Huntsville updates

[mp7123]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

If was truly an announcement that size the governor and everybody else would be here in person don't you think? Instead of live streaming. A project that size would be hard to keep secret..how about Aston Martin?
I'm guessing some contract award or expansion that will result in several hundred jobs over a year or so. But then again it could be a biggie.

on another topic Whole Foods opens November 14 and plans for Madison Square will supposedly be revealed next month as well under the new name..MidCity Huntsville

Who knows... i'm obviously just speculating, but announcing it at the state capitol seems like a big deal. Hyundai has been rumored to be looking at Alabama for some time for a second assembly plant. They were originally rumored to announce a couple months ago, but the economic downturn in China delayed it.

Guess we'll find out tomorrow.

[luvinhsv]

This place looks pretty cool. Nice to see "new to Huntsville" places opening!
http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2015/10/9round_opening_first_huntsvill.html#incart_river

[Saj07]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

If was truly an announcement that size the governor and everybody else would be here in person don't you think? Instead of live streaming. A project that size would be hard to keep secret..how about Aston Martin?
I'm guessing some contract award or expansion that will result in several hundred jobs over a year or so. But then again it could be a biggie.

I had similar thoughts. Why stay in Montgomery to announce something very big? Hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

[SpawnOfVulcan]

GE Aviation to invest $200 million, employ 300 with 2 new Alabama factories

AL.com
Lucy Berry
October 27, 2015
LINK


From article

The state of Alabama is celebrating another economic win in Huntsville this week after GE Aviation said it will launch two materials factories to service jet engines and land-based gas turbines.

GE Aviation, a provider of jet engines, components and integrated systems for commercial and military aircraft, will invest more than $200 million on adjacent facilities at the southeast corner of the intersection of Greenbrier Road and Interstate 565 near FedEx in Huntsville-annexed Limestone County. The operation, which will employ up to 300 workers, will mass produce silicon carbide (SiC) materials for ceramic matrix composite (CMC) components.


......................


One of the GE Aviation plants will produce ceramic fiber, making it the first operation of its kind in the U.S. The only other factory in the world that specializes in large-scale industrial ceramic fiber is Japan-based NGS Advanced Fibers, a joint company of Nippon Carbon, GE and Safran of France.

The other GE Aviation facility will use the SiC ceramic fiber to make the CMC tape needed to assemble CMC components. The City of Huntsville said the project will be developed over two phases, beginning with a $136 million initial phase that creates about 200 high-paying advanced manufacturing and engineering jobs.

...............................

Incentive details

The local contribution toward the 100-acre land purchase from Chase & Cook Partners includes $1 million from the City of Huntsville, $1.5 million from the Huntsville Industrial Development Board, $500,000 from Madison County, $150,000 and utilities assistance from Limestone County and $500,000 from GE, according to city spokeswoman Kelly Schrimsher.

.........................

Till said the estimated payroll for the facilities for the first 10 years is $102.5 million and average annual pay is expected to be $48,000 at full production.
Under the project agreement, GE is qualified to receive:

• Job-creation credit: $3.5 million (estimated total) over 10 years
• Investment credit: $12.4 million (estimated total) over 10 years

...................

Things are REALLY starting to fill in between Huntsville and Decatur. 300 jobs, $200 million in investment; I'll take it.

[stewdog1]

Originally Posted by tascalisa

[SIZE="5"]



Things are REALLY starting to fill in between Huntsville and Decatur. 300 jobs, $200 million in investment; I'll take it.

I agree. This is great. Get that Aston Martin plant here next!

[HSVTiger]

A few highlights from Mayor Battles state of the city address today

- A "live-work-play destination" could be coming to the site now occupied by Madison Square Mall.(Mid City Huntsville)

- UG White, the "general mercantile" store that began in Athens in 1917, opens its new downtown Huntsville store next week on Clinton Avenue.

_ possible similar developments like Twickenham Square done in Research Park

- The city is eyeing a "Holmes Avenue corridor" including bicycle paths and shuttle buses to connect "Cummings Research Park through UAH to Five Points."

- The soon-to-be-vacant Grissom High School is being re-imagined as a "town center" for south Huntsville. "We'll use this same process in north Huntsville to reimagine the Johnson High property and a library/learning center on Sparkman Drive," Battle said.

[HSVTiger]

Lime Fresh at Bridge Street and elsewhere closes,
Ruby Tuesday is selling or closing the 19 Lime Fresh fast-casual Mexican restaurants it operates but will remain the franchisor for the time being of eight franchised stores.

Eight of the company-run units are being sold to Rubio’s Restaurants, the fish-taco chain, for about $6.3 million. All of those stores are located in Florida.

The 11 others will be shut, Ruby said.

[HSVTiger]

Major expansion planned at the Huntsville Botanical Garden.
Construction should start in January and be completed earl 2017
http://video-embed.al.com/services/playe...LMIMAE~,kKetLjW2WxUgiRmvwWvrX1zHOEtf9iIT

[chadinhsv]

Anybody heard any new news on Uber? My coworker said he saw an Uber car mapping his neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. I also saw a Uber commercial last week.

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by stallty

I think the two biggest factors are the time period of Huntsville's rapid growth and the type/specialization of its work force. Huntsville really became a good sized city during the height of suburban sprawl. It's just the type of development that was most in demand. The. You have Redstone arsenal and research park as the main employment centers. Most true high rises in mid sized cities are office buildings and that demand isn't there in Huntsville.
My dads company wouldn't let him relocated downtown because they felt his branch should be in research park among the other defense contractors.

