faster doesn't have one either I don't believe.

[| BRAVO |]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

What a stupid messed up system,going on what? 5 years and it could still be 2-3 years before the hospital is finished. Does Hoover Al have a hospital? I'm not questioning the need, it is, but Hoover a city larger and growing faster doesn't have one either I don't believe.

Hoover does not have a hospital but the push in on.
Princeton Hoover to be exact.

Is this for a satellite facility for Huntsville Hospital?

[Huntsvillenative]

Does anyone know anything about this? It's to be on the corner of HW72 W and Jeff RD. What all is it supposed to feature?

[HSVTiger]

The apartment complex is interesting as it is located across from the historic town of Mooresville an area at the moment lacking in services but within a mile of the I-565/I-65 interchange but now that may change with this apartment complex. Very easy access to Decatur/Hartselle/Athens/Madison,West Huntsville.

Times Staff Writer [email protected]
Development of 35 lots would be group's largest

City planners granted layout approval Wednesday for a 35-lot Habitat for Humanity subdivision in Huntsville.

The 11-acre site is just north of Winchester Road on the east side of Blue Spring Road across the street from Lighthouse Pentecostal Church.

In other business Wednesday, the subdivision committee granted layout approval for a 528-unit apartment complex called Limestone Creek Apartments near the northeast corner of I-565 and Mooresville Road.

The panel also approved layout plans for a residential/commercial development at the former Monrovia Golf Course site near University Drive and Jeff Road. The 84-acre tract, called Watercress Subdivision, will feature a 324-unit apartment complex along with space for offices and retail stores.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by | BRAVO |

Hoover does not have a hospital but the push in on.
Princeton Hoover to be exact.

Is this for a satellite facility for Huntsville Hospital?

More or less, but it will be a full service 60-90 bed facility as of now but I things can change

Sixty (60) all private rooms
Cardiac services
Outpatient services
24-Hour Emergency Dept.
Surgical facilities
Laboratory
Labor and Delivery facilities
Pediatrics
Imaging
Medical services
Physical therapy
Isolation rooms
Intensive Care services
Recovery rooms
Sleep Center
It will be interesting to see how long the Hoover process takes, Madison had two hospitals fighting over who would build. If Hoover has just one player then it probably won't take long.
HH already has a large prescence in the area..

[Huntsville_secede]

Eateries slashing prices, closing doors
Thursday, January 22, 2009 Special Sections
[email protected]

Mortgage meltdowns, rising unemployment rates and general uneasy economic times are flavoring Huntsville's restaurant scene.

New menus with lower prices are enticing diners to some eateries, while tighter budgets signal the end for others.

Le Bistro du Soleil on the corner of South Side Square and Franklin Street closed its doors on New Year's Eve, and owner Jay Hendricks has no plans to reopen. It operated there for nearly six years.

http://www.al.com/huntsvilletimes/stories/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/1232619415263730.xml&coll=1

[HSVTiger]

Merrimack Village rezoning change will really help this area become the next
hot spot for neighborhood revitalization

City Council changed the zoning for Merrimack Mill Village from R2 to R1B.

The nearly 120-acre subdivision with just under 300 homes from R-2 District to R-1 District.

The change, sought by the Merrimack Mill Village Organization, would limit residences to single-family dwellings and churches. The current R-2 zoning allows those and also duplexes and dwellings built to the lot line.

Merrimack Mill, built in 1900 with a major expansion in 1903, was the first textile mill in Huntsville and employed about 1900 workers. It burned in 1992 but rows and rows of the mill homes remain.
The newly renovated Merrimack Hall


photo from Huntsville Public Library

[HSVTiger]

A view of the I-565/Greenbrier interchange which is set to be improved.
Visible are some of the business in the area as well as the huge Target
distribution center. It covers 1,357,472 S.F
This could be the main exit to Audi if they decide to build a separate plant and if they were to pick the site VW had it's eye on. A lot of if's.

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Something to keep an eye on, upgrades and improvement are still planned on the I-565/Greenbrier interchange and work is underway at the I-65/Tanner interchange. (Something is prompting this)
The new Robotics school at Calhoun in Decatur is pushing forward
By KEITH CLINES
Times Staff Writer [email protected]
$71M complex will 'lead nation' in new methods

DECATUR - As a robot handed him a shovel at a ground-breaking ceremony Wednesday, Gov. Bob Riley said a $71 million robotics complex will help keep the state on the leading edge of technology needed for economic development.

"I want us to take work force development and job training to a different level," he said.
Riley headed a long list of state and local officials gathered under a tent in an open field at the ceremony for the Advanced Technology Robotics Research and Development Complex. The training and development center across from Calhoun Community College will have the capacity to train 450 people a year to operate robot machines when it opens in two years."

Earlier it was said that Huntsville was still high on VW's list for possible future work. It may still be done at the Chattanooga site but we shall see.

