Huntsville updates

[HSVTiger]

When this project was first announced it sounded like a good thing, but thankfully it had been kicked to the curb. Some of these developers
will destroy anything to make a buck. Come back with a well designed plan and it will be approved.

By JOHN PECK
Times Staff Writer john.peck@htimes.com
The Huntsville Planning Commission rejected a rezoning request for northwest Huntsville that would have allowed a densely packed subdivision featuring hundreds of homes on small lots.

The measure was defeated by a unanimous voice vote. It now goes to the City Council, which can override or back the commission's recommendation to deny. However, planning member and Councilman Bill Kling said he will side with fellow Councilman Richard Showers against the rezoning request.
"Planners and developers have concluded that only high-density developments with homes on small lots can be profitably marketed in north Huntsville," said Ron Williams, president of the Mount Charron Homeowners Association. "We believe that larger homes all over town will become even more desirable with BRAC," he said, referring to the thousands of new residents expected through defense job transfers to Huntsville.

Williams disputed developers' arguments that many of the potential buyers are empty-nesters and retired couples who don't want a lot of yard upkeep. Williams emphasized that the adjacent neighborhoods aren't against development; they just want it to occur under current R-1 zoning, which requires a minimum 15,000-square-foot lot size. Developers sought a R 1-B zoning, which allows 7,000-square-foot lots.

Williams said residents are worried about the impact on traffic, water pressure, sewage disposal, water runoff, slope control and wildlife habitat.

[HSVTiger]

Hopefully this will be a Hyatt Place or Aloft type property. Cambria Suites has already announced they will build in this area but no specifics, this might be it. Homewood Suites already has a beautiful hotel in the Village
as well.

By JOHN PECK
Times Staff Writer john.peck@htimes.com
Planners approve 127-room inn as part of expansion

Another hotel is on the horizon for west Huntsville.

The Huntsville Planning Commission approved a measure Tuesday night that will clear the way for a second hotel in the Village of Providence.

Developer David Slyman said a 127-room hotel is planned for the east side of Providence Main Street, roughly across from the emerging town center marked by the fountain. He declined to reveal the operator but said the hotel could open by the end of 2008.

[HSVTiger]

Some I-565 sign updates, interesting that ALDOT is making these changes
which are good. Adding Von Braun Center and University of Alabama Huntsville signs along the expressway. At one time ALDOT insisted they couldn't do this, even though it is done in every other state for local destinations. Now if they will just change the overhead control city signs so they make sense.

[BKOTH97]

Originally Posted by neilson

Like I said, the problem is in deannexation of HSV and Madison City Limits in Limestone County. The only way I'd approve of Metro Gov't is if it meant combining Madison and Limestone Counties into 1 Megacounty/Gov't.

I know that would upset some in Athens, Ardmore(who could then petition to leave Alabama and become part of Giles County, TN), and Decatur, but it'd make good business sense.

I'm all for a Madison-Limestone Megacounty that is under the umbrella of 1 local gov't from the Elk River to Gurley and from the Tennessee River to the Tennessee State Line.

When was the last time that an entire county was created or disappeared? I can't imagine that we would ever see two counties combine.

[BKOTH97]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

to replace this building with a Dollar store is sickening. Why not use the soon to be vacant CVS store a block down the street.
We don't need anymore Dollar Stores!

Dollar Stores are like locusts. I am a very pro development / pro business kind of guy, but this is one company that needs to disappear. They are like Wal-Mart, but worse.

[neilson]

Originally Posted by BKOTH97

When was the last time that an entire county was created or disappeared? I can't imagine that we would ever see two counties combine.

In the South at least, the only thing I can think of is when Milton and Campbell Counties(GA) joined with Fulton County, GA during the depression.

Irony in all this is that today, what was once Milton County would be one of the most affluent and wealthy counties in the state of Georgia. Funny how far they've come since the Depression.

Still, I'd like to see a Madison-Limestone County(crazy, I know). It'd give Duval County, FL a run for its money in terms of size.

[HSVTiger]

Constellation demolition continues. Construction should begin in few months
on the 150 million downtown mixed use project. Most of the debris is being recycled.

