Huntsville updates

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Honestly, there's no way that the city would let an offer on that property go to waste. It Tuscaloosa can recognize that its off campus student housing growth is a crisis, Huntsville is certainly capable of noticing that any offer other than its own on that property is ludicrous.

[HSVTiger]

wouldn't be a bad location, that area could use a bulldozer

"Walmart may be zeroing in on a 13.7-acre site south of downtown Huntsville as the company looks to replace its aging Drake Avenue store.

Huntsville City Councilman Bill Kling said he has heard Walmart has an option to purchase the Mason Plaza property on the east side of Memorial Parkway between Drake Avenue and Shoney Drive. Kling, who represents that area, said he was also told that Walmart recently submitted a "rough draft" site plan to the city for review"
HSV Times

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by Huntsvillenative

The city cannot afford to let this get screwed up and lose that land to another developer, no matter what they may have planned for the property. The stadium's only true fit downtown is on Clinton.

It could be a fake offer to bump the land value. But I'm sure the city officials will do their homework and research to see if there is a real offer or not before jumping to conclusions. From my understanding, there's more support now than ever before from officials towards a new downtown stadium. Apparently they are finally seeing the light and the potential that it could do for economical growth in the downtown district.

Huntsville has too many developments sitting on the shelf (Hello Constellation)
It needs to be a package deal:new stadium/entertainment/retail/residential/greenway development. It would be a tremendous game changer on the level of what the aquarium did for Chattanooga.
It would be that catalyst to get downtown on a large growth and development path.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

wouldn't be a bad location, that area could use a bulldozer

"Walmart may be zeroing in on a 13.7-acre site south of downtown Huntsville as the company looks to replace its aging Drake Avenue store.

Huntsville City Councilman Bill Kling said he has heard Walmart has an option to purchase the Mason Plaza property on the east side of Memorial Parkway between Drake Avenue and Shoney Drive. Kling, who represents that area, said he was also told that Walmart recently submitted a "rough draft" site plan to the city for review"
HSV Times

Whatever plan Wal Mart has in store, it better not be a ginormous parking lot... That part of town is right about in the middle as far as walking and driving goes. If turns out to be another asphalt paradise...

[ThatGuy]

Originally Posted by quattordici

Whatever plan Wal Mart has in store, it better not be a ginormous parking lot... That part of town is right about in the middle as far as walking and driving goes. If turns out to be another asphalt paradise...

Do they even make Wal Marts without ginormous parking lots??

[HSVTiger]

Just imagine if china mart leveled the Drake store and rebuilt a multilevel store with a parking deck. A wal mall across from Parkway Place and even put in a people mover (like in airports) between the two across the Parkway. Turn the remaining asphalt hell into a landscaped park.
This would become a tourist attraction in itself and business would boom.

[Huntsvillenative]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Just imagine if china mart leveled the Drake store and rebuilt a multilevel store with a parking deck. A wal mall across from Parkway Place and even put in a people mover (like in airports) between the two across the Parkway. Turn the remaining asphalt hell into a landscaped park.
This would become a tourist attraction in itself and business would boom.

Great idea and Wal-Mart should take that into consideration. Make it the world's largest Wal-Mart. Huntsville leaders need to start thinking outside of the box.

[luvinhsv]

Originally Posted by Huntsvillenative

Great idea and Wal-Mart should take that into consideration. Make it the world's largest Wal-Mart. Huntsville leaders need to start thinking outside of the box.

How sad if we lived in the city known for having the world's largest Wal-mart! Believe me, having lived in Minneapolis for most of my life until moving to HSV, it drove me CRAZY when all people know about that wonderful city is that there was a really big mall there!

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by luvinhsv

How sad if we lived in the city known for having the world's largest Wal-mart! Believe me, having lived in Minneapolis for most of my life until moving to HSV, it drove me CRAZY when all people know about that wonderful city is that there was a really big mall there!

yeah but if your going to have a walmart make it a destination, most of them are anyway. it doesn't have to be the largest, Its the same as a Bass pro

[SpawnOfVulcan]

I kinda understand where luvinhsv is coming from... I think the sad fact is that Wal Marts will make it into our market.... and as they do, we should try and impose some reasonable codes upon them.

Things that have been going on in the tornado recovery district in Tuscaloosa have been designs like the eliminaiton of curbs (curbs which divide a parking spot from the landscaped median/island). Basically, this allows storm water runoff to drain into the landscaped area instead up into the storm drain system, thus reducing flooding and increasing water quality down river (since the water that soaks into the medians is cleansed by the dirt and plants).

[luvinhsv]

Newer Walmarts are certainly more aesthetically pleasing to the eye than that nasty eyesore on Drake. Doesn't change the fact that it is still a Walmart! I saw a mother/daughter dressed alike in camo shorts and hot pink belly shirts (neither of them should have been allowed to wear a belly shirt if you know what I mean!!) at the Hampton Cove Walmart recently. I swear I was looking around for the "People of Walmart" cameras!!

[huntsvillefan]

What would be so much better is to have a half dozen Costcos scattered around.

[jhsv]

The drake store definitely is an eyesore but seems like there would not be enough demand for a superstore in that area.

If there must be one there, rather than that side of the parkway why not the old Ramada Inn site? Is it not big enough for a supercenter? Or where the mobile home sales lot is? At least those two areas are vacant or basically vacant and there wouldn't be a neighborhood behind it.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Why not build one in the style of the Target at Brookwood in Birmingham? I'm a bit tired of the asphalt paradise of South Parkway.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by quattordici

Why not build one in the style of the Target at Brookwood in Birmingham? I'm a bit tired of the asphalt paradise of South Parkway.

