Huntsville updates

[JuanHunt]

Originally Posted by stewdog1

No, but close. I believe that was the old Westminster school. The one I'm talking about was across the street, West Huntsville church of Christ.

The rescue mission property on Evangel was purchased for about $4mill, the same amount the city agreed to pay for the old mission property next to Lowe Mill and the public housing development.

[HSVTiger]

Asian Rim opening at Twickenham Square:
Asian Rim is one of several new Twickenham eateries, including Mei Wei, Taco Mama, Cajun Steamer Bar & Grill, opening soon at the downtown Huntsville project

[HSVTiger]

Opening downtown

Artisan at Twickenham Square, a 246-unit loft development that launched in June near Huntsville Hospital, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Publix, will host a ribbon cutting with city leaders at 4 p.m. Sept. 4. A free community-wide event will take place from 5-7 p.m. with food, drinks, live entertainment, an interactive photo booth and giveaways.



Artisan courtyard

[HSVTiger]

A Marriott TownePlace Suites is under construction on a 3.1-acre parcel of land at Redstone Gateway, a 468-acre mixed-use development project at Redstone Arsenal, I-565/Research Park Blvd.

[HSVTiger]

50 years of being screwed by the state and 20 years too late took the city to raise taxes and pay for most of it'
The road upgrades are a mix of 15 locally-funded projects and 12 being done in concert with the Alabama Department of Transportation. Huntsville and the state are splitting the estimated $221.5 million cost of new Parkway overpasses at Mastin Lake, Lily Flagg and Byrd Spring roads, widening U.S. 72 East and West, and building the next leg of the Northern Bypass.
no thanks to aldont
New Memorial Parkway overpasses at Byrd Spring and Lily Flagg roads: Design is 90 percent finished; state expected to seek construction bids in March 2015; work on access roads should start mid-2015. Huntsville wants the contractor to move quickly, said Martin, and may offer cash incentives for finishing ahead of schedule. Part of the work will be done at night to try to minimize impact on businesses in that stretch, she said.

New Memorial Parkway overpass at Mastin Lake Road: Design is 30 percent finished; construction scheduled to start late 2016.

Third westbound lane over Chapman Mountain on U.S. 72 East: Reed Contracting has been hired and should start work in October; the job is expected to be finished in April 2016.

Six-laning U.S. 72 West from Providence Main Street to Limestone County line: Concept drawings being reviewed; public involvement meeting planned for later this month; on track for mid-2016 start.

Build Northern Bypass between Pulaski Pike and Memorial Parkway: Design 60 percent finished; next step is acquiring needed right-of-way; on track for mid-2017 start.

Holmes Avenue bridge replacement: Construction is 70 percent complete and should wrap up in January.

Four-laning Zierdt Road between Madison Boulevard and Martin Road: Clearing and Redstone Arsenal fence relocation complete; construction of new northbound lanes on track to start late this year and finish in mid-2016.

Five-laning Martin Road from Zierdt Road to near Huntsville International Airport: First phase from Zierdt to Old Jim Williams Road expected to start early 2016.

Five-laning Winchester Road between Dominion Circle and Naugher Road: Design is 90 percent complete; next step is purchasing needed right-of-way; on track for early 2016 construction start.

Widening Old Madison Pike west of Cummings Research Park: Construction is 70 percent complete and should wrap up in April 2015.

Weatherly Road extension to future Grissom High School site: Construction is 20 percent complete and should be finished by July 2015.

New five-lane section of Church Street between Oakwood and Pratt avenues: Construction is 80 percent complete and on track to wrap up in October.

