Montgomery development news

[Randy Sandford]

Originally Posted by Brown Duckz

Some nice pictures my friend shot with his HDR camera. Didn't think they were thread worthy, so here they go.

Very nice!

[EXbubba]

Originally Posted by Randy Sandford

Very nice!

I'd say they pan is from somewhere up N Court St. Nice example of the humidditty also - halation on the lights.

[Port_of_Bama]

Originally Posted by bystander1

We've posted plenty of pics on this site of Montgomery over time. Thoraudio had plenty and hopefully he'll get his site back up so you can see them. I've taken plenty also and have posted them, but my camera died a while back. But the good news is I bought a new camera today.

It's ironic that we're talking about pics on the day I got a new one finally.

Well snap more of Gumps gem man

I notice you put Bonner= Gumps trump lol, Bonner is the Port City`s trump as well man.

[Brown Duckz]

Hyundai guessing game--Is sports car next?
By Cosby Woodruff • [email protected] • May 8, 2008

Industry analysts and economists think so, but the South Korean automaker isn't commenting.

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama now produces the Sonata, a sedan, and the Santa Fe, a SUV, but isn't running at its 300,000-vehicle capacity and could handle a third model, both factory officials and experts agree.

A good fit, they say, would be a front-drive sports car for Hyundai -- from both its overall marketing strategy and its local production set-up and capacity.

Seoul-based Hyundai is replacing its first sporty car, the Tiburon, with the more expensive rear-drive Genesis Coupe in 2010, said Miles Johnson, a product spokesman.

The carmaker, however, plans to bring back a front-drive sports model at some point, he added.

The Montgomery plant would be ready to produce the model since it already is making the front-drive Sonatas and Santa Fes, and has the capacity to produce more cars. Last year, workers assembled about 250,500 vehicles, or 83.5 percent of capacity.

A replacement for the Tiburon could be the Veloster, a concept car that Hyundai has been touting on the car show circuit. The model carries a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder Theta engine, which the Montgomery plant will start producing later this year.

"Hyundai's goal was to design a radically new car ... catering to the tastes of the first-time, 20-something buyer," the company said in a statement.

A new front-drive sports model could pick up just a few design pieces of the Veloster or look exactly like it, Johnson said, adding that the model probably would carry the Tiburon name.

"The plan is for one product to become two products," he said. "We will have the Genesis Coupe and a front-wheel drive that looks like the Veloster."

Johnson predicted each model should sell better than the Tiburon, which had strong demand from 2001 to 2005. The 20,000 sales number dropped steadily the last two years. The company sold just 2,071 Tiburons in the first quarter of this year, figures show.

Strong sales for a new front-drive sports model would raise production at the Montgomery plant closer to capacity, numbers show.

Management expert James Cashman thinks the Montgomery plant needs to operate closer to capacity. Manufacturing plants should run at a minimum 90 percent capacity, he said.

"That is not desperation time," he said of the plant's production level. "It is not a red-light issue, but it is a yellow light."

One solution to Hyundai's excess manufacturing capacity would be a front-drive sports car, said Cashman, who teaches at the University of Alabama.

"To me, it would sound like an excellent match for the plant," he said.

Cashman has no doubt the Montgomery plant could handle a third model.

"You have all kinds of flexibility there," he said. "They can do things like adding shifts or adding hours. They just have to keep the quality good."

Economist Keivan Deravi, on the other hand, thinks 85 percent capacity is the ideal level because a higher level makes it difficult for a plant to add or change lines.

A front-drive sports car interchangeable with the Sonata and the Santa Fe makes sense to Deravi, who teaches at Auburn Montgomery.

"The third model makes a heck of a lot of sense," he said. "You have to have the capability of switching."

If Hyundai plans to introduce a third model in 2010 or 2011, it needs to make the decision soon because the weak dollar makes it a good time for foreign investment, Deravi said.

"This is a perfect time to do it," he said, "especially with Kia coming in (at West Point, Ga.). They have all the suppliers in place; they have the whole network in place."