With all of the technology and intelligence the human race has at it's disposal it is negated by the typical walmart.
Architecture could be dramatic and at the forefront but whatever is the cheapest is what you will get.
Why is stupidity the chosen path?

[Huntsvillenative]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

With all of the technology and intelligence the human race has at it's disposal it is negated by the typical walmart.
Architecture could be dramatic and at the forefront but whatever is the cheapest is what you will get.
Why is stupidity the chosen path?

I've been asking myself the same question. I guess it's just to save a few extra bucks. But what they don't seem to realize is that the nicer it looks the more people will go. First impressions and appeal mean everything.

[JuanHunt]

Choosing the cheapest option gets back to the cost of road and infrastructure. Why do we contract for roads that wont last more than 5-7 years without resurface? Why are the bridges we are building today designed with a 40 year life on the durability of the structure?
For example, the addition of the third lane to South Parkway was done so hurriedly that the outside lane received almost no compaction work and the resulting undulating effect on cars traveling over the constantly changing road grade is so sad as to be comical. Yet, we paid the contractor for the work and we will pay to fix it someday, someday soon.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by JuanHunt

Choosing the cheapest option gets back to the cost of road and infrastructure. Why do we contract for roads that wont last more than 5-7 years without resurface? Why are the bridges we are building today designed with a 40 year life on the durability of the structure?
For example, the addition of the third lane to South Parkway was done so hurriedly that the outside lane received almost no compaction work and the resulting undulating effect on cars traveling over the constantly changing road grade is so sad as to be comical. Yet, we paid the contractor for the work and we will pay to fix it someday, someday soon.

Another example is the repaving work the did on I-65 just north of Birmingham. The paved it like 6-7 years ago, then had to come back and do a quick repave to save it, even though it was just going to be repaved AGAIN in 3 years due to the widening associated with Future 22. Also, the repaving they did on the 4 lane stretch of 20/59 east of Tuscaloosa to Mercedes was just repaved about 3-4 years ago and is already needing to be patched all over the place...

[Huntsvillenative]

Pro football in Huntsville??? Maybe. The USFL (United States Football League) is attempting to rise from the dead to return in spring of 2014 as an 8-team developmental league to the NFL. The targeted locations and cities are to be mid-sized to small markets that do not have pro football or MLB. So far franchises have been mentioned for Austin, TX, Akron, OH, possibly LA or San Jose, and San Antonio. Other possible targets are: Memphis, Louisiana, Hartford, Louisville, and Omaha.

Alabama is also guaranteed to have a team and it will NOT be in Birmingham. There was once an USFL team called the Birmingham Stallions back in the 80's, but the city officials weren't too interested in bringing the USFL back to BHam and because of that have been deleted from the list of potential locations.

Mobile, Montgomery, and Huntsville are said to be the major targets for Alabama's team. The league creators have said that whoever it is in Alabama will be a surprise choice. Huntsville certainly would qualify as a "surprise choice".

But there's a catch. The USFL is looking to play in 25-35,000 seat stadiums across America, and as we all know, Huntsville does not offer that. Although, the USFL is planning to build all new stadiums for each of their locations that will allow for commercial development and growth.

Huntsville could offer Joe Davis Stadium and remodel it into a football stadium until a new one could be built. But they would have to spend money on upkeep and renovations as we know the city sure won't.

Another and less costly option is that they could play at Alabama A&M's on campus stadium (that can seat 21,000) for a couple seasons until they got a new stadium built, preferably downtown near the proposed minor league baseball stadium. Talk about a booming downtown potential!

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by Huntsvillenative

Pro football in Huntsville??? Maybe. The USFL (United States Football League) is attempting to rise from the dead to return in spring of 2014 as an 8-team developmental league to the NFL. The targeted locations and cities are to be mid-sized to small markets that do not have pro football or MLB. So far franchises have been mentioned for Austin, TX, Akron, OH, possibly LA or San Jose, and San Antonio. Other possible targets are: Memphis, Louisiana, Hartford, Louisville, and Omaha.

Alabama is also guaranteed to have a team and it will NOT be in Birmingham. There was once an USFL team called the Birmingham Stallions back in the 80's, but the city officials weren't too interested in bringing the USFL back to BHam and because of that have been deleted from the list of potential locations.

Mobile, Montgomery, and Huntsville are said to be the major targets for Alabama's team. The league creators have said that whoever it is in Alabama will be a surprise choice. Huntsville certainly would qualify as a "surprise choice".

But there's a catch. The USFL is looking to play in 25-35,000 seat stadiums across America, and as we all know, Huntsville does not offer that. Although, the USFL is planning to build all new stadiums for each of their locations that will allow for commercial development and growth.

Huntsville could offer Joe Davis Stadium and remodel it into a football stadium until a new one could be built. But they would have to spend money on upkeep and renovations as we know the city sure won't.

Another and less costly option is that they could play at Alabama A&M's on campus stadium (that can seat 21,000) for a couple seasons until they got a new stadium built, preferably downtown near the proposed minor league baseball stadium. Talk about a booming downtown potential!

that the usfl thinks it will work is beyond belief, arena football is successful in Huntsville but if I had to guess a place it would be Montgomery, new stadium at Alabama St and a more central location. We have been down this road before and it doesn't look promising. Even Mobile would be a more promising spot tapping into the Gulf Coast market and USA's 40,000 Ladd Peebles Stadium.