Huntsville updates

[Huntsvillenative]

I was just downtown today and walked up Clinton from the track crossing by the post office and could picture a gorgeous glass facade entrance and a brick siding for the new stadium (where the current Coke plant and eye sore is now). Then I pictured thousands walking up to the stadium from across the creek bridge with their children and friends. Lastly, I looked around and pictured new restaurants, retail shops, and a first-class sports bar bordering the outfield of the stadium.

Let's just hope that those with the power to make it happen also see the same visions that I do. It could do wonders for downtown.

[jhsv]

I think a stadium would be a good thing downtown. Not sure how it would be paid for--- city doesn't seem to be able to do that right now and not sure commercial interests would do it either. Maybe a shared project between government and commercial would be an option. Generally how much are these types of stadiums costing now?

[Huntsvillenative]

Originally Posted by jhsv

I think a stadium would be a good thing downtown. Not sure how it would be paid for--- city doesn't seem to be able to do that right now and not sure commercial interests would do it either. Maybe a shared project between government and commercial would be an option. Generally how much are these types of stadiums costing now?

The new ones in the Southern League are going for around $30M for 6-7,000 seat capacities. That's about what would work best for both downtown and the economics.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by Huntsvillenative

The new ones in the Southern League are going for around $30M for 6-7,000 seat capacities. That's about what would work best for both downtown and the economics.

Yea, it doesn't have to be anything enormous. Regions Field is 8,500 but is really nice and has great views and amenities along with the perks of its location.

[stewdog1]

Originally Posted by Huntsvillenative

The new ones in the Southern League are going for around $30M for 6-7,000 seat capacities. That's about what would work best for both downtown and the economics.

There's plenty of private money here to do it w/out tax dollars. Its just a matter of how many of them are baseball fans and/or want their name on the stadium.

[Tourian]

I do not see how anyone can consider a new baseball stadium as a seperate issue from revitalizing a downtown area. The folly of doing it any other way and the pros of doing it right have been proven in many other places. If they want to keep the Stars they will have to put the stadium in a scenic walkable are in the core and surround it with supporting businesses that way it is easily accessible and people want to be there and spend money beford and after the game.

Or maybe they can find some big subdivision in Madison and build it in the back of that and people will claim its better becsuse people are too scared to go downtown. Ask Hoover how that worked out...

[stewdog1]

One of the many reasons why the continued battle with ALDONT is crucial.

http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/201...s_ranked_in_us.html#incart_river_default

Two Alabama cities have placed in the top five of a list ranking 10 U.S. metros with the highest economic growth potential in the July/August 2013 issue of Business Facilities magazine.

The city of Mobile ranked No. 2 and Huntsville ranked No. 4 in the magazine. Other metros in the top five were Baton Rouge, La.; McCallen, Texas; and Provo-Orem, Utah.

The ninth-annual rankings report shows Huntsville "intends to defend its turf as a leading national center in aerospace," according to the magazine article.

The announcement that Moon Express, a lunar resource company, opened a propulsion development facility in Huntsville last month will "be key to landing the world's first commercial spacecraft on the moon," Business Facilities said.

Mobile was lauded for landing the North American assembly hub for Airbus. Business Facilities Editor in Chief Jack Rogers said Airbus will "be a powerful engine for growth in the Mobile region for decades to come."

Last month, Business Facilities named Alabama No. 2 nationwide for automotive industry strength.

[HSVTiger]

This will be interesting, will it be two story Wal Mart?, have a parking deck?
include other stores?

Tenants of Mason Plaza shopping center south of downtown Huntsville, were told by Bragg Development Properties of Huntsville this month that they have until Dec. 1 to move out of the space.

European Market, 3023 South Memorial Parkway, is one of several small businesses being forced to move to make room for Walmart, which has applied for a building permit to turn the shopping plaza into a 24-hour Supercenter.

Huntsville Director of Inspections Randy Cunningham said on Monday a review by the city has been performed and comments have been sent back to the architect. He said the city of Huntsville is awaiting responses so a permit can be issued.

[stewdog1]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

This will be interesting, will it be two story Wal Mart?, have a parking deck?
include other stores?

Tenants of Mason Plaza shopping center south of downtown Huntsville, were told by Bragg Development Properties of Huntsville this month that they have until Dec. 1 to move out of the space.