[Brown Duckz]

ASU maps out expansion
By Josh Moon • May 9, 2008

The 20-year, $565 million plan, which was created by Brown Chambless Architects and Sasaki Associates, outlines the building or renovation of more than 20 structures, including an on-campus football stadium, several new dorm or student apartment buildings and numerous retail structures.

ASU officials stressed Thursday that the new master plan is simply a guide for future expansion, and not necessarily a plan of action.

"A lot of the projects listed in this document are dependent upon funding being available," spokeswoman Janel Bell-Haynes said. "This is a guide to be used as we go forward as a university."

The plan is broken into phases and includes steps that will allow the university to address parking and pedestrian issues as each new project is undertaken.

More than 1,000 additional parking spots will be available with the addition of parking decks and large-area lots. However, the small, convenient lots around current buildings will slowly disappear, as will most automobile traffic in some areas of the campus.

According to the planning documents, two of the goals of ASU's new master plan are to draw the majority of academic buildings into a 10-minute walking circle and to move all parking to the edge of campus.

"To promote a pedestrian-oriented campus, parking should be relocated from the core to the periphery whenever possible," the plan reads.

All of the moving and building is set to occur, at least on paper, in varying increments. For example, within the next three years, ASU officials plan to have finished the construction of three new buildings and the renovation of eight more.

Within five years, the plan calls for a new, 32,000-seat football stadium to go on the east side of the campus near the Joe L. Reed Acadome and four additional buildings for student housing.

If ASU follows its new plan, the next five years will cost the school approximately $300 million.

In the following 15 years, there are plans for additional academic buildings and new administrative offices. A new baseball/softball complex, soccer field and hotel and conference center are planned for the northwest corner of campus just beyond Hornet Stadium.

"(The plan) could map out the future growth and development for Alabama State and take the university in a new direction," Bell-Haynes said.

[OldCloverdale]

Originally Posted by Brown Duckz

Within five years, the plan calls for a new, 32,000-seat football stadium to go on the east side of the campus near the Joe L. Reed Acadome

bad news for Cramton Bowl ... I want the City and ASU to team up for major improvements to the Bowl instead of a new stadium



Cramton Bowl + major improvements = better events -- such as state high school semi-finals (or even the Super Six), AISA championship games, marching band championships, soccer championship games, etc.
............ or even the return of the Blue-Gray Game

[OCA REP]

Originally Posted by OldCloverdale

bad news for Cramton Bowl ... I want the City and ASU to team up for major improvements to the Bowl instead of a new stadium



Cramton Bowl + major improvements = better events -- such as state high school semi-finals (or even the Super Six), AISA championship games, marching band championships, soccer championship games, etc.
............ or even the return of the Blue-Gray Game

I am somewhat impressed with what ASU is proposing after looking at the plans. I know there has been some opposition, but the Auburn University campus (to me) is much improved since the core of campus has become more pedestrian-friendly. We have been lucky that our long-time tailgating location at AU has not been compromised yet... but I'm sure that is just a matter of time.

As for the Cramton Bowl and ASU issue, I would not worry yet about the new stadium right away. The NCAA is just starting with ASU and unfortunately the "athletic" program over there is a joke with seemingly no institutional control. Athletics is going to be severly penalized at ASU and any stadium project will be delayed. There is no need for a stadium if you cannot field a football team due to NCAA sanctions. This is a very sad situation for the student athletes there. But for the administration it just seems par for the course.

[Brown Duckz]

Restaurants booming in Prattville
By Marty Roney • May 10, 2008


In an ironic shift, established restaurants are welcoming the growth, even if it offers competi­tion. Prattville is a city of about 35,000, but it presents itself as a shopping and entertainment hub for central Alabama.

"We keep getting busier and busier," said Joel Wheaton, manager of Longhorn Steak­house.

The restaurant has been open seven years, and Wheaton has been at the helm for the past five.

