Mobile Development Thread

[nimsjus]

So Holiday couldnt get out of port yesterday and Carnival didnt bother to tell passengers in advance. Lots of grumpy people down there from what the news said. I appreciate the Holiday for getting our foot in the cruise industry door, but it is a pitiful excuse for a cruise ship. I can't wait to get the upgraded Fantasy up and running so Mobile will have a legit cruise ship. Holiday was like putting a kid on a bike with training wheels. They gave us the smallest, oldest ship with very little investment to see if Mobile could "ride". I think we have proven to be a pretty good port for regional crusiers. With Fantasy we will be able to provide regional cruisers a much higher level of quality. I really want to see a second brand come in (I would prefer Royal Carribean or Celebrity) and really see how we compete for a higher end cruiser. I think it would also help having two ships and two companies so we could offer a variety of cruise destinations and trip lengths. We have proven we can put people on boats. We need more and better ships to really become a destination. It would be a huge boom to our airport, hotels, attractions, restaurants, etc if we could bring in a second ship from another brand.

[ChristopherNFTL]

I completely agree with you. I realize that Mobile isn't ever going to be a mega cruise terminal, I live next to one of the biggest in the world, but it is still a major boon to the city. Not to mention the exposure that it generates! It would be great to get another slip and maybe another company to base a ship here, but that will be a long time coming. Huzzah to the bigger ship we are going to get now though!

[Bayside]

Originally Posted by nimsjus

In the article in a previous post, Bonner just says it will be "updated" now that RSA bought it. All of us are speculating that he will do something to the outside since it is so bad looking. There have been no speciffics released about the updating.

They have to replace all the windows anyway, so they might as well put a new skin on it.

[ChristopherNFTL]

Originally Posted by Bayside

They have to replace all the windows anyway, so they might as well put a new skin on it.

Why do they have to replace the windows? To bring it up to code? Old storm damage?

[Bayside]

They are subject to leaking. It was one of the big complaints of former tenants. The buyer whose financing fell through stated that he was going to replace all the windows. I assume that RSA will replace them as well. I suppose that they can give the building a cosmetic makeover and replace the windows as a packaged deal.

[Port_of_Bama]

Originally Posted by Bayside

They are subject to leaking. It was one of the big complaints of former tenants. The buyer whose financing fell through stated that he was going to replace all the windows. I assume that RSA will replace them as well. I suppose that they can give the building a cosmetic makeover and replace the windows as a packaged deal.

Making the whole building glass will be a good look for the skyline and add some good lighting as well.

[ChristopherNFTL]

Originally Posted by Port_of_Bama

Making the whole building glass will be a good look for the skyline and add some good lighting as well.

Yes, just as long as there is no RSA spire added. It looks great on that building, but a little variety would be nice.

[pkp]

Originally Posted by nimsjus

Story from the PR on the attempt to turn the historic Russel Elementary School into condos. The Board of Education extended the deadline for the developers to get everything together for the sale. Hopefully this goes through. We need these kinds of projects along Broad St to really make the Bring Back Broad deal worth it. The city is doing what it can to improve the things that it can (streets, streetcapes, landscaping, sidewalks, etc. ), but it is going to take private investment to really make the public improvements pop. Hopefully they make this happen.

Been a while since I posted, but I would be thrilled if this went through. I live about two blocks from here and although it is a good area, there are issues - mostly with abandoned and unkept homes - this would be a good shot in the arm.

[pkp]

Originally Posted by nimsjus

Story from the PR on the attempt to turn the historic Russel Elementary School into condos. The Board of Education extended the deadline for the developers to get everything together for the sale. Hopefully this goes through. We need these kinds of projects along Broad St to really make the Bring Back Broad deal worth it. The city is doing what it can to improve the things that it can (streets, streetcapes, landscaping, sidewalks, etc. ), but it is going to take private investment to really make the public improvements pop. Hopefully they make this happen.

I agree that the median or neutral ground is a big improvement over the turning lanes that were there, but I would have liked to have seen a median with some trees and a bike path. The sidewalks are not bike friendly - maybe they can give this some thought on the rest of Broad Street. The streets of Barcelona, Spain are a great example of major thoroughfares that incorporated a vegetated median with a bike path - I believe it would actually be cheaper than whats there now. I actually thought it was part of the original plan.

[pkp]

Originally Posted by NitekKetin

That Downtown Ramada would make for one downscale condo complex. It would be like turning a suburban Motel 6 building into loft apartments. The building itself is set too far back from Jackson Street.

I would demolish the thing and construct a nice mid-rise infill building, with obligatory ground-level retail/commercial spaces.

Or at least knock out some walls and double the size of the units. The owner of the hotel has done an awful job with this property and should back out of any future development plans. Ideally, it would be torn down for something more fitting to the area - like to proposed condo building on St. Francis - shows 1/3 sold out but no building - any news???

