Mobile Development Thread - Page 254

Alxx611 · #**5061** Posted **Oct 24, 2010, 2:01 AM**

Just a few pics:

A building soon to be a bed and breakfast in Fort Conde villiage:

new state jobs training building (close to the battleship):

random art installations that have been popping up a lot like this one. they look really cool:

jmbreland · #**5062** Posted **Oct 24, 2010, 6:49 PM**

Thanks for sharing the pictures, Alxx! I'm thrilled to see another building in the Ft Conde Village having been renovated.

Port_of_Bama · #**5063** Posted **Oct 24, 2010, 8:32 PM**

That house has came a long ways inthe Village.....Im ready for the Village expansion !

Port_of_Bama · #**5064** Posted **Oct 25, 2010, 1:55 PM**

The new state jobs training building is uniqe but I wish it was a 12 story glass structure....

Quote:

Selling Midtown homes is a natural for Ruth Carlson, who said that she moved there four years ago and loves it.

"You can't beat the trees, the homes, the convenience to the activities in the city," said the former Chicago resident who works at REMAX Realty Centre. "There's a sense of community in Oakleigh and Midtown. And it's a walking culture, where you walk the dogs and walk the kids. There's a lot of community loyalty."

http://blog.al.com/press-register-business/2010/10/midtown_real_estate_--_and_imp.html

Steel slabs from Brazil to Mobile
http://blog.al.com/live/2010/10/ship_carrying_thyssenkrupp_ste.html

NitekKetin · #**5065** Posted **Oct 26, 2010, 3:51 AM**

Hopefully, Midtown and Oakleigh will continue grow into upscale neighborhoods anchored by a dense, sophisticated Downtown.

jmbreland · #**5066** Posted **Oct 28, 2010, 6:19 AM**

Quote:

MOBILE, Ala. -- The owner of Mobile’s second-tallest building plans to dangle a large lighted sign from the roof that will display different images throughout the year, including a Moon Pie for the city’s New Year’s Eve celebration.

The 34-story RSA-BankTrust Building — formerly the AmSouth Building — will have a 25-foot-tall structure on the roof with an 18-foot-long arm extending over Royal Street, according to architectural drawings of the renovations found online.

The renderings appear to show the lighted sign on a pulley system that can be lowered toward the street.

David Bronner, CEO of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, said the light display will be a permanent structure and that it can be adjusted to display different images. He said the display could be used to welcome visitors or celebrate big achievements in the life of Mobile.

"It’s a vehicle that will be there year-round, whether it’s New Year’s Eve, Mardi Gras or the Fourth of July," he said. "You’ve got to see it to really appreciate it. It’s really cool."

Bronner will be in Mobile on Thursday, and is planning to have a news conference with Mobile Mayor Sam Jones.

"New Year’s Eve this year is going to be very exciting," Jones said. "It’s going to be something that the citizens of the city of Mobile and the entire region are going to be extremely proud of."

The plans for the building are among dozens of architectural renderings listed on www.ldiline.com, a website that sells architectural plans to contractors wishing to bid on construction projects. The drawings are by Montgomery-based Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood Inc., the architecture and engineering firm that’s overseeing the renovations.

City officials declined to comment in detail about the plans, but Mobile City Councilman Fred Richardson, who has engineered the city’s use of a giant Moon Pie in New Year’s Eve celebrations, said at Tuesday morning’s City Council meeting that there would be an "earth-shattering" announcement regarding the Moon Pie on Thursday.

RSA purchased the downtown skyscraper for $6.75 million in February 2009 and has spent millions updating the façade and renovating the interior of the1965 structure. In August, it announced that BankTrust would lease 25 percent of the office space and would get its name on the building.

W. Bibb Lamar Jr., the chief executive officer of BancTrust Financial Group, said the bank only found out about the plans Tuesday.

"I think it’s great if it will bring people downtown," Lamar said.

Lamar said RSA, as the landlord, has the right to adorn the building as it pleases.

Bronner said he was inspired by Richardson’s Moon Pie-themed New Year’s Eve events. For the past two years, the city has used a crane to lower a giant, lighted, papier-maché Moon Pie sign near Cooper Waterfront Park at the stroke of midnight.