[Huntsville_secede]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

50 years of being screwed by the state and 20 years too late took the city to raise taxes and pay for most of it'
The road upgrades are a mix of 15 locally-funded projects and 12 being done in concert with the Alabama Department of Transportation. Huntsville and the state are splitting the estimated $221.5 million cost of new Parkway overpasses at Mastin Lake, Lily Flagg and Byrd Spring roads, widening U.S. 72 East and West, and building the next leg of the Northern Bypass.
no thanks to aldont
New Memorial Parkway overpasses at Byrd Spring and Lily Flagg roads: Design is 90 percent finished; state expected to seek construction bids in March 2015; work on access roads should start mid-2015. Huntsville wants the contractor to move quickly, said Martin, and may offer cash incentives for finishing ahead of schedule. Part of the work will be done at night to try to minimize impact on businesses in that stretch, she said.

New Memorial Parkway overpass at Mastin Lake Road: Design is 30 percent finished; construction scheduled to start late 2016.

Third westbound lane over Chapman Mountain on U.S. 72 East: Reed Contracting has been hired and should start work in October; the job is expected to be finished in April 2016.

Six-laning U.S. 72 West from Providence Main Street to Limestone County line: Concept drawings being reviewed; public involvement meeting planned for later this month; on track for mid-2016 start.

Build Northern Bypass between Pulaski Pike and Memorial Parkway: Design 60 percent finished; next step is acquiring needed right-of-way; on track for mid-2017 start.

Holmes Avenue bridge replacement: Construction is 70 percent complete and should wrap up in January.

Four-laning Zierdt Road between Madison Boulevard and Martin Road: Clearing and Redstone Arsenal fence relocation complete; construction of new northbound lanes on track to start late this year and finish in mid-2016.

Five-laning Martin Road from Zierdt Road to near Huntsville International Airport: First phase from Zierdt to Old Jim Williams Road expected to start early 2016.

Five-laning Winchester Road between Dominion Circle and Naugher Road: Design is 90 percent complete; next step is purchasing needed right-of-way; on track for early 2016 construction start.

Widening Old Madison Pike west of Cummings Research Park: Construction is 70 percent complete and should wrap up in April 2015.

Weatherly Road extension to future Grissom High School site: Construction is 20 percent complete and should be finished by July 2015.

New five-lane section of Church Street between Oakwood and Pratt avenues: Construction is 80 percent complete and on track to wrap up in October.

It's a shame the overpasses for 72 east won't bestarted until like 2025 though. They were originally suppose to start in 2004.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Opening downtown

Artisan at Twickenham Square, a 246-unit loft development that launched in June near Huntsville Hospital, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Publix, will host a ribbon cutting with city leaders at 4 p.m. Sept. 4. A free community-wide event will take place from 5-7 p.m. with food, drinks, live entertainment, an interactive photo booth and giveaways.



Artisan courtyard

now open

[HSVTiger]

Interesting

"Cabela's tried unsuccessfully to put its new outdoor superstore at two locations – one that would have revitalized Madison Square Mall and another that would have brought new retail life to north Huntsville - before settling on the site it is developing now near Bridge Street Town Centre, a Huntsville city official said this week.

Cabela's had offered a written commitment to put its first Alabama store on the Madison Square Mall site now occupied by Sears, according to city economic development director Shane Davis. When that deal didn't work out, Cabela's tried hard to put the store at the old Toys R Us site at the corner of Memorial Parkway and University Drive.

Sears owns their site and wanted too much money to sell. The old Toys R Us would have required a parking deck and limited access to Home Depot and Costco
Birmingham is also in line for a Cabelas's
Huntsville had sent Cabela's a total of 16 sites, including the one it finally chose, which Davis called "a dot on the map." In April, Cabela's president stopped to see Huntsville for himself on the way to a new store opening in Greenville, S.C.. On that pivotal tour, Millner also looked at two sites in Madison, Davis said.

Davis said Cabela's broker told him later what happened. Driving on Research Park Boulevard, Cabela CEO Millner saw Bridge Street Town Centre and wanted a closer look. He saw the new Belk store under construction and was told the complex had more than 1 million square feet of retail.

