Montgomery development news

[rbp]

Originally Posted by neilson

Where were the old Delchamps locations in Montgomery and what's become of them?

The former Bruno's on Atlanta Highway at Bell was a Delchamp's as was the Bruno's on Perry Hill.

[Randy Sandford]

You guys are missing a nice surprise. Check the Southern States for another thread that will definitely be of interest to you (hint: Montgomery is in the title).

[Brown Duckz]

Originally Posted by Randy Sandford

You guys are missing a nice surprise. Check the Southern States for another thread that will definitely be of interest to you (hint: Montgomery is in the title).

Thanks for the tour Randy, when all this construction is done we should have a Downtown meet you guys could attend, where we can give YOU the tour!

[Brown Duckz]

LPGA tournament dates announced for Prattville stop


The Navistar LPGA Classic will be held Sept. 24-30 on the Senator Course at Capitol Hill in Prattville, tournament officials announced today.

The tournament will be the only full-field LPGA event in the Southeast, according to tournament director Jonathan Romeo.

"This event is going to be huge for the Prattville, the River Region and Montgomery as well," Romeo said. "There will be a huge ecomonic impact. Several hotels are filled already. It's an exciting time."

The Nationwide Tour Championship, which ended a five-year run at Capitol Hill in 2005, included just 60 players. The LPGA tournament will include 132 of the top women's players in the world.

The week will begin with a Monday qualifier in which the final two positions in the field will be decided. There will be a junior clinic on Tuesday and a a pro-am event on Wednesday. The tournament will open Thursday. The field will be cut to 70 players and ties after Friday's round.

It will be the first year of a three-year commitment for the tournament in Prattville. No players have been announced yet, though Romeo speculated that the tournament's spot on the LPGA calendar should fall at a beneficial time.

He said he hoped to have an initial list of competitors some time in April, though it could be as late as September before some of the bigger names announce whether they will be playing.

[kevinlpugh]

By Scott Johnson
Montgomery Advertiser


WETUMPKA -- The Coosa River is one of the main attractions of a new high-end development in Wetumpka that will include RV storage, bike and walking trails, a clubhouse and an on-site post office.

Mayor Jo Glenn and other city officials are expected to be on hand today at a ribbon-cutting for Whitewater Ridge, a luxury condominium community being built off Holtville Road next to Quail Walk Country Club.

Whitewater offers the River Region's first luxury condominiums on a river, according to Watts Development Company. The condos will cost $295,000 to $560,000, said Slade McElroy, vice president of marketing for Watts.

McElroy said the river is what will draw people to Whitewater, adding that it could be an alternative to living on Lake Martin.

Six units at Whitewater have been sold already, and 12 more are available so far, he said.

The development could be a new selling point for Elmore County, said Eric Basinger, director of the Elmore County Economic Development Authority.

"It really shows that the county is emerging," Basinger said. "It sends a real strong signal."

Basinger said he hopes Whitewater will help convince more executives to live in Elmore County.

"We have plenty to offer the middle class," and it is always good to add to the mix, he said.

Basinger said the development could also be a sign of things to come.

"If (Whitewater) is successful, you may see more of these developments (along the Coosa River)," he said.

Watts Development Company has built several residential developments in Montgomery and Elmore County, including The Highlands, Foxfire and SomerHill.


Why is this not going on in Montgomery?

[Brown Duckz]

I don't think it's high-rise condos... condo doesn't always mean tower.

[rbp]

They're 2 & 3 story townhouses. The ones already sold are one the river. Saw them during parade of homes last year. It's a good sized development and well executed.

[thoraudio]

All the construction downtown is really hurting some of the businesses... not to mention the loss of jobs from regions and colonial. Maybe this will help.

New Trolley Service In Downtown Montgomery -- WSFA.com

A group of downtown restaurant owners came to the mayor with several concerns Monday afternoon and came out of their first meeting with a feeling of accomplishment.

After hours of discussion Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright announced a lunch time trolley service. The trolley will run from 11 to 2. and will go by almost every business in downtown, another added bonus - it's free.

So when will this trolley service start? The mayor says it will begin once construction at the Court Square Fountain is complete.

[kevinlpugh]

Originally Posted by rbp

They're 2 & 3 story townhouses. The ones already sold are one the river. Saw them during parade of homes last year. It's a good sized development and well executed.

High rise or not, there should definitely be some condo's on either bank of the river...

[bystander1]

The governor will make another economic development announcement for the city today (Monday) about a new company coming to town bringing 500 jobs.

[Brown Duckz]

Took all day, but well worth the wait!

Riley announces new jobs

A second engine plant will be built at Hyundai’s Montgomery factory, creating 522 new jobs, Gob. Bob Riley announced Monday afternoon.

The $270 million facility will manufacture 2.4 liter four-cylinder engines that will supply engines to the new Kia plant in Westpoint, Ga.
..

Along with the 349,440 square-foot building, a 532,000 square-foot consolidation center and container yard will also be constructed.

“This is going to be a tremendous boost to the Alabama economy,” Riley said, noting that Alabama has had six product announcements related to the Kia factory that has created 1600 new jobs for the state.

[thoraudio]

from Montgomery Advertiser . com

Riley announces new jobs

A second engine plant will be built at Hyundai’s Montgomery factory, creating 522 new jobs, Gob. Bob Riley announced Monday afternoon.