[HSVTiger]

By STEVE DOYLE
Times Staff Writer steve.doyle@htimes.com
New bridge over Governors will cost $3.8 million

Huntsville Hospital is ready to replace its 20-year-old-plus pedestrian bridge over Governors Drive.

The hospital's governing board, the Health Care Authority, earmarked about $3.8 million Tuesday night for a new walkway connecting the main building to its Corporate University medical education program and HealthSouth's rehabilitation hospital.
Rudy Hornsby, the hospital's senior vice president of support services, said the old bridge has to be torn down because a support column is in the way of the Governors widening project. Also, one end of the sloping pedestrian bridge would be too low for tractor-trailers after the road is expanded to seven lanes, he said. Bridge construction could start by late July and will take about 10 months, Hornsby said Wednesday. The current walkway, built in the mid-1980s, will then be demolished.

[HSVTiger]

Building height limits to be reviewed and well it should. This is too restrictive

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletim...380.xml&coll=1

The Huntsville City Council plans a work session soon to study whether its recently imposed 10-story, 150-foot height limit should be revisited.

Council members asked for the review Thursday night after a lengthy debate over a proposed amendment that would have removed a two-story, 30-foot height limit for downtown commercial buildings across the street from residential districts. The lower height would still apply to commercial buildings abutting residential-zoned property downtown.

City Council President Glenn Watson said some downtown property owners said the peak height and the secondary height limits are too restrictive.

But officials from the Twickenham and Old Town historic districts opposed easing the secondary height limits.

Another motive may be driving the need for an amendment, however.

City planning officials said the new height ordinance unwittingly hampered the proposed $150 million Constellation development on the old Market Square site. Without a fix, Constellation developers would have to limit the proposed office/retail/twin hotel conglomerate to 30 feet high because of the public housing development on the other side of Memorial Parkway.
City Attorney Peter Joffrion cautioned that a case-by-case method could lead to inconsistent decisions. Petitioners have to prove a "financial hardship" to win a variance before the board of zoning adjustments, Joffrion added.

Assistant City Planner Marie Bostick said the city's 1989 Downtown Master Plan recommended a 10-story height limit for downtown buildings. A cap wasn't imposed until recently when recommended sternly by a master plan update. City officials historically used The Times building on Holmes Avenue and Green Street as the standard for downtown building height limits, she said.

[HSVTiger]

Sounds like big things will be taking place soon, notice the Governor will have to tell them to do it (ALDOT)

By WENDY REEVES
Times Staff Writer wendy.reeves@htimes.com
State would build Zierdt interchange for mall, Butler says

MADISON - State Sen. Tom Butler, D-Madison, said Thursday that the state has committed to build an interchange at Zierdt Road and Interstate 565 if the DeBartolo shopping center proposal comes through.

Butler said a Veterans Administration "mega-clinic" is also planned for the area.

"If that shopping center project or another big project comes to that spot, I've been told by Governor Bob Riley the state will do the interchange that will serve everyone in that area," Butler said at the annual Madison Chamber of Commerce's Partners in Progress luncheon. "It will also generate revenue for the communities and the state."

The DeBartolo shopping center on Zierdt isn't the only big retail project in the works for Madison, according to City Council President Tommy Overcash,

"I can't talk about them yet, but we've got three or four big retailers who have expressed interest in sites around the city," Overcash said.

Mayor Sandy Kirkindall said the city is working hard on retail development, since its capital budget is funded mainly with sales tax revenue.

Within the past year, he said the city has added more than 256,000 square feet of commercial space, 36,000 square feet of warehouse and 75,000 square feet of office space.

[HSVTiger]

Originally Posted by HSVTiger

Firehouse Subs opening it's 4th Huntsville area location next to Joe Davis Stadium.
Panera Bread taking job applications for it's first HSV location Whitesburg maybe ?.

The intersection of Whitesburg and Airport Rd probably has the highest concentration of restaurants in the smallest area than anywhere in the city.

now we know, HSV is late to this party

Bakery-cafe will be located at Village on Whitesburg

Panera Bread, a bakery-cafe, will be coming to The Village on Whitesburg shopping center at 4800 Whitesburg Drive.

"We're slated to open in the August-September time frame," said Panera spokesman Mark Crowley. The business will have 40 to 50 full-time and part-time employees, he said.