"When I first came here, most of our customers were lo­cal, from Autauga or Elmore counties. We are seeing more and more customers from Mont­gomery and Selma now," he said. "As Prattville's retail growth continues, it brings in more folks from out of town. That's good for all the business­es."

Joel and Ashley Peak of Sel­ma were two of Olive Garden's first customers when the restau­rant opened last week.

"We usually come over on the weekend because the kids have school and it is a bit of a drive," Ashley Peak said. "But we love Olive Garden and couldn't wait, so it was a Mon­day night trip. We come to Pratt­ville a good bit to shop, go to the movies and eat. We love Pratt­ville."

In the last nine months, Is­lamorada Fish Company, Loga­n's Steakhouse, Jim-n-Nick's Barbecue, McAlister's Deli, Moe's Southwest Grill, Cici's Pizza, Las Casitas and Olive Garden have opened their doors. Mellow Mushroom is now under construction.

Most of the new eating places are at Prattville Town Center, a 400,000-square-foot shopping center on Cobbs Ford Road. Just across the street High Point Town Center, a 900,000-square-foot develop­ment, is under construction. While developers haven't re­leased the names of any restau­rants that will go into that cen­ter, it's fairly certain the boom will continue.

The road hasn't been smooth for some restaurants. Tequila Grill, a Mexican restaurant, closed its doors last month. A note on the doors invites cus­tomers to try the owner's new restaurant, Ixtapa, at the Shop­pes at EastChase in Montgom­ery. Romero Macis, owner of Te­quila Grill, could not be reached for comment.

There has already been some interest expressed in the empty building, said Rod Morgan, the city's finance director. Inquir­ies have been made about busi­ness license requirements for a Cobbs Ford Grill, at the loca­tion, but no paperwork has been filed, he said.

The restaurant business is tough, said Layne Lunn, spokes­woman for the Alabama Restau­rant Association.

The Mobile and Prattville areas lead the state in restau­rant growth, she said.

"Most independents don't make it five years," she said. "The chains are a little different because they have access to more advertising and market­ing resources. Restaurants can fail for a number of reasons. They have to meet market de­mands. They have to do it right, which means customer service, good food and of course, loca­tion, location, location. Pratt­ville's restaurant industry is booming."

It's not just out east that is seeing the business. MarChelle's Bistro & Bakery has operated in downtown for about a year. Two weeks ago the restaurant started offering a Sunday brunch.

"We were very surprised at the response that first Sunday. We were packed," said Mark Taylor, who operates the busi­ness with his wife, Michelle. "Every time we offer something new, the response has been ter­rific."

Restaurant owners don't just throw a dart at a map and decide to build, said Connie Bain­bridge, president and economic development coordinator for the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce.

"These are business people who want to be successful," she said. "They do exhaustive re­search before settling in a city. The developers we work with say they have no trouble in sell­ing Prattville to restaurateurs.

"Our service area is of course the tri-county. But customers come from Greenville, Selma, Clanton. Just drive through the parking lots of our stores and restaurants on the weekend and see how many out of county tags there are."

If the city is flirting with a glut of restaurants, you can't tell it, said Jared Mims of Prattville.

"Parking lots are full during the week," he said. "And if you want to eat out in Prattville on the weekend, just get set for a 30-minute wait wherever you go."

[OldCloverdale]

Originally Posted by Brown Duckz

Longhorn Steak­house... Olive Garden ... Islamorada Fish Company ... Loga­n's Steakhouse ... Jim-n-Nick's Barbecue, McAlister's Deli, Moe's Southwest Grill, Cici's Pizza ...

chains, chains, and more chains

[thoraudio]

Originally Posted by OldCloverdale

chains, chains, and more chains

Chain hate is over-rated. I'd love to support the local Pizzaria.... but Ria's sucks.... big time. Been there many a time when we first moved to Prattville, sat for a whole meal, and got like 2 pieces of pizza. (well maybe that wasn't a bad thing....).

Cici's >>> Ria's. Unfortunate, but true.


For years, Montgomery's best independent restaurants refused to grow, move, or change. That endeared them to some, but it killed them off too.