The $270 million facility will manufacture 2.4 liter four-cylinder engines that will supply engines to the new Kia plant in Westpoint, Ga.
..

Along with the 349,440 square-foot building, a 532,000 square-foot consolidation center and container yard will also be constructed.

“This is going to be a tremendous boost to the Alabama economy,” Riley said, noting that Alabama has had six product announcements related to the Kia factory that has created 1600 new jobs for the state

[Brown Duckz]

Wright Brothers Museum Trying to Take Flight in Montgomery

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - A museum honoring aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright is trying to get off the ground in Montgomery. The Wright Brothers Maxwell Field Museum is scheduled to open in 2010. That's a century after the brothers opened the first civilian flying school in the country at what is now Maxwell Air Force Base.

The city council gave the land to the Wright Brothers/Maxwell Field Foundation last summer. The foundation received nonprofit status in September. The foundation's Grant Hammond says the Wright Brothers' school in Montgomery is considered both the birthplace of civil aviation and the site of the first night flight. The project is expected to cost $12 million dollars.

[thoraudio]

doh!

[Brown Duckz]

Construction reshapes skyline




Cranes reach 300 feet into the sky at the Retirement Systems of Alabama headquarters in downtown Montgomery.

About 150 construction workers toil each day on the 300,000-square-foot building, which is scheduled to be completed by late spring of 2008, said Ron Blount, project manager for the RSA project.

The cost of the eight-story building -- which sits in the block of Adams Avenue, Ripley Street, Union Street and High Street -- will exceed $100 million, Blount said.

It was completed to its highest point March 5, when cranes placed a living tree on the top of the building for good luck, Blount said. The "tapping out" ceremony is a 200-year-old tradition that is performed whenever a building reaches its maximum height.

[thoraudio]

Pics from the article.

[Brown Duckz]

Zelda Road Widening May Ease Midtown Congestion


Midtown Montgomery is experiencing some growing pains. A recent economic resurgence has created an unwanted byproduct -- traffic congestion.

First came Wal-Mart on Ann Street, then Publix on Zelda Road. Now Walgreens is moving in and some shoppers are complaining about the traffic.

The corner of Zelda and Carter Hill Roads is often crammed with cars -- a far cry from the days when an old church was the only building here. City officials say Zelda now sees 20,000 cars a day.

"The revitalization is good, but it is tight," said Zelda Road Resident Eddie Mallard. "From Ann Street on down, you feel it."

Not everybody's upset about, but with empty store fronts yet to be filled, there's the prospect of more congestion. And that has many calling for action by the city.

City traffic engineers say they do plan to widen a portion of Zelda Road to five lanes, with one turning lane down the center. But they say there's not much else they can do about the other roads that feed into the intersection.

Engineers say the parking lots at Walgreens, CVS and Applebees leave little or no right-of-way for city construction. That means it's up to developers to put in new turn lanes of their own.

Shoppers like Eddie Mallard say ultimately, that may be necessary.

"When you have more business, you're going to have more traffic flow. So widening the roads is definitely going to have to happen," he said.

As you might imagine, midtown traffic is the worst during the morning and evening rush hours and at midday.

[Brown Duckz]

Regions to keep main city branch open

By Cosby Woodruff
Montgomery Advertiser


Regions Bank has changed its decision to close its main Montgomery branch at 8 Commerce St. and centralize its Montgomery operations at the Retirement Systems of Alabama office. Instead it will keep both locations open.

Regions spokesman Rick Swagler said the bank has decided there is enough business so that neither location should be closed.

"We decided we need both of those locations," he said.

Regions will sell its main Montgomery location, but the move should have minimal impact on Montgomery customers because Regions' plans to lease back its office space to maintain the two locations.

Swagler said the building being put up for sale merely reflects Regions' desire not to be a property manager.

"In locations where we are the majority tenant, we will keep it," he said. "If we are a minority tenant, we will sell it. We don't want to be a landlord."

The company will sell and close one branch in Montgomery. The former AmSouth location at 3080 McGehee Road is one of 20 Alabama branch sites listed for sale on a Web site operated by broker CB Richard Ellis Group.

The 20 properties are available as a group or individually by bidding through May 14.

Regions recently announced plans to sell its former corporate headquarters in Birmingham and move into the former AmSouth headquarters in Birmingham, now called Regions Center

That move follows Regions' acquisition late last year of AmSouth Bancorporation.

Swagler said those moves are part of real estate restructuring throughout the company's 2,400 locations in 16 states.

The broker's Web site lists 114 Regions branch properties for sale in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Lousiana and Florida. Regions also has 15 locations with expiring short term leases it is looking to sublease.

Branch properties on the Web site have a bidding deadline, but Swagler said there is no timetable for closing the sale on the major office space.

[bystander1]

Hmmm, so now that makes the three tallest buildings downtown associated with Regions.
I hope they don't turn off all the lights at the RSA Tower at night like they do with their other two towers...

[thoraudio]

Originally Posted by bystander1

Hmmm, so now that makes the three tallest buildings downtown associated with Regions.
I hope they don't turn off all the lights at the RSA Tower at night like they do with their other two towers...

fortunately, RSA owns that one...