Panera Bread, based in Richmond Heights, Mo., operates 1,027 bakery-cafes in 38 states - 391 are company-owned and 696 are franchised. The company is targeting 170 to 180 new bakery-cafes to open this year.

There are 10 Panera bakery-cafes in Alabama, with locations in Auburn, Birmingham, Vestavia Hills, Hoover, Mobile, Montgomery and Spanish Fort.

[HSVTiger]

If you watch tv weather it most likely has a Huntsville connection. Many
tv stations use their products, like VIPIR, Stormwarn, FutureScan...

By GINA HANNAH
Times Business Writer gina.hannah@htimes.com
New site includes 'tornado-hardened'building for safety

For 17 years, Baron Services has been helping people protect themselves from bad weather. The Huntsville-based company's new building, which is scheduled to break ground today in Cummings Research Park, will have an area designed to protect the company's staff and equipment.

The "tornado-hardened" server facility, essentially a building within a building, will help ensure that TV stations, local governments and other organizations get weather information without interruption, no matter the weather, said Kim Grantham, spokeswoman for Baron Services.

"The safety of our people is important," Grantham said. "We have somebody there 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

The 13,500-square-foot expansion, beside Baron Services' current building at 4930 Research Drive, is expected to be completed in March and will double the size of the company's headquarters. The cost of the project was not disclosed.

Goodwyn Mills and Cawood Inc. designed the expansion.
(same firm that is doing the Constellation project downtown. The well respected arch firm HQ in Montgomery) Pearce Construction is the general contractor.

Baron Services provides a wide range of weather sensing, weather display and meteorological analysis tools, and is the first company to provide a television product plotting a storm's location, extrapolating its speed and direction of movement to estimate its time of arrival. Baron Services pioneered the visual integration of velocity data from multiple radar to calculate and graphically depict wind shear.

The company is one of the largest private users of data bandwidth in the state.

The expansion will support the growth the company has experienced during the past several years and provide the space necessary to construct a state-of-the-art operations center for the company's forecasting, data processing and technical support services.

"I am very excited about the continued growth of our companies," said Bob Baron, president and CEO. "By doubling the size of our facility, we will be able to better serve our customers' needs for years to come."

Baron, a local TV meteorologist, started the company in 1990. It has nearly 100 employees spread across locations in Huntsville, Oklahoma, Florida and North Carolina.
Last October, Baron received a National Weather Service Special Achievement Award. Baron Services' WxWorx and XM Satellite Radio's XM Weather received a 2005 Flying magazine's Editors' Choice Award. In 2004, Baron was a finalist for Inc. magazine's Entrepreneur of the Year.

[HSVTiger]

Hawks Ridge development overlooking downtown between Chapman
and Monte Sano Mountain

[HSVTiger]

Rocket Roll
The public is invited to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center on Tuesday, July 10, at 9:30 a.m. to see the Saturn V rocket begin the journey to its new home, the Davidson Saturn V Center. Robert M. Lightfoot, Deputy Director for Marshall Space Flight Center, will speak at this “launch” ceremony, called Rocket Roll. Marshall Space Flight Center is coordinating the move that is expected to take four days. Accenture is sponsoring the event that is free to the public.

Scheduled to open in January 2008, the Davidson Saturn V Visitor Center will become the new front door for the U.S. Space & Rocket Center (USSRC) complex, housing the visitor ticketing area and a 350-seat auditorium, along with the Saturn V rocket. Completion of this 68,200-square-foot building is the first stage in a USSRC plan to better showcase NASA and Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) contributions to historical, current, and future space exploration.

[marvingardns]

5 Points Star Market has either purchased or leased the adjacent retail space once occupied by an antique store. Maybe 5 pts. Star will finally put in a bakery. I've been dying for some fresh baguettes in 5 pts.

[TimCity2000]

Yikes!

I just read that Olde Town Brewery suffered from a major fire early this morning. Is it a complete loss? Terrible news for downtown. Hopefully they can rebuild.

[daveyp]

this just sucks man...

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2007/07/...troyed_by.html

Olde Towne Brewing Company destroyed by fire
Posted by Ronnie White and Marian Accardi July 05, 2007 6:55 AM

Huntsville has lost its only microbrewery.

