Huntsville updates

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Gah Bravo! Way to call out my incontinence issues! Don't worry, I saw your little disclaimer and went to relieve myself before I read the article

[Rail Claimore]

Oh wow, with this and Free The Hops passing (assuming the gov signs it), dare I say Alabama is actually moving out of the dark ages and becoming a respectable state?

[ThatGuy]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Light rail idea presented..

He is president and CEO of River Country Development, and has gathered a team of light-rail allies, including regional engineering, real estate, construction and financial services companies, and local architect and planner John Goodrum.

If this team is so sure that the light rail system is a great idea then they should raise the capital to build it themselves. I doubt the city or state would stand in their way. Why do taxpayers always have to pay for these things? It seems to me that the only people who will benefit for certain are the people listed above who will be paid to build this system.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by ThatGuy

If this team is so sure that the light rail system is a great idea then they should raise the capital to build it themselves. I doubt the city or state would stand in their way. Why do taxpayers always have to pay for these things? It seems to me that the only people who will benefit for certain are the people listed above who will be paid to build this system.

I definitely believe for it to happen sooner than later it will take a large amount
of private investment. It could be a test bed project for future transit by some
of these high tech companies around town.
jmanhsv has some excellent thoughts on his blog

http://huntsvilledevelopment.blogspot.com/

[SouthSky]

Originally Posted by Rail Claimore

Oh wow, with this and Free The Hops passing (assuming the gov signs it), dare I say Alabama is actually moving out of the dark ages and becoming a respectable state?

I saw an editorial on H'ville Times that indicates he still hasn't signed it as of today. I thought I read somewhere earlier that Thursday's the last day it could be signed and put into law... Riley better not pocket this thing.

Am I right or wrong about today being the last day?

[SpawnOfVulcan]

I thought that he had already signed it... Or maybe I just read that he intends to sign it. Either way, I don't think this is something that he'd be against.

[Rail Claimore]

Originally Posted by SouthSky

I saw an editorial on H'ville Times that indicates he still hasn't signed it as of today. I thought I read somewhere earlier that Thursday's the last day it could be signed and put into law... Riley better not pocket this thing.

Am I right or wrong about today being the last day?

No, he has until midnight Monday on this particular bill.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by Rail Claimore

No, he has until midnight Monday on this particular bill.

He signed it

Also Mellow Mushroom in Providence is supposed to open June 1.
S&K Mensware closing all of it's stores? Not sure if it's all of them or some. Two locations in Huntsville and one in Montgomery.
The Bridge Street location is one of their new prototype designs. They have good stuff if you need a suit.

[g-man435]

All of their stores are closing.

[HSVTiger]

One of the tallest webcams in the state, mounted atop the 365' tall Saturn V
rocket in Huntsville. Will be used a lot during severe weather..
it can be rotated in any direction, right now looking east toward downtown
http://www.whnt.com/news/traffic/rocketcam/



and some cool pics from inside the rocket
http://www.whnt.com/news/traffic/rocketcam/whnt-saturn-v-pictures,0,1313603.photogallery

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Downtown condo/retail project presented. This would be in the old Councill Court area which because of it's location across from Huntsville Hospital has a lot of foot traffic and an ideal location for something like this project.

4-story project for Councill site pitched to board

With drawings of a bustling plaza across from Huntsville Hospital, T1 Development Group on Monday pitched a four-story project called Resonant Pointe. The first floor would include restaurants and retail; the second floor would hold offices; and the top two floors would be filled with small, affordable condos.


HSV Times

I would hope this project will be more appealing from an architectural standpoint. It sounds like this is just a rough concept from the article below

"A mixed-use development proposed near Huntsville Hospital could be a boost for the city's center - if the right mix is found, a downtown development expert said Thursday.

"The key things are having the uses that will be in the building, the tenant mix," said Manuel Zeitlin, a Nashville-based architect who designed Mercury View Lofts in Nashville's Gulch neighborhood and has been key in that city's downtown infill development. "I like the use of things that are local - not The Gap, but a local clothing store, a local restaurant, a local coffee shop."

Zeitlin said maintaining a retail element that brings in customers is key to the success of a project such as Resonant Pointe, which was announced Monday at a Huntsville Housing Authority meeting.

Plans for the 1.3-acre, four-story project call for 28,000 square feet of condominium space on the top two floors and 14,000 square feet each of retail and office space on the first and second floors. T1 Development Group has offered the housing authority $28 per square foot, or about $1.6 million, for the lot at Gallatin Street and St. Clair Avenue where part of the Councill Courts public housing complex once sat.

Michael Escott, head of T1, said Resonant Pointe will pull on the talents of local building and design professionals. He's already tapped Bird & Kamback Architects in Huntsville to design the project and is talking with local construction and landscape design companies.

"Everyone who's working on it is local," Escott said. "The development team has tremendous experience."

Escott is a Birmingham businessman whose previous ventures include Alabama Health Care Marketing and Genesis Food Services."

[bystander1]

It sounds like this project could be a nice fit for downtown. The "local" element in something like this is very important.