Bronner said he was as skeptical as anyone when he first heard about the plans. But he said he quickly realized the potential it had to draw positive attention to Mobile.

"I thought it was crazy until I saw it on CNN," he said. "We basically took Fred’s idea and took it a step further."

The display could be a beacon drawing pedestrians downtown, Bronner said.

"You really need that action on the street if you’re going to have a thriving downtown," he said. "The concept is to create something that can benefit the whole community. It becomes a really unique, memorable thing for the city."

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/10/rsa_boss_says_building_renovat.html

A lot of negative comments on the site. I hope Bronner reads the comments and reconsiders!

If this is built as planned, I will be burying my head in embarrassment every time I see that ridiculous thing.

elb401 · #**5067** Posted **Oct 28, 2010, 3:42 PM**

you know what is funny........The people in Paris said the same thing about the Eiffle Tower.

I'm not saying that it is comparable to the Eiffle Tower......but the people of Mobile might love the moon pie thing in a year or two. I havn't passed judgement on it yet........its too soon to tell.

jmbreland · #**5068** Posted **Oct 28, 2010, 3:46 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by elb401

you know what is funny........The people in Paris said the same thing about the Eiffle Tower.

Hmmmm ... well, I'm holding out hope that my initial impressions will be proven to be wrong. Still, I am very guarded after seeing the spire atop Renaissance Riverview Hotel. That is very poor design and very poor choice of ornamentation. It just looks like a giant birdcage!

elb401 · #**5069** Posted **Oct 28, 2010, 7:30 PM**

It does look like a giant bird cage. The RSA tower's spire doesn't look finished to me......but oh well the skyline looks much better than it did before!

Here is a press register video showing Dr. Bronner's plans for the Moon Pie Drop.

http://videos.al.com/mobile-press-register/2010/10/rsas_new_years_eve_moonpie_dro.html

What do ya'll think? People will have to line up and down Royal and St. Francis street to see it up close.

Port_of_Bama · #**5070** Posted **Oct 28, 2010, 9:33 PM**

I could barely see the arm and moonpie in the video but the lighting on that building will add ambiance to the skyline....

Electrical Porpoise · #**5071** Posted **Oct 28, 2010, 11:51 PM**

U.S. announces $2.4 billion for high-speed rail in 23 states

Quote:

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Thursday announced $2.4 billion in funding for 54 high-speed rail projects in 23 states.

The goal: to do for intercity passenger rail what the Interstate Highway System did in 1956.

The Federal Railroad Administration said it received 132 applications from 32 states asking for $8.8 billion, three times as much as is available.

jmbreland · #**5072** Posted **Oct 29, 2010, 1:43 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by elb401

Here is a press register video showing Dr. Bronner's plans for the Moon Pie Drop.

http://videos.al.com/mobile-press-register/2010/10/rsas_new_years_eve_moonpie_dro.html

What do ya'll think? People will have to line up and down Royal and St. Francis street to see it up close.

Hmmm, well, it does look awesome in the video. But that's just that, a simulation. Let's wait until we witness it in real life before we can judge the success of what now seems to be an harebrained idea. I'm sorry, folks, for my strong pessimism regarding this, but I care for my city and I want the best for the city. Loved the fleur-de-lis in the video, btw.

If Chattanooga Bakery decides to relocate to Mobile just because of Mobile's love for its moonpies, so flamboyantly declared by the annual dropping of the giant moonpie, then that's a cause for celebration! More business for Mobile!

phoenixboi08 · #**5073** Posted **Oct 30, 2010, 4:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Electrical Porpoise

U.S. announces $2.4 billion for high-speed rail in 23 states

I just about had an orgasm ;/
About damn time is all I have to say...

And I'm okay with Bronner's vision...but it seems like that sign is soooooo small! I hate the idea that they're going through the trouble of selling this, but they aren't thinking nearly big enough...seriously, it looks like a quarter!