I really don't get the want for a skyscraper though. I'd much rather have the type of infill projects we are getting to make the area feel like a more urban walkable city. One 25 story office building in downtown would either struggle for occupants or completely dominate the market and empty out other buildings or the need for any new construction.

That being said I would love in 10 to 20 years have a strong enough demand for some buildings over 10 stories. Along with a design review board so we don't get these pretty awful and bland buildings like twickenham square

What you say is true, but Huntsville must be the only city of its size without any true high rise buildings. It would be nice to have a skyline that's expected of the population. But as you say, it's largely a suburban place ... but basically is the suburb of nothing. I'm really surprised that some of the new construction hasn't gone up instead of continuing to sprawl. Atlanta, for instance, seems to have made it a point to build up.

If there ever is a 25-30 story building built downtown it'll probably be a hotel. Very few people actually work downtown.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

What you say is true, but Huntsville must be the only city of its size without any true high rise buildings. It would be nice to have a skyline that's expected of the population. But as you say, it's largely a suburban place ... but basically is the suburb of nothing. I'm really surprised that some of the new construction hasn't gone up instead of continuing to sprawl. Atlanta, for instance, seems to have made it a point to build up.

If there ever is a 25-30 story building built downtown it'll probably be a hotel. Very few people actually work downtown.

close to 10,000 people work downtown, expand that to a 5 mile radius and its around 85,000.

[mp7123]

Originally Posted by chadinhsv

Anybody heard any new news on Uber? My coworker said he saw an Uber car mapping his neighborhood a couple of weeks ago. I also saw a Uber commercial last week.

Not going to happen. Huntsville makes too much money from DUI's, unfortunately. If Uber was allowed here, the DUI's would probably be cut in half along with the revenue stream that comes from it.

[stallty]

Originally Posted by mp7123

Not going to happen. Huntsville makes too much money from DUI's, unfortunately. If Uber was allowed here, the DUI's would probably be cut in half along with the revenue stream that comes from it.

It's just a matter of time before uber comes to Huntsville. The mayor and council have shown they want them here and implemented an ordinance specifically for their industry. I'm sure Uber wants them to tweak it but either way they will be here sometime in the near future.

[HSVTiger]

Road construction to begin on a project that is already 10 years late

Contractors will start on the next South Memorial Parkway overpasses in December.

The new contract includes overpasses at Byrd Spring Road and Lily Flagg Road/Logan Drive and major upgrades to the Martin Road/Redstone Arsenal overpass south of Golf Road. The final cost will be about $54 million, which is less than the $60 million originally expected.

Reed Contracting Services and Miller and Miller contractors, will finish both jobs by June 2019, highway officials say. They earn financial incentives if they finish by March 2019.

Work on the next major Parkway project – an overpass at Mastin Lake Road – is expected to start by the end of 2016, City Engineer Kathy Martin said. Right of way acquisition begins early next year.
al.com

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Road construction to begin on a project that is already 10 years late

Contractors will start on the next South Memorial Parkway overpasses in December.

The new contract includes overpasses at Byrd Spring Road and Lily Flagg Road/Logan Drive and major upgrades to the Martin Road/Redstone Arsenal overpass south of Golf Road. The final cost will be about $54 million, which is less than the $60 million originally expected.

Reed Contracting Services and Miller and Miller contractors, will finish both jobs by June 2019, highway officials say. They earn financial incentives if they finish by March 2019.

Work on the next major Parkway project – an overpass at Mastin Lake Road – is expected to start by the end of 2016, City Engineer Kathy Martin said. Right of way acquisition begins early next year.
al.com

Another interchange that needs attention is the Research Park/I-565/Madison Blvd one. With any perturbation at the Arsenal gates, traffic is a huge mess. I'm not sure if something there is in the works or not.

[stewdog1]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

Another interchange that needs attention is the Research Park/I-565/Madison Blvd one. With any perturbation at the Arsenal gates, traffic is a huge mess. I'm not sure if something there is in the works or not.

Give it about 15 years and they'll get around to it.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

Another interchange that needs attention is the Research Park/I-565/Madison Blvd one. With any perturbation at the Arsenal gates, traffic is a huge mess. I'm not sure if something there is in the works or not.

There actually supposedly has/will be a study of what to here by aldot and someone else but it don't mean much at this point.

[HSVTiger]

possible changes at Redstone with land being turned over for city use
Exploration Park

[RocketDawg]

The Exploration Park will be great, but the Army colonel indicated that nothing is cast in concrete at this point, and it may be a while before things come to fruition. It appears that the Space & Rocket Center may expand into that area, as well as the Botanical Garden. Both expansions will be huge assets to our community.

[HSVTiger]

Now open downtown

An authentic general store with roots in north Alabama since 1917 is already having an impact on downtown Huntsville.

Athens-based U.G. White Mercantile launched its second store Tuesday in the former Crossroads Music Hall on Clinton Avenue.

Owner Derrick Young purchased the building from entrepreneur Jim Hudson, who owned it through his development company CityScapes. He hopes the store will breathe new life into downtown's retail scene, which will get a boost when early phases of The Avenue and CityCentre at Big Spring open in 2016.

U.G. White sells clothing, outdoor gear, private-label foods, candy by the pound and other general store merchandise. Popular brands are Patagonia, Kuhl, Woolrich, W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery, Frost River, Wolverine Boots & Apparel and more.