Montgomery development news

[Brown Duckz]

Still waiting for the liquor license before I try it...

[OldCloverdale]

Originally Posted by telecomdude

I ate at Mug Shots this weekend, and would have to say it was AWESOME. The bun is amazing. and flavor is outstanding. The fries are even good...

Their frozen fries are okay but how hard is it to fry freshly cut potatoes?

[Scoots71]

Here is a good Montgomery Advertiser article about the goings on downtown.

THE NEW MONTGOMERY: Rebuilding boom: Leaders say redeveloped area experiencing an 'economic explosion'

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/arti...sion-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Frontpage

[BlakFlava]

The city of Montgomery is set to receive $5 million in state transportation enhancement grants to pay for streetscape improvements on Dexter Avenue from the Court Square fountain to the state Capitol.

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said the goal is to make the street more pedestrian friendly and aesthetically pleasing. He said city leaders have been working with the state for years to secure this funding.
The project includes repaving the roadway, improving the sidewalks, planting street trees, installing pedestrian lighting and reserving space in the middle of the right-of-way for a future transportation vehicle route.
“The vision of the project was to make Dexter Avenue, which should be the most important (street) in the Capital City, to have a look and feel that’s inviting,” said Chris Conway, the city’s director of Public Works.
Deputy Mayor Jeff Downes said the sidewalks will be widened to create a consistent curb line from Court Square to the corner of Bainbridge Street and Dexter, which is in front of the Capitol. He said the new lighting will improve safety.
“A major portion of it is the walkability concept,” Conway said. “The crosswalks and sidewalks will be more pedestrian friendly, and certainly more (handicap accessible) up and down the length of Dexter Avenue.”
The final construction plans need to be approved by the Alabama Department of Transportation, Strange said.
The design, which was done by the Montgomery-based architectural and engineering firm Goodwyn Mills Cawood, cost about $800,000, Downes said. The construction cost will be about $4.2 million.
The city will be responsible for paying about 20 percent of the cost of repaving the roadway, which is estimated to be between $300,000 and $400,000, Conway said. The city’s portion will be between $60,000 and $80,000.
The rest of the project will be covered entirely by the grants.
The basis for the new streetscape structure came from the city’s 2007 Downtown Montgomery Plan. The plan emphasized the need for a “much-improved pedestrian experience” along Dexter Avenue, Downes said.

[Brown Duckz]

Originally Posted by BlakFlava

That's not the proper way to post the article. You need to read the forum guidelines.

[OldCloverdale]

AviatorBAR target date is December 17th, the 109th anniversary of Wilbur and Orville's big day: the Wrights finally took to the air on December 17, 1903, making two flights each from level ground into a freezing headwind gusting to 27 miles per hour. The first flight, by Orville, of 120 feet in 12 seconds, at a speed of only 6.8 miles per hour over the ground, was recorded in a famous photograph. The next two flights covered approximately 175 feet and 200 feet, by Wilbur and Orville respectively.

[OldCloverdale]

Developer has 2 months to decide whether to buy downtown property

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/arti...ntgomery-City-Council-approves-land-deal

The Montgomery City Council unanimously approved a purchase-and-sale agreement that would allow a well-known Montgomery developer to build a mixed-use development on a city parking lot with frontage on lower Commerce Street.

The 29,300-square-foot parcel of land is located between Water and Tallapoosa streets with frontage on Commerce Street. The parking lot is in front of the Embassy Suites hotel.

... Anna Lowder and her husband, Harvi Sahota, now has a contract with the city to buy the property for $290,000, or about $10 per square foot. According to the contract, ... a two-month due diligence period to decide whether to buy the property...

...Chad Emerson, the city’s director of development, said the buildings would be similar in scale and design to buildings on the other side of lower Commerce Street, and they also would be historically similar to the buildings that were once on that property. The new buildings couldn’t be any taller than the existing buildings on the other side.

The new development would have retail on the first floor, and office space or residential units on the upper floors, Emerson said. There would be parking behind the building with some sort of tunnel or path through the building.

Emerson said this is an opportunity to generate revenue at a market rate with a historically accurate development in a key area downtown.

Councilman expresses concerns

City Councilman Richard Bollinger said he was concerned that building on the adjacent parcel with frontage on Tallapoosa Street would block the view of Union Station and the train shed.

Bollinger also said in the 2007 Downtown Master Plan called for the elimination of asphalt in the lower Commerce Street area, and the construction of a park that would have brass figurines of heroic Montgomery firefighters and police officers.

He said one thing downtown lacks is green space and parks in close proximity to loft apartments. For every 500 to 1,000 people, there should be about one acre of accessible green space for residents, especially since not all apartments have terraces or rooftop space...

Emerson said Dover Kohl has said they strongly supported a two-sided lower Commerce Street.

Lowder said the parcel with frontage on Tallapoosa would almost certainly be a one-story building — most likely a grocery or retail store.

Emerson said the city’s retail consultants said that land is one of the few parcels downtown that would be able to accommodate a grocery store with on-site parking.

He said it would be difficult to get a grocery store or other retailer to sign a deal if the developer didn’t have some kind of legal control over the land, and that was the reason for giving the developer the first opportunity to buy it.

[OldCloverdale]

FYI: The downtown liquor store at the corner of Commerce and Bibb (same building as Sous La Terre) looked open as I drove by last night.

The Irish Bred Pub appears to remain unchanged.

[OldCloverdale]

The Farmer's Market Cafe' in downtown MGM is for sale.

[OldCloverdale]

Developer, city to enter purchase-and-sale agreement

The city of Montgomery is considering selling property on Maxwell Boulevard to a developer with a plan to construct at least 25 high-end residential housing units along with retail space.