The Olde Towne Brewing Company at 214 Holmes St. was destroyed by fire at 2:30 a.m. today.

Founded in 2004, the Olde Towne Brewing Company was the first microbrewery in Huntsville since prohibition was repealed. The brewery debuted August 12, 2004.

"We don't know what caused the fire" or where the fire originated, said Scott Pettit, district chief with Huntsville Fire & Rescue.

Firefighters were suppressing the blaze when those on the south side of the building noticed the building's air-conditioning units sagging and trusses giving way.

Glenn Baeske/Huntsville TimesHuntsville Fire Department enter the Olde Towne Brewing Company to check for more hot spots. The microbrewery was destroyed by fire today.

"We pulled units out" of the building before the roof in the center of the structure collapsed, Pettit said.

"We went on the defensive to protect adjacent buildings," he said, and firefighters were able to contain the fire to the brewery and stop it from spreading.

Firefighters had to wait until power was cut to the building before extinguishing hot spots to prevent them from being electrocuted.

Olde Towne had eight steel tanks standing as tall as 12 feet filling the historic building that is in the shadow of the old Times Building.

The building was once home to Belk's Department Store before the Theatre 'Round the Corner took over the site.

The first brewery in Madison County was opened in 1878 near the Big Spring in what is now downtown Huntsville. Although records of the brewery are sketchy, at best, it has been written that the brewery made a fine lager to service the residents of the surrounding area.

Records indicate that since prohibition (in Alabama, that was 1915), no other breweries have been attempted in Huntsville until 2004, when Olde Towne Brewing Company began brewing beer in historic downtown Huntsville.

Don Alan Hankins, who is the owner and master brewer, is a Huntsville native who returned here hoping to found a brewery. He had worked for other breweries and founded several across the Southeast.

He found orthopedic surgeon Dr. Howard G. Miller interested in his ideas here, and the two became partners in founding the company. Beer began flowing from the brewery on Aug. 12, 2004, with a ceremony to celebrate tapping of the first keg. More than a dozen restaurants and bars now serve the Olde Towne ales.

[HSVTiger]

yeah that is awful, it can be rebuilt. The building being historical probably will. It will depend on the insurance I suppose. There will be strong
community support and that may actually create something better.
The fire department did an excellent job in containing the fire. It could have done a lot more damage in that block.

[Rail Claimore]

Well damn, I'll buy a six-pack or two to enjoy the taste and help them get back on their feet, if they intend to do so.

[HSVTiger]

Things like this usally create bigger and better developments down the road,
I can see that being the result here.

By MARIAN ACCARDITimes Business Writer accardi@htimes.com
$5,000 worth of beer lost; parts of 2 streets shut until building safe

Don Alan Hankins didn't know much Thursday afternoon, but he did know one thing - he's going to rebuild Olde Towne Brewing Co.

A fire early Thursday destroyed at least $5,000 worth of beer that was to be shipped today. Hankins doesn't yet know the extent of damage to the equipment in the building, including four large fermenters, but that hasn't deterred him.

"I'd like to keep Olde Towne Brewing going, I just don't know where," he said. "My mind is kind of scrambled right now."

Hankins was up at 5 a.m. Thursday to get an early start brewing beer at Olde Towne when he switched on the TV and saw flames pouring out of the building.

"Then my phone started ringing off the hook," Hankins said. He rushed to the scene, wearing a white "Olde Towne Brewing Co." T-shirt, and by the time he arrived, the flames were under control. But the brewery, which caught fire at about 2:30 a.m., was destroyed.

The building at 214 Holmes Ave. housed the business that Hankins and orthopedic surgeon Howard G. Miller founded here in 2004.

To Hankins, that scorched building represents "a couple of million dollars" worth of investment, he said, and "a lot of blood, sweat and tears."
City building inspectors determined Thursday morning that the building is structurally unsafe, said James Tabor, assistant city fire marshal. The city's public works department brought in heavy equipment to remove the east wall of the building and any fallen beams, he said.

Engineers worked Thursday afternoon to create a plan for shoring up the front wall and removing a sagging boiler from the brewery. Holmes Avenue in front of the brewery and a section of Green Street will remain closed until the building is structurally safe, Ivey said.

He said that process could take several days.