Port_of_Bama · #**5074** Posted **Oct 31, 2010, 6:48 PM**

Glad to see two Alabama metros on the list

phoenixboi08 · #**5075** Posted **Oct 31, 2010, 7:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Port_of_Bama

Glad to see two Alabama metros on the list

Actually, if you go to the rail transit main website, there seems to be a slightly different plan, this one for sometime 2015 (high hopes), another for 2020 or 2025, and then 2050.

Anyways, there is actually a link from Brimingham south to Mobile, then it goes west through NOLA...interesting.

navigate to about page 38 and you will seehttp://www.dot.state.wi.us/projects/state/docs/prwg-report.pdf
I can no longer find the website I went to...I'll keep looking

BlessedMobile · #**5076** Posted **Nov 3, 2010, 1:12 AM**

Bronner is such a showboat but I love the extravagance shown in the moon pie drop. This is government money at work! All of you should sleep better tonight knowing that I am not in charge of the RSA checkbook. Moon Pie should be bigger and it probably will before this project is complete.

Port_of_Bama · #**5077** Posted **Nov 3, 2010, 5:33 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlessedMobile

Bronner is such a showboat but I love the extravagance shown in the moon pie drop. This is government money at work! All of you should sleep better tonight knowing that I am not in charge of the RSA checkbook. Moon Pie should be bigger and it probably will before this project is complete.

I hope for a larger moonpie aswell.....I think it`s a good idea.

Port_of_Bama · #**5078** Posted **Nov 4, 2010, 1:23 PM**

Quote:

The U.S. Navy would purchase Littoral Combat Ships from both Austal USA and Lockheed Martin Corp. under a dual buy proposed by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, according to the Navy and elected officials briefed on the deal.

U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, and Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, said Wednesday that the proposal would allow Austal to produce 10 of the shallow-water combat ships at its Mobile shipyard, more than doubling its current workforce of 1,800 employees.

They are larger than I thought.

http://blog.al.com/live/2010/11/austal_to_build_10_more_littor.html

Bogue · #**5079** Posted **Nov 10, 2010, 6:04 AM**

http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/local_news/prichard/leader-pushes-plan-to-dissolve-prichard

Curious what everyone thinks of that.

Pritchard's current city limits extend well out beyond what would normally be considered "Prichard". The University of Mobile is technically in Prichard as is the proposed race track area (I think). Even if that is never built that land has plenty of other potential uses given its size. Just saying that there are parts of it that Mobile would want. I don't know that the city would want the inner core of it, though, given its crime issues & a tax base that doesn't fund its services.

BlessedMobile · #**5080** Posted **Nov 11, 2010, 4:27 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bogue

http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/local_news/prichard/leader-pushes-plan-to-dissolve-prichard

Curious what everyone thinks of that.

Pritchard's current city limits extend well out beyond what would normally be considered "Prichard". The University of Mobile is technically in Prichard as is the proposed race track area (I think). Even if that is never built that land has plenty of other potential uses given its size. Just saying that there are parts of it that Mobile would want. I don't know that the city would want the inner core of it, though, given its crime issues & a tax base that doesn't fund its services.

This is something that I know a little about. Prichard has maybe 25K residents now most of whom live east of I-65. Both Ron Davis and Earline Martin-Harris really want to solve the money shortfalls but they do come at it from different perspectives. Earline is "mostly facts and some faith" while Ron is "mostly faith and some facts"....you can see the dilemma. I don't think that today's political climate would understand the reasoning why Prichard should become part of Mobile but it will likely happen at some point because it will be a win/win for both. Taking in Prichard would enlarge our city "land area" by 22% or 26 square miles. The Prichard we know today will not grow in the area west of I-65 but Mobile management will foster tremendous growth after taking over the whole 26 square miles. This is "the expansion area" Mobile needs to extend west. FYI, Prichard has failed to adequately monitor enough federal grants that they won't be getting any more big ones for a long time; Mobile, on the other hand, can get many, many millions to fix up the infrastructure of Prichard once Mobile takes over. Another point, people who move from Prichard are coming to Mobile. All this to say....Prichard should vote to seek inclusion into Mobile and we should welcome them.