[SouthSky]

Retirement Systems of Alabama gets court OK to buy AmSouth building in downtown Mobile, Ala., for $6.75 million

Posted by Kathy Jumper, Press-Register February 10, 2009 9:58 PM

The Retirement Systems of Alabama today got the go-ahead from a bankruptcy court to buy the 34-story AmSouth building at 107 St. Francis St., for $6.75 million, and will close on the sale next week, according to attorneys for the sellers and David Bronner, chief of the state's $24 billion group of pension funds.

The owners of the 280,000-square-foot building in May filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing $450,000 in late mortgage payments. The ownership group, Mobile Tower Limited Partnership, placed part of the blame on losing major tenants to RSA's new 35-story Battle House Tower, according to leasing agents.

"This is a great day for the present and future tenants," said Irving Silver of Silver, Voit & Thompson in Mobile, which represents the New York-based owners. "I would expect that a lot of people in the building trades will be put to work rather quickly on building upgrades."

Once the sale is finalized Bronner said he will decide what has to be done to improve the circa 1965 building after meeting with Doster Construction Co., based in Birmingham, and Goodwyn Mills & Cawood, an architectural firm based in Montgomery with an office in Mobile.

"I'd like to hear what their dream is to make it better, and then I have to look at what we can do realistically," Bronner said. "Obviously, I'm a clean freak and we have to look at not only cleaning up the building, but making sure we have all the basic necessities."

Bronner has said that he envisions Class B office space in the AmSouth building, a complement to the high-end, Class A space in RSAs newer downtown office building nearby. The AmSouth building, which has a 480-space parking garage, is across Royal Street from the Battle House Hotel.

RSA funded the $200 million RSA Battle House Tower and adjacent 238-room Battle House Hotel project off Royal and Dauphin streets, which opened in May 2007. It paid $11.8 million for the Riverview Renaissance Hotel, then spent $60 million on renovations.

He said that he is in no rush to rename the AmSouth building, which in the past has been named for the structure's largest tenant. He's undecided on whether the building will have a spire like RSA's other downtown buildings.

The AmSouth building has about 100,000 square feet of available space, according to John Toomey of Toomey & Co., leasing manager for the building. The amount of space for lease doesnt bother me, Bronner said.

The RSA tower has about two floors available for lease out of a total of 460,000 square feet of office space.
----------------------------------------------------------------------



This is great news!

[SouthSky]

Also, John Fox and the Panthers coaching staff got drunk at Callaghan's and Dale Earnhardt Jr is looking at apartment/condos in Mobile according to the Lagniappe.

[Dale]

Originally Posted by SouthSky

Retirement Systems of Alabama gets court OK to buy AmSouth building in downtown Mobile, Ala., for $6.75 million

Posted by Kathy Jumper, Press-Register February 10, 2009 9:58 PM

The Retirement Systems of Alabama today got the go-ahead from a bankruptcy court to buy the 34-story AmSouth building at 107 St. Francis St., for $6.75 million, and will close on the sale next week, according to attorneys for the sellers and David Bronner, chief of the state's $24 billion group of pension funds.

The owners of the 280,000-square-foot building in May filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing $450,000 in late mortgage payments. The ownership group, Mobile Tower Limited Partnership, placed part of the blame on losing major tenants to RSA's new 35-story Battle House Tower, according to leasing agents.

"This is a great day for the present and future tenants," said Irving Silver of Silver, Voit & Thompson in Mobile, which represents the New York-based owners. "I would expect that a lot of people in the building trades will be put to work rather quickly on building upgrades."

Once the sale is finalized Bronner said he will decide what has to be done to improve the circa 1965 building after meeting with Doster Construction Co., based in Birmingham, and Goodwyn Mills & Cawood, an architectural firm based in Montgomery with an office in Mobile.

"I'd like to hear what their dream is to make it better, and then I have to look at what we can do realistically," Bronner said. "Obviously, I'm a clean freak and we have to look at not only cleaning up the building, but making sure we have all the basic necessities."

Bronner has said that he envisions Class B office space in the AmSouth building, a complement to the high-end, Class A space in RSAs newer downtown office building nearby. The AmSouth building, which has a 480-space parking garage, is across Royal Street from the Battle House Hotel.

RSA funded the $200 million RSA Battle House Tower and adjacent 238-room Battle House Hotel project off Royal and Dauphin streets, which opened in May 2007. It paid $11.8 million for the Riverview Renaissance Hotel, then spent $60 million on renovations.

He said that he is in no rush to rename the AmSouth building, which in the past has been named for the structure's largest tenant. He's undecided on whether the building will have a spire like RSA's other downtown buildings.