If approved by the City Council, the Birmingham-based Stoneriver Company LLC will enter into a purchase-and-sale agreement for about five acres of land with frontage along Maxwell Boulevard and Clay Street that overlooks the river.

The block of land, known as Maxwell East, includes 14 parcels from North Holt Street on the west end to Whitman Street on the east end.

The company will have a 150-day due diligence period from the time the agreement is approved by the council, and can buy 12 of the 14 parcels for $610,000. The contract stipulates the company has to complete the construction of a minimum of 25 housing units within 30 months of the closing.

After the company closes on the first “phase” of the sale, which includes the 12 parcels, Stoneriver has the option of purchasing the last two parcels located on the corner of Maxwell Boulevard and North Holt Street within three years. The site is the former location of the Land and Sea building before it was demolished by the city in October.

The second two parcels will cost about $405,000, which is a higher rate per square foot than the first 12 parcels. Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said the city would be recuperating all the money it spent to buy the properties. If the second parcels are purchased, the city would be receiving a total of $1,015,000.

...there likely will be more than 25 units... there could eventually be as many as 150 to 250 units, depending on the size of the units.

...the plan is to construct four-story buildings with retail space on the bottom floors. The apartments will be one-, two- and three-bedroom units with parking and other amenities, such as a rooftop pavilion and pool.

The property has to be developed in accordance with the city’s Downtown Master Plan and the Maxwell Boulevard Master Plan.

Strange said the city’s development department has been working closely with the developer to make sure the proposal will work for the city. He said it’s important that the views of the Alabama River be preserved.

Deputy Mayor Jeff Downes said the city put out a request for proposals for the property about a year ago. The city selected a developer, but the project couldn’t be accomplished.

... there’s a clear demand for housing downtown, but the purpose of selling the property in phases is because it’s an “untested” market...

Strange said the development, along with the Wright Brothers Park across the street, will be visible from the interstate. He said the views of the two will make people want to stop in Montgomery.

...The City Council will be able to vote on the purchase-and-sale agreement at its Dec. 18 meeting...

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/arti...ll%7Ctext%7CFrontpage%7Cp&nclick_check=1

[OldCloverdale]

[Brown Duckz]

All eyes on possible new development near East Chase
Posted: Jan 17, 2013 6:21 PM CST
Updated: Jan 17, 2013 6:21 PM CST
By Melissa McKinney - WSFA.com

http://www.wsfa.com/story/20618197/all-eyes-on-new-development-near-east-chase

This article talks about the portion of land directly across from the main EastChase entrance on Taylor Road. Aronov plans to buy the property, but development has been slowed by nearby homeowners in Halcyon.

Excerpt:

A warranty deed drafted when the organization purchased it states the Halcyon Architectural Review Board has the authority to approve or veto any developer's plans.

They have done it before.

"Drive-thru fast food in there, that would be objectionable. A high rise hotel, that had been proposed in the past, that would be objectionable," adds Cornwell.

I think a multi-use tower would be a supreme development for that lot. You could include retail and eateries on say the first two levels, a hotel, etc. That would be a groundbreaking suburban development for Montgomery's standards. I feel it could move the shopping center as a whole into the likes of Hoover's Galleria or Buckhead's Lenox (not in terms of scale, but that "upscale" feel). If they put ANOTHER strip mall building on that lot, then exactly what has Montgomery gained?

[NitekKetin]

I could see Aronov developing something similar to the BB&T Centre building at Dauphin Street and I-65 in Mobile. The height could even be doubled.

[Brown Duckz]

Originally Posted by NitekKetin

I could see Aronov developing something similar to the BB&T Centre building at Dauphin Street and I-65 in Mobile. The height could even be doubled.

Do you have any pictures or renderings?

[NitekKetin]

The BB&T Centre

http://blog.al.com/press-register-business/2012/06/burton_property_group_purchase.html

There is a photo of it facing I-65 to the left of the article.

[Brown Duckz]

Originally Posted by NitekKetin

The BB&T Centre

http://blog.al.com/press-register-business/2012/06/burton_property_group_purchase.html

There is a photo of it facing I-65 to the left of the article.

That's a little suburban in layout for this property I'm talking about. This would have to be a high-rise.

[NitekKetin]

That subdivision seems mighty close to the development site. I wouldn't do anything over 250'+.

[Brown Duckz]

Originally Posted by NitekKetin

That subdivision seems mighty close to the development site. I wouldn't do anything over 250'+.

The parcel basically is against the back of residential parcels, but the available space wouldn't be able to house a sprawling building. They would have to either go semi-tall with adjacent parking, or just build a run of the mill shopping strip.

[OldCloverdale]

Wright Flyer Almost Ready to Soar Over Wright Brothers Park

Jan 24, 2013

Montgomery is the birthplace of civil rights and civil war, but it's also the birthplace of civil aviation.

CBS-8 News gets the first inside look at the Wright Flyer replica be constructed for Wright Brothers Park in downtown Montgomery.

Thursday the city broke ground on the new pavilion at Wright Brothers Park, previously Overlook Park on Maxwell Blvd.

The pavilion is one of two key landmarks tying in the Wright Brother's historic connection with Montgomery, the architecture of the represents the right upper wing of the 1903 Wright Flyer. Back in 1910 the Wright Brothers opened up the first U.S. aviation training school at Maxwell Air Force Base.

“As soon as you come across the last bridge towards Montgomery, you'll see it, and it's going to look like it's about to take off across the interstate” ...

more at link: http://www.waka.com/news/montgomery-news...ght-Flyer-Near-Completion-188307581.html

[OldCloverdale]

I think the Irish Bred Pub will be open next week.