Montgomery development news

[RSAHort]

Originally Posted by hiijakd

well bring her down to the open house on vtines daym 3-4:30. that unit is still available so she is welcome to fall in love with it and move in.

I've got 3 kids, 2 dogs, 4 cats and a fish. Is it a 4 bedroom?

[hiijakd]

haha, nope not this one but i have two more buildings over on perry street, they could easily have 4 bedrooms.

[thoraudio]

what time is the open house. I had somebody possibly interested in coming by around lunch time (but not so interested as to make you change your schedule).

[hiijakd]

i'm sure that i will be there all day..lunch would be fine. 11-4:30? maybe?

[thoraudio]

I'll let you know tomorrow if we're able to make it.

[Capital Heights]

Yesterday, I noticed a "Sale Pending" sign on the two Colonial Bank properties on Commerce Street. Any idea who might be buying?

[hiijakd]

those signs have been up for a couple of weeks. i don't have any idea who is buying them but I am certainly glad. after the mass exodus of colonial and the merger disaster of amsouth and regions too many people have left downtown. i know the parking spaces are certainly more available, hopefully the restaurants aren't feeling the crunch too much. I know that the hotel is open now, maybe that will inspire all the old money to start developing their downtown property. wouldn't that be neat. can you imagine walking down dexter and seeing every building open and busy?

[kevinlpugh]

Michael's Arts and Crafts will open its new store at EastChase the first week of April. Until then, its store at 3705 East Blvd. will remain open, said manager Tara McBride.

Circuit City and Costco are already open at EastChase and Bed Bath and Beyond are slated to open at EastChase in late March, said Kay Yarbrough, spokeswoman for Jim Wilson and Associates.

She said the new businesses in the Market Center, adjacent to Costco, will help fill about 80 percent of the EastChase development in east Montgomery, Kay Yarbrough, spokeswoman for Jim Wilson and Associates, previously said.
The entire development likely will be completed in three more years. Currently, about 75 percent to 80 percent of the land has been developed.

[kevinlpugh]

A proposed recreational housing development on the Alabama River is a byproduct of the renewed interest in riverfront development in downtown Montgomery, according to County Commissioner Elton Dean.

The newest project is called River Ridge Harbor and the proposed 50-lot site is off Old Selma Road in west Montgomery County in an area that has not experienced much development in recent years, Dean said. Dean added that this would add value to his district, which is the western part of the county.

This kind of development and the revitalization of downtown, due in part to the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center, go hand in hand, according to Dean.

"I think you're going to see more and more people buying property on the river," Dean said Tuesday. "It's got a lot of potential and I think we're about to witness that potential."

The land is about as far west in Montgomery County as you can go, said Pickett Reese, developer of the project. It's near the point where the Alabama River touches two other counties -- Autauga and Lowdnes.

There are, however, two downsides that Reese is trying to work out with the county: The site for the proposed project is in a flood zone and the road would not be built up to county code.

Reese is proposing that the homes, which are intended to be vacation-type homes, would be elevated through the use of pilings.

Reese is working out an agreement with the county that would make the roads private, which would free the county from having to maintain or fix them.

The development team doesn't see that as a problem. Instead of a wide road, the road will be small in an attempt to minimize the impact on the environment and retain a rural feel.

As a way of incorporating smart-growth methods, Reese has been working with Ike Lyon, the site manager of the Alabama River Lakes who is responsible for 244 river miles.

Lyon said the goal is to make it seem as though the housing development was placed there by helicopter. Limiting the impact on the riverfront is especially important because the trees keep the soil in place, which keeps the river from needing to be dredged, according to Lyon. And that saves federal dollars.

The construction approach in the past has been to clear land and add landscaping later. The smart growth approach works around naturally growing trees and saves developers money on landscaping, Lyon said.

Lyon added that this proposed project is one of a half dozen that have materialized in the last six months. He sees this string of developments as a sign that the Black Belt and River Region are beginning to emerge from a depressed era in history that he said traces back to the Civil War.

The plans are still being drawn for River Ridge Harbor, but it could be voted on as soon as the next County Commission meeting Feb. 26. Dean said he does not anticipate any resistance from the commission.

[thoraudio]

I don't mind the development..... but what in the world does it have to do with downtown (as stated in the article)?
It's about 15 miles from downtown....