All things being equal, I'm more than happy to support my local.... but, usually, their not equal.

The one, consistent, exception to this has been Flip's. Good food, good service, I usually hit them every couple of weeks or so. (ATL hwy version close to where I work).

[OldCloverdale]

Originally Posted by thoraudio

Chain hate is over-rated... All things being equal, I'm more than happy to support my local.... but, usually, their not equal.

what are your favorite local chains, thoraudio?

[thoraudio]

Feeding the family has different goals than 'favorite places to eat'

Family places.

O'Charley's - with free kid's meals, it's really hard to beat. With everybody drinking water, my wife and I can get something decent, + 3 kids meals, for basically the same price as McDonald's + a tip. This is our 'go to' place for friday night.

CiCi's - Large selection, decent prices, kids entertainment, and really, really good cinamon rolls.

Zaxby's - 'high end' fast food.

Chick-fil-a - A play place and good food and good service? yes.

China Star (Montgomery, on Atlanta Highway). Close to our church and my parents house, I've actually been eating here since the early 80's. Once a month our family's (my parents, my sister, her husband and their three, and our 5) go and take up a whole section. My 5 y.o. loves it because he can put soy sauce in his ice cream.

My wife and I. On the rare occasion we get to go out, our tastes are different, of course.

Baumhauer's Wings (Montgomery). After Tony's shut down, this is 'our' place. Split a plate of cheesy fries, she get's the boneless wings (X-hot), and I get the wings (x-hot). Service this last friday night was amazingly fast.

Casa Napoli (Wetumpka). More for the wife than me....

The Pasta Mill. Although they've had a change of ownership since we've been last... I don't know how it is now.

The House (Montgomery) - but $100 a pop is a really rare treat.


Just me, or guys from work

Flips - good food, good service, convenient to work (I think I'll go today ;0 )

Ichiban/Jun Pan-asian places with good bento boxes and sushi (although I'm taking baby steps with california rolls)

Jason's Deli - I loved the chili cheese baked potato until somebody told me it was a 3500 calories.... but the soup and salad are nice.








we eat out too much

[RSAHort]

Originally Posted by thoraudio

Jason's Deli - I loved the chili cheese baked potato until somebody told me it was a 3500 calories.... but the soup and salad are nice.

And they have the best darn Dr. Pepper I have ever had!


Edit:
I almost forgot. Has anyone heard anything else about the State House? My wife had a chance to go to the Olive Room this weekend. She said her waitress told them the place was going to be bulldozed to make room for a new State House. She offered no time frame.

[OldCloverdale]

Originally Posted by thoraudio

China Star (Montgomery, on Atlanta Highway).

Casa Napoli

The Pasta Mill

The House

Flips

Ichiban/Jun

I don't consider those chains

[OldCloverdale]

Originally Posted by RSAHort

... Has anyone heard anything else about the State House? My wife had a chance to go to the Olive Room this weekend. She said her waitress told them the place was going to be bulldozed to make room for a new State House. She offered no time frame.

April 12, 2008

Plan would move site of State House


The city of Montgomery is getting ready to pitch a plan to the state Legislature that would move the State House deeper into downtown Montgomery.

The city's plan envisions a new State House -- where the Senate and House of Representa­tives conduct business -- built in the "lower Dexter Avenue area," Montgomery Mayor Bob­by Bright said Friday afternoon. Bright would not specify the ex­act location.

Moving the State House, which is near the state Capitol, down Dexter Avenue would create what Bright called a "gov­ernmental mall," similar to the nation's Capitol complex in Washington.

The move also would help fuel downtown revitalization, which received a boost when the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center opened earlier this year.

"This is a significant project and it needs to be out in the open, proudly and prominently displayed for visitors and legis­lators," Bright said.

The city's plan is only one of a handful being kicked around by a special six-person legisla­tive committee that is looking into what to do with the aging, cramped State House on South Union Street.

