Huntsville updates

[stewdog1]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Coming to the Nance Rd/University Dr area, Academy Sports location
Sprouts Farmers Market
and Hobby Lobby
http://sprouts.com/

Looking at Sprouts website, that looks to be a very welcome addition to the area. For personal reasons, I'm glad they picked that location and not Jones Valley or Hampton Cove.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Thanks to Huntsville being held hostage by aldont and our primitive 1950 era road system, now the Federal Government with reduced gate capacity has added to the stupidity. Typical morning at Redstone Arsenal when 40,000 employes try to get through one of 5 open gates even though there are 8 .
This is Gate 9 on Research Park Blvd/I-565 and is backed up for over a mile. Typical wait time is about an hour or more depending how early or late you are. The Army can't hire more guards for some reason but how many billions of dollars are being wasted in Afghanistan and obama care?

some relief
The Army's Installation Management Command has agreed to increase the number of security guards at Redstone Arsenal after weeks of traffic delays caused by staffing shortages and closed gates.

Sen. Jeff Sessions' office announced Thursday IMCOM had agreed to the addition of 20 guard positions in response to growing traffic problems. IMCOM had earlier announced it was cutting Redstone's guard force by more than 40 percent and installation officials warned traffic problems would only worsen as a result.
Redstone had originally asked for 130 security guards but IMCOM wanted that number set at 72. The Army's Office of the Provost Marshal General came back with a personnel requirement of 95 guards.

A compromise was reached to set Redstone's guard force at 100 positions.

[HSVTiger]

Downtown Research Park
not quite but the idea is the same

The inaugural TechTour was the first event in a series sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County. The downtown Huntsville version included presentations, venue tours and a closing reception in the center of the Rocket City.

Chad Emerson, new chief executive officer of Downtown Huntsville, Inc., is no stranger to downtown innovation. The former director of city development in Montgomery witnessed several high-profile banks and small companies formerly located in strip malls move to the heart of Alabama's capital city.

Citing a trend he sees on a national level, Emerson said downtown Huntsville could become an active hub for businesses on the cutting-edge of new innovations and technologies.
Huntsville, which was recently the only Alabama city to make Techie.com's Most Promising Tech Hubs of 2014 list, will welcome a retail startup business incubator called The Clinton Row Project at the Downtown Self Storage building in March.

The project aims to help up-and-coming small businesses secure temporary space until the owners are ready to move to a permanent location. Business Button, a new venture by UAH visiting assistant professor John Whitman and the Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship (ICE) Lab at UAH, will provide free business advice and resources to startups at the space.

Bill Fowler, chief marketing officer and vice president of new business for Solid Earth, said his small real estate technology company on Clinton Avenue was one of the stops on the recent downtown TechTour.
"Research Park is very good at what it does but I think for small companies like us it can be very intimidating," he said. "There are startups in Huntsville doing really cool technology-based businesses and I think they feel like they have to be in Research Park in order to be successful and that's always not the case."

[HSVTiger]

The location is a gold mine, hopefully it will be something that thinks outside of the typical asphalt/stucco building

Wal-Mart will walk away from its Drake Avenue store this fall when a new Supercenter opens across Memorial Parkway, but a key city official says he does not expect the property to stay vacant for long.

"I know there are retailers that already have their eye on it," Shane Davis, Huntsville's director of urban development, told AL.com Friday. "We've had several retailers call and say, 'Do you know who owns that site?'"

"It's definitely one of the key opportunity sites on the Parkway," said Davis.
He said whoever ends up acquiring the Wal-Mart property will likely build new rather than attempting to renovate the current building, which opened as a Kmart in 1972.

[HSVTiger]

Huntsville will have a new baseball stadium and it will be downtown if things work out
Ken Young is the Stars' new managing general partner. He is one of 12 men with ownership shares in the club; former majority owner Miles Prentice, who sold the club to the group seeking a team for Biloxi, has what Young described as a "very minority share."
"The key to the future - and I think the mayor is sincere when he says he'd like to get a stadium built at the appropriate time - is showing support for baseball in general and the Huntsville Stars this year from both a corporate and individual ticket side," Young said.

"We will continue to keep it fun. I realize it's an older venue but we will continue to keep it fun. I think the support will demonstrate (an interest) to the baseball people and a prospective owner. And there are teams that would move here under the right conditions -- a new stadium."
2016-2017 timeframe

[HSVTiger]

Artisan Square apartments at Twickenham Square downtown preparing to open in April. Taking applications now
http://www.artisantwickenhamsquare.com/about.htm

Construction on the new 246-unit Artisan at Twickenham Square Apartments in downtown Huntsville is in the final stages as officials prepare for the facility to open in April.

Bristol Development Group said pre-leasing of the luxury apartments began last week. Leasing prices at Artisan range from $899 to $1,350 per month for one- and two-bedroom units.

The facility, which will have 157 one- and 89 two-bedroom apartments, will offer six one-bedroom units with floor-plan sizes of 566 to 880 square feet, and nine two-bedroom units from 960 to 1,290 square feet.
The $100 million, mixed-use Twickenham Square project, which includes the luxury residential development, Homewood Suites hotel, Publix grocery store, a five-story office tower and other restaurant, retail and personal service offerings, is set to open this spring.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Another Wal Mart planned for the Huntsville metro.
It appears this one will be located just south of Charity Lane on North Parkway in Hazel Green.
This had been rumored for several months, it is out for bids now.

a few details

160,000 square foot supercenter with a fuel station,
4 commercial lots in front of the store

[HSVTiger]

Coming to downtown, at Twickenham Square



The 3,000-square-foot plus Cajun Steamer will feature an outdoor patio and is on track to open late spring. This will be the chain’s first Huntsville location.