[OldCloverdale]

*

[hiijakd]

i wonder what chad has to say about this development. Is it actually smart growth or is smart-growth just a fun buzz word people are throwing around now to seem "with it?"

and i agree with thor...what does it have to do with downtown? just looks like someone trying to piggyback the convention center press to me.

as much as it irritates me, i'll be glad when people start to see what downtown has to offer. when the white flight that owns much of the property starts to put their money where their mouth is. i am so tired of all the talk with no action. if you own property downtown, get off your you know what and get moving, letting it fall apart should not be an option. if you can't afford to do something with it, then sell it to someone who can at a price that is reasonable. Sorry guys, had to get that off my chest.

as far as the michael's, circuit city thing goes, you won't catch me out there much, i feel unsafe at eastchase haven't you seen all the crime statistics, i'm going to stay downtown where its safe.

[neilson]

Originally Posted by hiijakd

i wonder what chad has to say about this development. Is it actually smart growth or is smart-growth just a fun buzz word people are throwing around now to seem "with it?"

and i agree with thor...what does it have to do with downtown? just looks like someone trying to piggyback the convention center press to me.

as much as it irritates me, i'll be glad when people start to see what downtown has to offer. when the white flight that owns much of the property starts to put their money where their mouth is. i am so tired of all the talk with no action. if you own property downtown, get off your you know what and get moving, letting it fall apart should not be an option. if you can't afford to do something with it, then sell it to someone who can at a price that is reasonable. Sorry guys, had to get that off my chest.

as far as the michael's, circuit city thing goes, you won't catch me out there much, i feel unsafe at eastchase haven't you seen all the crime statistics, i'm going to stay downtown where its safe.

What about the old shopping center at the Bypass and Troy Hwy?

I understand that parking spaces are more then available over there right now.

[thoraudio]

Originally Posted by hiijakd

i wonder what chad has to say about this development. Is it actually smart growth or is smart-growth just a fun buzz word people are throwing around now to seem "with it?"

unfortunately Chad took his ball and went home when he got his e-toes stepped on.

Chad, if you're out there reading this, feel free to come back. Just because somebody disagrees with you doesn't mean we don't value your input.

Nielson, on the other hand, we don't value your input and would be happy for you to leave.

[EXbubba]

What has happened to Envision 2020. Weren't they the leaders in the past few years in downtown redevelopment? Didn't they get the Dover Kohl study going? I would think that now that they new hotel(s) is open, and the convention center book - it would be like someone left the bank door open for downtown MGM. Is this just the winter doldrums?
I am sure if Chad has something to say beyond what he has been rightfully expounding on, that he will say it, but not living downtown, or participating in its development, his words, while true may fall on deaf ears. Those who own property downtown could care less about the buildings that they are probably using as tax write offs, but the land is not going anywhere.

[neilson]

Originally Posted by thoraudio

unfortunately Chad took his ball and went home when he got his e-toes stepped on.

Chad, if you're out there reading this, feel free to come back. Just because somebody disagrees with you doesn't mean we don't value your input.

Nielson, on the other hand, we don't value your input and would be happy for you to leave.

You can't have it both ways. Besides, I was making a slam at the retailers that abandoned that shopping center. How you percieved that as a negative is beyond me.

[Brown Duckz]

Originally Posted by neilson

You can't have it both ways. Besides, I was making a slam at the retailers that abandoned that shopping center. How you percieved that as a negative is beyond me.

Those retailers can't hear you on this forum. Therefore, your comments are just negativity towards Montgomery.

[neilson]

Originally Posted by Brown Duckz

Those retailers can't hear you on this forum. Therefore, your comments are just negativity towards Montgomery.

It's not negativity toward your city, and especially not toward the growth areas that are most trumpeted on here. You guys know what's happening on the Bypass is wrong and puts a bad eye on that area of the city just like it does in every other city. There's no negativity toward you guys and you know, whenever someone points out the same thing about Huntsville and areas that are going though the same set of circumstances, you know what I say?

"You're absolutely right and it's a damn shame. I hope something can happen on down the road to revitalize the area and prevent this same cycle from happening to the current "growth spots" when they slow down." There is nothing offensive or wrong with saying that or having anyone say that about where I live or where anyone lives.

[thoraudio]

((yawn))

[neilson]

Originally Posted by thoraudio

((yawn))

Awesome.