Audi U.S. plant decision coming by mid-2009
Alisa Priddle / The Detroit News
Audi AG will make a decision on a U.S. plant by mid-2009, said Peter Schwarzenbauer, board member in charge of marketing and sales.
The German automaker is weighing whether to build a stand alone assembly plant or to share the $1 billion plant that Volkswagen AG has under construction in Chattanooga, Tenn., that is slated to begin production in early 2011.
One factor in the decision is the timing and lifecycle of the products that will be built in the U.S., said Johan de Nysschen, Audi of America Inc. president.
VW also is considering building an engine plant in the U.S.

[HSVTiger]

a few miles west at the I-65 interchange a Bass Pro/ Sweetwater update from WAFF. A lot of big if's on this one too.

DECATUR, AL (WAFF) - Many new business ventures are being scaled back during our nation's economic crisis.

Some projects, like Decatur's Sweetwater project, were already in the works before the economy began to have problems.

There's been some talk about Sweetwater being downsized.

There have even been e-mails sent out saying the project will become merely an outlet center and the whole project will be downsized.

Barney Lovelace is the attorney for the developer of Sweet Water.

"The Sweetwater development, just like practically all retail development, across the country came to a grinding halt, the last two quarters of '08.

Lovelace says as far as he's concerned that e-mail is just gossip.

He says the proximity to the interstate advantages still make this a lucrative project.

"I went out week before last to Springfield Missouri, with my client, the developer, and met with the president and CFO of BASS," said Lovelace. "They're still committed to Decatur and this site. As soon as the economy and the credit markets get straightened out, we'll resume."

He says they're ready to move when the economy and credit markets look a little more stable.

He says that could be in 2010, at the latest.

"This has always been a project that was always going to be a 6 to 8 to 10 year build out," said Lovelace. "The first phase of it was 125, our contract with the owner of the property for the eventual purchase of all the land...the 540 acres, so no we do not have any plans to downsize."

The residential section of the project is also still an important component, according to Lovelace.

[HSVTiger]

Boeing Huntsville recognized

By MARIAN ACCARDI
Times Business Writer [email protected]
Longtime employer has played vital role in U.S. space, defense programs

In September 1984, Boeing announced plans to consolidate its local operations at a campus to be built at Jetplex Industrial Park, wedged between the runways of the airport. It was a huge expansion announcement, with top Boeing executives, Gov. George Wallace and local and state leaders on hand.

Today, Boeing, which first moved into Huntsville in 1962, is the No. 3 Huntsville/Madison County employer, behind the Army and Huntsville Hospital.

The main Huntsville facility is a $150 million, 690,000-square-foot, four-building complex on 110 acres. The company's Huntsville work force includes more than 3,100 employees at 17 locations.

Boeing Huntsville was recognized Thursday for its long-time commitment here by being named the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce's Industry of the Year at the chamber's 73rd annual membership meeting. Modeled after the chamber's annual Small Business Awards program, the Industry of the Year recognition is limited to companies with 350 or more local employees.

The company has been "at the forefront of our economic and job growth in our targeted aerospace and defense industry," said Jim Bolte, the senior vice president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, last year's winner. "With an emphasis on innovation, this company has played a vital role in building the nation's space and defense programs for more than 45 years."

The largest aerospace company in Alabama and one of the state's largest employers, Boeing contributes about $1.2 billion each year to the Alabama economy, through direct jobs and more than 435 Alabama suppliers and vendors, Bolte said.


"Boeing is a very progressive company, on the leading edge of technology," said Brian Hilson, the Chamber's president and CEO. The company also stays "strongly engaged" in community activities.

"They give back."

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

a few miles west at the I-65 interchange a Bass Pro/ Sweetwater update from WAFF. A lot of big if's on this one too.

DECATUR, AL (WAFF) - Many new business ventures are being scaled back during our nation's economic crisis.

Some projects, like Decatur's Sweetwater project, were already in the works before the economy began to have problems.

There's been some talk about Sweetwater being downsized.

There have even been e-mails sent out saying the project will become merely an outlet center and the whole project will be downsized.

Barney Lovelace is the attorney for the developer of Sweet Water.

"The Sweetwater development, just like practically all retail development, across the country came to a grinding halt, the last two quarters of '08.

Lovelace says as far as he's concerned that e-mail is just gossip.

He says the proximity to the interstate advantages still make this a lucrative project.

"I went out week before last to Springfield Missouri, with my client, the developer, and met with the president and CFO of BASS," said Lovelace. "They're still committed to Decatur and this site. As soon as the economy and the credit markets get straightened out, we'll resume."

He says they're ready to move when the economy and credit markets look a little more stable.

He says that could be in 2010, at the latest.

"This has always been a project that was always going to be a 6 to 8 to 10 year build out," said Lovelace. "The first phase of it was 125, our contract with the owner of the property for the eventual purchase of all the land...the 540 acres, so no we do not have any plans to downsize."

The residential section of the project is also still an important component, according to Lovelace.

I don't expect any downsizing. It's only a matter of time before shopping center developers start jumping at the opportunity to build at the interchange, so I don't see any reason the developers would want to wary about how much the build. While the economy would have some effect on the business at the place at the moment, stores that would locate there would fill a void that currently is enormous in the Decatur market, even a little bit of the Huntsville market. I agree, it's just gossip.