David Bronner, who as CEO of the Retirement Systems of Alabama has overseen the con­struction of many of downtown Montgomery's landmark build­ings, said it all comes down to what legislators want.

"One group wants to have it downtown, and another wants to have it up by the Capitol, and another group says it should be attached to the Capitol," Bron­ner said. "So you've got at least two or three plans floating around out there.

"And what the Legislature is going to do -- I just don't know."

Sen. Wendell Mitchell, D-Lu­verne, said he initially was a proponent of keeping the State House close to the Capitol. He said after the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce recently invited him to see a presenta­tion on moving the State House, he's no longer so sure.

"I am having second thoughts as to whether it ought to be located on Goat Hill," Mitchell said Friday. "I'll put it this way -- they put forth a very strong case for locating it down­town."

The city's plan includes a proposal for a parking deck and trolley line or shuttle service for legislators and visitors.

The Legislature has been meeting in the current building, which originally held the state highway department, since it was remodeled in 1986. Mitchell said he would not support a mea­sure to renovate the existing building.

"I think the restoration of a building that was never in­tended to be a legislative cham­ber is probably not a good in­vestment," Mitchell said. "To renovate it to meet the needs of the legislative body would be cost-inefficient for one thing and cost-prohibitive for anoth­er."

Not everyone agrees with that sentiment, though.

"As far as I am concerned, there's nothing wrong with the State House we are in," said Rep. Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery. "I'm for staying where we are. ... Building a fine, plush office building isn't going to help get any bills passed."

But if a new State House is built, Holmes supports having it built on lower Dexter Avenue.

Rep. David Grimes, R-Mont­gomery, also thinks the legisla­tive body should stay in the cur­rent building.

"I don't see what the problem is. It's just a little crowded. The Senate could give up a little space, but that's not going to happen," Grimes said Friday.

But unlike Holmes, if a new State House is going to be built, Grimes wants to see it stay close to the Capitol.

Bright would not elaborate on the details of the city's pro­posal because it's still evolving, but he said the city's plan would benefit both the state and the downtown revitalization effort.

"We are aggressively and ac­tively making plans to give the very best proposal we possibly can to the state," Bright said Fri­day afternoon. "We hope they will determine our proposal to be the most feasible and practi­cal plan for the money."

====================================

if they tear this building down and build here, the current Olive Room is toast:

[thoraudio]

I don't know that status of things in the legislature (although every year they meet, I'm more and more embarassed at their ineptitude), but I'd guess if (and that's a big if) the statehouse comes about at the One Court Square location, that Nobles/Olive Room could find a suitable location quickly.

[Capital Heights]

I talked with Ted Nobles last week, he said he has already found a place to relocate downtown if he has to move. There is considerable doubt if the Court Square location will be chosen.

If you have any need to attend a legislative committee hearing (and maybe you do, I have no idea) then you should know that there is a real need for a new state house. Although the legislators will have significantly better offices, etc., if this move should take place, in my judgement, the real winners will be anybody who has business before a legislative committee.

I, for one, am very supportive of the Court Square alternative. It simply makes sense on so many different levels.

Hopefully we will know something soon.

[hiijakd]

it isn't looking good for moving the statehouse to court square. the mayor stopped by and we talked a little about it. the word is Bronner is offering cheap money to build on on the hill. NOTHING has been put in stone yet so the waitress at noble's is going on hearsay. it is possible that olive room and nobles will move but it isn't a done deal yet.

[bystander1]

If Lower Dexter isn't chosen as the site for the Statehouse, how would you guys feel about the city/county relocating the main library there with a new, modern building?
There is definitely a need for a NEW main library somewhere downtown.
I was there last Saturday and it is a complete embarrassment.
I knew something was up when I saw the door wide open and an over-sized industrial fan inside trying to keep people cool. WAAAY past its time. This place was outdated decades ago when I was a child...

[OldCloverdale]

ASU is supportive of a roundabout/traffic triangle at Carter Hill & Decatur.



The roundabout at Ripley & Adams is open, but not finished -- any idea what's going in the middle?