European Market, 3023 South Memorial Parkway, is one of several small businesses being forced to move to make room for Walmart, which has applied for a building permit to turn the shopping plaza into a 24-hour Supercenter.

Huntsville Director of Inspections Randy Cunningham said on Monday a review by the city has been performed and comments have been sent back to the architect. He said the city of Huntsville is awaiting responses so a permit can be issued.

Depressing news for sure. Maybe something positive will come from the old location if it is razed. There's a lot of potential where the old wal-mart is as long as it isn't sitting abandoned for many years as seem to be the case anytime walmart moves out.

[ThatGuy]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Walmart, which has applied for a building permit to turn the shopping plaza into a 24-hour Supercenter.

It's defenitately going to be a Supercenter and not a Neighborhood Market?

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by ThatGuy

It's defenitately going to be a Supercenter and not a Neighborhood Market?

yes, but I would think something has to be different about it than the usual asphalt
desert wasteland. The site is much smaller than the 24 hr supercenter china mart.
There may be more to this project than just Wal Mart. In Canada they are using smaller footprints and acerage for the supercenters.

From Virginia,
Walmart opened their first urban-style location in the country in Tysons Corner Wednesday, Aug. 14. The store, which is one of their "supercenters," will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and serves as the anchor of the JBG Rosenfeld Retail-owned Tysons West.


Local officials and Walmart employees cut the ribbon on the new urban style Walmart at Tysons Corner Wednesday, Aug. 14.

"This is the first urban style Walmart in the region, and it’s going to pave the road for a lot of different things we want to do," said Marty Reighard, store manager. "When Walmart opens a new store, we have a blueprint that we go by, but for this project it was a lot different. The ability to have a stacked retail is something we haven’t done before in this area, it was new to us. We went into this with a lot of questions, but what we have now is a result of getting together with a developer and the local community to give them what they want and what they need."

PARTS OF THE BUILDING where Tysons West and the new Walmart is located was formerly a Moore Hummer dealership. The 16-acre lot, which also includes the Sheraton Hotel, was purchased by JBG in 2006.

The development features about 200 parking spots outside of the building along Leesburg Pike, and a parking garage that serves Tysons West has approximately 500 spaces.

The Walmart store itself is 79,000 square feet, and will staff more than 200 full and part-time employees. During construction, builders were able to recycle or re-purpose at least 85 percent of the old building’s materials.

[Shawn35816]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

yes, but I would think something has to be different about it than the usual asphalt
desert wasteland. The site is much smaller than the 24 hr supercenter china mart.
There may be more to this project than just Wal Mart. In Canada they are using smaller footprints and acerage for the supercenters.

From Virginia,
Walmart opened their first urban-style location in the country in Tysons Corner Wednesday, Aug. 14. The store, which is one of their "supercenters," will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and serves as the anchor of the JBG Rosenfeld Retail-owned Tysons West.


Local officials and Walmart employees cut the ribbon on the new urban style Walmart at Tysons Corner Wednesday, Aug. 14.

"This is the first urban style Walmart in the region, and it’s going to pave the road for a lot of different things we want to do," said Marty Reighard, store manager. "When Walmart opens a new store, we have a blueprint that we go by, but for this project it was a lot different. The ability to have a stacked retail is something we haven’t done before in this area, it was new to us. We went into this with a lot of questions, but what we have now is a result of getting together with a developer and the local community to give them what they want and what they need."

PARTS OF THE BUILDING where Tysons West and the new Walmart is located was formerly a Moore Hummer dealership. The 16-acre lot, which also includes the Sheraton Hotel, was purchased by JBG in 2006.

The development features about 200 parking spots outside of the building along Leesburg Pike, and a parking garage that serves Tysons West has approximately 500 spaces.

The Walmart store itself is 79,000 square feet, and will staff more than 200 full and part-time employees. During construction, builders were able to recycle or re-purpose at least 85 percent of the old building’s materials.