The AmSouth building has about 100,000 square feet of available space, according to John Toomey of Toomey & Co., leasing manager for the building. The amount of space for lease doesnt bother me, Bronner said.

The RSA tower has about two floors available for lease out of a total of 460,000 square feet of office space.
----------------------------------------------------------------------



This is great news!

Please, no spire though.

[SouthSky]

Originally Posted by Dale

Please, no spire though.

Agreed. I need something new (design-wise) to Mobile out of this proposed investment... maybe Bronner will be reading this.

PS- If you are... nothing like the Government Plaza, please!

[Port_of_Bama]

Yeah I hope and pray that he doesn`t add any spires to that tower that is over kill 2 is enough. i`m thinking more of a palms style roof or an "A frame" .I think that I have a potential new name for the buidling since it was owned by TOOMEY and Mobile is the home of carnival in the U.S I would name it Carnival or Mardi Gra tower or something is that lame ? lol


I am hoping that ground will be broken on the Fracis street Condos as well, and Dale J.R wants to buy a condo in Mobile I hope that`s true and if so I wonder why hmmm ?

[SouthSky]

Originally Posted by Port_of_Bama

I am hoping that ground will be broken on the Fracis street Condos as well, and Dale J.R wants to buy a condo in Mobile I hope that`s true and if so I wonder why hmmm ?

The speculation is that it's in correlation with the new racetrack being planned.

[nimsjus]

More on the AMsouth/Bronner deal...
Court clears way for RSA to buy AmSouth building downtown
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
By KATHY JUMPER
Real Estate Editor
The Retirement Systems of Alabama received court approval Tuesday to purchase the 34-story AmSouth building at 107 St. Francis St., for $6.75 million, and will close on the sale next week, according to attorneys for the sellers and David Bronner, chief of the state's $24 billion pension fund.
The owners of the 280,000-square-foot building in May filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing $450,000 in late mortgage payments. The ownership group, Mobile Tower Limited Partnership, placed part of the blame on losing major tenants to RSA's new 35-story Battle House Tower, according to leasing agents.
"This is a great day for the present and future tenants," said Irving Silver of Silver, Voit & Thompson in Mobile, which represents the New York-based owners. "I would expect that a lot of people in the building trades will be put to work rather quickly" on building upgrades.
Once the sale is finalized, Bronner said, he will decide what has to be done to improve the circa 1965 building after meeting with Doster Construction Co., based in Birmingham, and Goodwyn Mills & Cawood, an architectural firm based in Montgomery with an office in Mobile.
"I'd like to hear what their dream is to make it better, and then I have to look at what we can do realistically," Bronner said. "Obviously, I'm a clean freak, and we have to look at not only cleaning up the building, but making sure we have all the basic necessities."
Bronner has said that he envisions Class B office space in the AmSouth building, a complement to the high-end, Class A space in RSA's newer downtown office building nearby. The AmSouth building, which has a 480-space parking garage, is across Royal Street from the Battle House Hotel.
RSA funded the $200 million RSA Battle House Tower and adjacent 238-room Battle House Hotel project off Royal and Dauphin streets, which opened in May 2007. It paid $11.8 million for the Riverview Renaissance Hotel, then spent $60 million on renovations.
He said that he is in no rush to rename the AmSouth building, which in the past has been named for the structure's largest tenant. He's undecided on whether the building will have a spire like RSA's other downtown buildings.
The AmSouth building has about 100,000 square feet of available space, according to John Toomey of Toomey & Co., leasing manager for the building. The amount of space for lease "doesn't bother me," Bronner said.
The RSA tower has about two floors available for lease out of a total of 460,000 square feet of office space.

[10101000]

That is good news.

[BlessedMobile]

Originally Posted by pkp

Or at least knock out some walls and double the size of the units. The owner of the hotel has done an awful job with this property and should back out of any future development plans. Ideally, it would be torn down for something more fitting to the area - like to proposed condo building on St. Francis - shows 1/3 sold out but no building - any news???

All the making of condos sounds good but what is in greatest demand downtown is rentals. Affordable rentals! Making that hotel into a condo is nothing more than a glorified apartment complex with each unit having a separate owner...read investor into that! If it was torn down we would have a new building (maybe) with no rentals (certain). At least this way young people can affordably rent a place in this new condo. One other thing, the current owner has no plans to do anything else downtown; he has turned his attention to west Mobile. We have plenty of empty condos downtown; how about thinking of this as a way to get people living downtown (renters).

[phoenixboi08]

I've always wondered whether the parking structure could support another small building? If so, I could see multiple uses being implemented...otherwise, in a perfect world, I would love to see the parking structure transformed into something useful...but then again, I guess maybe they need it. Maybe they could at least put some kind of faced on it, it's so ugly.