[mlog]

Light rail service for Huntsville? Hopefully it is more cost effective here than it has been in Broward County where there are more riders and a larger tax base. The light rail system has a $9 million shortfall even with subsidies.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1060553.html

While Tri-Rail has faced tough times before, this is the first time in the system's 20-year history that officials who oversee the system are considering seriously ending the service -- formally started in 1989 as an alternative to commuters who faced rush-hour disruptions during an earlier reconstruction of Interstate 95.

I just don't see the advantage. Currently I drive 12 miles to the arsenal and park near my office door. With the light rail, I would still drive but only 6 miles to Bridge Street, where I would undoubtedly park a long way from the train. Then I would walk to the train, wait to board the train, and ride it to a central location on the arsenal, where I likely wait for a shuttle bus to take me to my building. So it saves me driving a whopping 6 miles, but probably increases my travel time considerably, even if you consider I don't have to wait in line at Gate 9.

The light rail for Huntsville sounds more like a solution in search of a problem.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

It's got a lot of bugs that need to be worked out. Undoubtedly, a bus system would have be created or improved to shuttle people to and from the stations. Huntsville is simply too spread out to even attempt to make the riders walk to their places of employment.

Person, I'd love to have something like this, even if just for the kicks and giggles that come with riding it. If I wanted to go to Huntsville, I could just drive to Madison, hop on, go to Bridge Street, and hopefully downtown if they expand it that way.

I'd LOVE to see a station in Decatur.

[JuanHunt]

The HSV bus system exists now only to qualify for some federal grant programs. Low usage volume yield a loss of about $.50 per rider trip. If gas goes to $5/gallon and stays there, then such programs will/may be self-sustaining, except that the initial funding comes from gas taxez.

[Wade2501]

Huntsville ranked No. 1 on Kiplinger's "10 Best Cities of 2009"

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2009/05/huntsville_ranked_no_1_on_kipl.html

HUNTSVILLE, AL -- Huntsville ranks No. 1 in Kiplinger's Personal Finance's "10 Best Cities of 2009" announced today on the magazine's Web site.

The magazine selected "boomtowns offering solid employment opportunities and the talent to create new, well-paying positions," according to a statement released this morning.

The Best Cities list appears in the July issue of Kiplinger's, which will be on the newsstands June 9.

Here's the Top 10:

1. Huntsville, AL

2. Albuquerque, N.M.

3. Washington, D.C.

4. Charlottesville, Va.

5. Athens, Ga.

6. Olympia, Wash.

7. Madison, Wis.

8. Austin, Texas

9. Flagstaff, Ariz.

10. Raleigh, N.C.


To see the coverage online, go to www.kiplinger.com/money/bestcities

[Jugernagt]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Also Mellow Mushroom in Providence is supposed to open June 1.

They were actually open tonight (Wed 5/27) , and crowded too.

[mlog]

Originally Posted by Jugernagt

They were actually open tonight (Wed 5/27) , and crowded too.

I stopped there tonight to pick up some food, and they were jam packed. However, they're obviously experiencing some birthing pains. It took me one hour and fifteen minutes to get my pizza, even though they told me it would be ready when I arrived. What a sad joke. Furthermore, I ordered the "House" pizza without olives. The House is basically everything on it. When I got home, I discovered what I had received was a plain olive pizza. Maybe they'll get their act together within a few weeks. At least they have a lot of beers on draft.

[HSVTiger]

This would be an amazing development if ALDOT does indeed start on this.
But it has taken several deaths, the Governor's intervention and a bribe, I mean up front money by the city to get it going.
It seems strange that cities now have to pay ALDOT to get projects going..

"Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said DOT officials originally wanted the city to chip in $2.5 million to help fast-track the construction plans. That was reduced to $750,000 when bids for other state road projects came in lower than expected, he said.

"I think we have to give a lot of credit to ALDOT and the governor on this, because they got together and made this a priority," Battle said Wednesday. "They were very generous and worked with us on stretching (the city's payment) out over a couple of years."

"Tonight, the Huntsville City Council will consider pledging $750,000 to the state-led project, which also includes adding a 1.5-mile stretch to the boulevard.

Currently, the limited-access portion of Research Park Boulevard ends near Dan Tibbs Road; northbound traffic is funneled onto a service road. The new lanes would be built in the wide, grassy median separating the northbound and southbound service roads.

While the project has been on the drawing board for years(decades now), it moved into the fast lane after a fatal January wreck at the Research Park Boulevard/Dan Tibbs intersection."

[Jacknah]

Originally Posted by ThatGuy

If this team is so sure that the light rail system is a great idea then they should raise the capital to build it themselves. I doubt the city or state would stand in their way. Why do taxpayers always have to pay for these things? It seems to me that the only people who will benefit for certain are the people listed above who will be paid to build this system.

I totally agree. Nearly all public works projects are huge wastes of money and nothing more than crony capitalism. They're just scams to get tax dollars. If something is truly good for business then business will invest in it voluntarily. How's that million dollar bus terminal at Bridge Street doing that I saw people here cheering on? Bringing in a lot of people that can't afford to drive cars yet can afford spend a lot of money on high end shopping, yes? Total waste of taxpayers' money. And what people don't realize is it takes money away from the economy that would have been applied to more profitable uses by the private sector.