According to its website, the food menu includes everything from Po Boys and oysters to Cajun-inspired salads. On the drink side, Cajun Steamer features over 15 specialty martinis and cocktails plus assorted wine and beer.

Cajun Steamer Bar & Grill also has locations in Birmingham as well as Franklin, Tenn. For more information: www.cajunsteamer.com

[Tourian]

Good food. And they typically only hire waitresses that a Hooters or Tilted Kilt would be proud of.

[HSVTiger]

Don't normally consider this good development but in this case it should improve the slum appearance on this section of University. A new Family Dollar
just west of Pulaski Pike will be going up. This will be a great benefit for the housing across University..only problem is foot traffic access. This stretch of seven lane University has been the site of numerous pedestrian/vehicle accidents

[HSVTiger]

Whole Foods coming to Huntsville

Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM) announced it will open a new location at the northeast corner of Bob Wallace Avenue and Memorial Parkway. The newest store in Alabama for the natural and organic foods supermarket will occupy approximately 42,000 square feet of retail space in the Shops at Merchants Walk. The new store is slated to open in 2016.

Whole Foods Market's presence in Alabama includes one other store in Birmingham, along with another scheduled to open in Mobile in 2015.

“We’ve been looking at the Huntsville market for awhile,” said Mike Howard, Whole Foods Market South region vice president. “Huntsville is a great city with a lot of interest in natural and organic food, so we are excited to be bringing more healthy food options to the area. We aim to be more than a grocery – our stores have a strong connection with the communities they serve. Whether through volunteer hours or fundraising efforts, we look forward to developing those partnerships with our newest store in Alabama.”

- See more at: http://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/news/w...e-alabama-grocer-pl#sthash.CDC3kgBp.dpuf

[SpawnOfVulcan]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Whole Foods coming to Huntsville

Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM) announced it will open a new location at the northeast corner of Bob Wallace Avenue and Memorial Parkway. The newest store in Alabama for the natural and organic foods supermarket will occupy approximately 42,000 square feet of retail space in the Shops at Merchants Walk. The new store is slated to open in 2016.

Whole Foods Market's presence in Alabama includes one other store in Birmingham, along with another scheduled to open in Mobile in 2015.

“We’ve been looking at the Huntsville market for awhile,” said Mike Howard, Whole Foods Market South region vice president. “Huntsville is a great city with a lot of interest in natural and organic food, so we are excited to be bringing more healthy food options to the area. We aim to be more than a grocery – our stores have a strong connection with the communities they serve. Whether through volunteer hours or fundraising efforts, we look forward to developing those partnerships with our newest store in Alabama.”

- See more at: http://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/news/w...e-alabama-grocer-pl#sthash.CDC3kgBp.dpuf

Great news! Frankly, I'm surprised Huntsville is the third city to receive one. There are easily more people in Huntsville that want such a store than Mobile (no offense to Mobile, I love Mobile). I think this will really help downtown residential growth considering its proximity to downtown.

[HSVTiger]

I bet no one would have guessed that location if asked. Supposedly some existing businesses will move to accommodate building the new store.
So will Merchants Walk expand ?

[stewdog1]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

I bet no one would have guessed that location if asked. Supposedly some existing businesses will move to accommodate building the new store.
So will Merchants Walk expand ?

I do find that to be an interesting location.

[HSVTiger]

Next up..Trader Joe's..when, where or no

[stewdog1]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Next up..Trader Joe's..when, where or no

Considering a Sprouts is moving in, it wouldn't surprise me Trader Joe's will be next.

[mustanggt]

Originally Posted by stewdog1

Considering a Sprouts is moving in, it wouldn't surprise me Trader Joe's will be next.

Well, Lendon is looking for a Grocery store right? May be a good place for a Trader Joe's. Just sayin...

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

I bet no one would have guessed that location if asked. Supposedly some existing businesses will move to accommodate building the new store.
So will Merchants Walk expand ?

a rendering of the developmnet


a 50 million makeover

Shane Davis, director of urban development for the city of Huntsville, said the $50 million, eight-acre redevelopment project, which will create up to 300 jobs, will stretch from Bob Wallace Avenue north to Merchants Walk along the Parkway. Construction on the site is expected to start late this summer.

Davis and others with the city are confident the upscale grocer and new retail development will be major catalysts in sparking more growth up and down the Parkway.

"We think the next 12 to 14 months are going to play very, very well for the Parkway," Davis said. "Retailers locating on the Parkway are finding great success. Whole Foods analyzed the Huntsville market and they, too, determined that's where they wanted to be."

David said the city has not agreed to provide tax breaks or subsidies to Whole Foods, but will offer assistance with public infrastructure upgrades, which will be discussed in more detail at tonight's Huntsville City Council meeting.

The council is expected to vote on a resolution that would authorize Mayor Tommy Battle to enter into a development agreement between the city and developer RCP Merchants Walk, LLC.

AAMCO Transmissions & Total Car Care, Regions Bank and a few other buildings will be torn down to make way for the new mixed-use shopping center, which has room for approximately 50,000 square feet of additional retail shops and restaurants. Davis said AAMCO will relocate and Regions will occupy a new building at the development.

Huntsville Times

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by mustanggt

Well, Lendon is looking for a Grocery store right? May be a good place for a Trader Joe's. Just sayin...

That would be a good bet


Shane Davis, director of urban development
who said Trader Joe's is currently looking at the Huntsville market, hopes the new Whole Foods store will lead other high-quality retailers to locate to the city. Another healthy, all-natural grocer, Sprouts, is also looking at the Huntsville area, Davis said.

"We're hopeful (Trader Joe's) will make a decision in the very near future," he said.

[TimCity2000]

this is next to the old Times building, correct?