I don't know...it depends on the fuss people will put up about their being another supercenter going up in Huntsville. I don't think there will be enough of a push back against Wal-Mart until proven otherwise. Wal-Mart has seen a lot throughout the many years of building new stores, and they are geared up to get it done now. You see how they are quietly getting things pushed through as it is now. We can just hope that they will use some sense in integrating this store with the area and giving Huntsville something different than the other stores. I'm sure in that case in Virginia the residents really gave Wal-Mart an ultimatum.

[JuanHunt]

The Tysons Corner Walmart is a new concept and might fit on the proposed property. The green space would probably be parking at the HSV store.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by JuanHunt

The Tysons Corner Walmart is a new concept and might fit on the proposed property. The green space would probably be parking at the HSV store.

that would be a great development, throw in a couple of other stores and or a restaurant and you would have something unique.
But the disaster waiting to happen is the Parkway. All development or lack of always comes back to aldont. Inefficient and reactive road construction is holding the city hostage.

[HSVTiger]

This should impact the Wal mart development in a good way, this project about a mile away

The company buying a 25-acre retail tract on the edge of John Hunt Park will be required to open at least 100,000 square feet of new shopping and dining by fall 2015.

Under a proposed development contract between the City of Huntsville and GBT Realty of Brentwood, Tenn., the city promises to remove Fire Station No. 6 and other structures on the land within 90 days.

Taxpayers would also pick up the tab for environmental tests, running utilities to the site, building a storm water detention pond and installing a pedestrian walkway linking GBT's shopping center to the park.

GBT, which developed the Target-anchored Shoppes of Madison on U.S. 72 West, bid $8,216,897 for the prime city land near the Memorial Parkway-Airport Road interchange. It is proposing to build a high-end, 240,000-square-foot mixed-use retail center there.

The Huntsville City Council is set to vote on the proposed development agreement with GBT at its meeting tonight.

According to its winning proposal, GBT in the past year has overseen $154 million in new retail development in 19 different states. The company's national tenants include Target, Academy Sports, Kohl's, Publix, Michael's, TJ Maxx, Ross, Bed, Bath & Beyond, PetSmart, Starbucks, AT&T and Dollar General.

The development agreement says the city and GBT would close on the sale of the property within 30 days of City Council approval; GBT would pay all closing costs.

The company would have two years from the date of closing to complete 100,000 square feet of new shopping and dining. It would pay a $10,000-a-month penalty for failing to meet the deadline.

Twenty-five percent of sales taxes generated by the new shopping center will be earmarked for John Hunt Park upgrades and maintenance.

Huntsville Director of Urban Development Shane Davis said last month that part of the land sale proceeds will be used to rip out the asphalt runways left over from the park's early days as an airport. A $100 million park master plan calls for a 4,000-seat indoor sports arena, festival area for outdoor concerts, multi-purpose activities center, tournament-caliber soccer fields, tree-lined jogging paths, more tennis courts, children's splash fountain, picnic areas and an expanded Benton H. Wilcoxon Ice Complex.
HSV Times

[HSVTiger]

New Belks at Bridge Street, construction set to begin in mid October






Courtesy Bridge Street/HSV Times

[HSVTiger]

Next step in new development, this is part of the area eyed for a new ballpark/entertainment/riverwalk

More than 100 proposed new public housing units apparently are not earmarked for residents of Searcy Homes downtown.

A public meeting last month left the impression that Searcy residents could be first in line to move into Work Force Housing's possible 40-unit public housing apartment complexes on Winchester Road, Research Park Boulevard and Newson Road.

The July 23 meeting also fueled speculation that the Huntsville Housing Authority may be preparing to sell the Searcy property, which occupies 19.4 prime acres a block north of the Von Braun Center.

[jhsv]

This walmart option would ones better than the other ones in town at least. I would prefer something that doesn't take up the whole footprint and be an asphalt jungle.

Any option would be bad for traffic congestion i think.

[jhsv]

Still curious what may go there. Remember when the fountain was being discussed as a higher end shopping area and constellation had high plans. So kind of take plans with a grain of salt for a bit.

[Huntsvillenative]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

New Belks at Bridge Street, construction set to begin in mid October






Courtesy Bridge Street/HSV Times

They ruined Bridge Street by being money hungry. Filling in the beautiful lake was the dumbest thing they could have done. Now they will see lack of even more visitors. Most went there for the beautification to enjoy, like myself. I give it less than 5 years and it will be in bankruptcy.