'If they can see me'

Millner asked to see the site near Bridge Street the company had previously passed on and made several trips from the site to I-565 and back. The broker said Millner finally pointed to Bridge Street and said to his people, "If the public can figure out how to get to that, and they can see me from the interstate, they'll figure out how to get here. Take me back to the plane, and see if you can get this done here."
From al.com

[HSVTiger]

Texas de Brazil, which announced its new 8,100-square-foot Huntsville restaurant in mid-March, plans to launch in December in the former Tavern space next to Monaco Pictures. It will be the second Texas de Brazil to open in Alabama this year, after the Birmingham location.

[Jugernagt]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Interesting

"Cabela's tried unsuccessfully to put its new outdoor superstore at two locations – one that would have revitalized Madison Square Mall and another that would have brought new retail life to north Huntsville - before settling on the site it is developing now near Bridge Street Town Centre, a Huntsville city official said this week.
…
Take me back to the plane, and see if you can get this done here."
From al.com

From: "Cabela's wanted Madison Square Mall or Toys R Us before settling on current site near Bridge Street"
Written by: Lee Roop | [email protected]
on September 05, 2014 at 8:45

Full story here:
http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2014/09/cabelas_wanted_madison_square.html

[jhsv]

Would have been nice had they been able to use an existing building. Wonder why the Sears location since it was still in use. I can see not wanting to be on the back side of Madison Square but don't really follow the Sears idea.

Originally Posted by Jugernagt

From: "Cabela's wanted Madison Square Mall or Toys R Us before settling on current site near Bridge Street"
Written by: Lee Roop | [email protected]
on September 05, 2014 at 8:45

Full story here:
http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2014/09/cabelas_wanted_madison_square.html

[Jugernagt]

Originally Posted by jhsv

Would have been nice had they been able to use an existing building. Wonder why the Sears location since it was still in use. I can see not wanting to be on the back side of Madison Square but don't really follow the Sears idea.

Probably because of the parking on three sides and their loading dock. And they probably thought the rent would be cheap until they found out Sears owned their part of that building.

[mp7123]

Originally Posted by jhsv

Would have been nice had they been able to use an existing building. Wonder why the Sears location since it was still in use. I can see not wanting to be on the back side of Madison Square but don't really follow the Sears idea.

They wanted that parcel because it fronts Research Park.

[Jugernagt]

Originally Posted by mp7123

They wanted that parcel because it fronts Research Park.

That would make sense, but certainly targeted to the wrong audience. I doubt all those engineers and computer techies coming off the arsenal make up the type Cabela's market to.

[stewdog1]

Originally Posted by Jugernagt

That would make sense, but certainly targeted to the wrong audience. I doubt all those engineers and computer techies coming off the arsenal make up the type Cabela's market to.

You would be surprised.

[HSVTiger]

Orvis coming to Bridge Street
Orvis, which launched at The Summit in Birmingham in June, will span more than 5,000 square feet near Lime Fresh Mexican Grill in one of four new retail buildings at Bridge Street's Phase III development anchored by Belk. A grand opening is scheduled for Nov. 14-16.

[HSVTiger]

Sprouts Farmers Market today confirmed that it will open a store in Huntsville early next year.

The store, to be located at 7504 U.S. 72 West NW, Unit B, is the second site in the state that the Arizona-based specialty grocer has officially acknowledged.

[stewdog1]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Sprouts Farmers Market today confirmed that it will open a store in Huntsville early next year.

The store, to be located at 7504 U.S. 72 West NW, Unit B, is the second site in the state that the Arizona-based specialty grocer has officially acknowledged.

I thought that's already been confirmed for a long time now. At least since the beginning of the year.

[beergutbrew]

Originally Posted by stewdog1

I thought that's already been confirmed for a long time now. At least since the beginning of the year.

Me too. Especially since they already have the four walls built and have started inside construction.

[Jugernagt]

Originally Posted by beergutbrew

Me too. Especially since they already have the four walls built and have started inside construction.

Back in February.

http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2014/02/arizona-based_sprouts_farmers.html

I think the before the story update the original title didn't say anything about Sprouts and only about a "new grocery store" coming to town. At the time of the ground breaking the land developers wouldn't release the name. I remember the press hinted at a Trader Joe's going in there.