Mobile Development Thread

[CottonCity251]

Originally Posted by Del

We were near Mobile Infirmary yesterday afternoon and there were a ton of cars parked by the little neighborhood park they have over there, wish I knew the name - it has one of those water-feature things for kids to play in, and I assume they had it up and running. Those are so great. They look good, they're a lot of fun for the kids, and you don't have the liability issues of a swimming or wading pool. Oh, and they cool the air nearby. I think it's a fine idea to install one in a downtown park. It could even be artist-designed, so that it would be an asset 12 months a year as a fountain as well as a playspace.

I think you are speaking of Tricentennial Park off Lakeside Dr. in Toulminville? If so, the city needs to make both sides along Three Mile Creek green space for a park. Add a walking trail, some benches, fishing piers, play areas for kids, gazebos or covered picnic tables and pedestrian bridges to cross the creek and it would be jumping more than it is. From behind the Bottom and in front of Roger Williams Projects to Crieghton. It has potential to the likes of Langan Park which is also along Three Mile Creek in WeMo.

[Del]

Yes, but...but...Rob Holbert says the city can't maintain the parks it already has!! Oh, I just don't know what to believe.

[Verve]

Originally Posted by CottonCity251

I think you are speaking of Tricentennial Park off Lakeside Dr. in Toulminville? If so, the city needs to make both sides along Three Mile Creek green space for a park. Add a walking trail, some benches, fishing piers, play areas for kids, gazebos or covered picnic tables and pedestrian bridges to cross the creek and it would be jumping more than it is. From behind the Bottom and in front of Roger Williams Projects to Crieghton. It has potential to the likes of Langan Park which is also along Three Mile Creek in WeMo.

There was a park plan established years ago when they widened the creek as part of the flood plan following the floods that occurred in the late 70's. It was developed by the Corps of Engineers and it had park space that ran from MLK all the way to Langan Park. It included most of the things mentioned above. Maybe it's time to revive that plan or something similar.

[NitekKetin]

It would be amazing (at least to me) to bike from Toulmunville damn near to
Spring Hill.

[elb401]

Yeah...it would be neat. I think it will help that whole area improve.

[CottonCity251]

Originally Posted by elb401

Yeah...it would be neat. I think it will help that whole area improve.

I think so to...seeing that nothing has been built on St. Stephens Rd. north of Three Mile Creek since I been born. Word on the streets that Rich Boy, or his father but I know I hear Rich Boy, suppose to be buying land in the surrounding areas of K&R, his father's store, in Toulminville; which is in the vicinity north of Three Mile Creek, on St. Stephens Rd., southeast of LeFlore High School. Speaking of parks, the three parks in the Toulminville area are kept pretty nicely and are used all year round...Aaron's Park, Gorgas Park, and Tricentennial Park.

The city truely has gotten cleaner since Sam started all the stop the littering campaigns. Someone, other than I, finally noticed that everything found on the ground is worth money and can be recycled. It's good the see the grounds much cleaner cause I hate to see people throw trash down.

[Port_of_Bama]

yeah the city needs to do a little bit mor inproving those areas. I realy whish that Bishop State had the funding to expand into a 4year college. Mobile is the only large metro in the state that doesn`t have a 4 year HBCU. Dr. Kennedy`s reign at Bishop has been a good one inspite of the money issues she has inprove that area of Broad street with building up the college. If Bishop could expand into the Orange grove area and build dorms that would inrpove the property values of the area and evrything else.



I didn`t know that McCain was a big supporter of the NG tanker win.http://www.al.com/news/press-register/index.ssf?/base/news/120885570762110.xml&coll=3

[phoenixboi08]

I just got back from San Antonio (thus my absence) and was impressed by the Riverwalk. Amazing. I think Mobile really has the resources to pull something off of that nature.

Also, what exactly is the Gayfer's building being used/ redeveloped for? I think residence, but what else?

[Port_of_Bama]

I was told retail and law office. since it would be while before they build that maritime museum and it will be about a half of a decade before there will be acondo tower on waterstreet landing. i think the city should turn that area into a river walk it would work well in Mobile.

[nimsjus]

I don't usually like to be negative/critical of Mobile, especially not with the roll we are on lately, but how bad of a decision was Hank Aaron Stadium? The Baybears attendance is struggling, and I don't think it is the product as much as it is the atmosphere. Mobile really missed the mark when they did not build the thing downtown. Montgomery's stadium is amazing. They took historic downtown structures and incorporated them into a waterfront park with views of downtown. Mobile built a stadium in a swamp next to the interstate and surrounded it with acres of parking lot. It has zero personality and it is showing now that the novelty of baseball in Mobile has warn off. Imagine if they had gone with the Texas St site. At the time I may have questioned that decision too (mysticks struggled to draw crowds downtown). Think of what could have been. Nearby Oakleigh/Church St East are currently seeing increased renovation interest(may have been more with this draw nearby). Bring Back Broad would be coming to fix some of the nearby blight that probably sunk the original plan. Views over the center field wall of the bay with a cruise ship at dock next to the Maritime Museum and RSA/Riverview/Amsouth providing a towering view out to left field. Thousands of workers nearby in Brookley at EADS hop on the trolly line over to the stadium. They catch a game and then ride the trolly down Broad over to the downtown bars. Families could go to the new Arlington Point park on Saturday and then catch a game over on Texas St on their way home. Places like Callaghans probably would have sprung up all along the major routes to the stadium. Instead we have a big asphalt slab with a well below average stadium sitting in it. Even the current personality-less stadium, if located at Texas St would be enhanced by the scenery/activity of downtown. Mobile built at 1970's-80's baseball park about a decade too late. Now Hank Aaron is obsolete compared to many other southern league parks, including Riverwalk in Montgomery. Anyone else have any thoughts...

[Bama_75]

I am so proud of downtown. The entire area has done a 360 since i moved here in 1999.

Mobile is truly a clean city for the population and size.

[GreatTallNorth2]

So what you are saying is that the city has not changed a bit, right?

[Del]

Hank Aaron stadium: if memory serves, the decision about where to put the thing had to do with who owned either the land under it, or surrounding, or both. I think there was a lot of wetlands mitigation flap too, but nothing impeded the glorious installation of The Hank, which by now was supposed to be the center of a bustling hub of retail and dining, a thriving entertainment complex within easy reach of the Interstate.

[Electrical Porpoise]

Originally Posted by Del

Hank Aaron stadium: if memory serves, the decision about where to put the thing had to do with who owned either the land under it, or surrounding, or both. I think there was a lot of wetlands mitigation flap too, but nothing impeded the glorious installation of The Hank, which by now was supposed to be the center of a bustling hub of retail and dining, a thriving entertainment complex within easy reach of the Interstate.

Bingo...it was all about location. There isn't as place to put it downtown and the Port would never give any land away, though I would have loved to have seen it.

And I am still waiting on the shopping complex near the Hank.

[nimsjus]

Originally Posted by Electrical Porpoise

Bingo...it was all about location. There isn't as place to put it downtown and the Port would never give any land away, though I would have loved to have seen it.

And I am still waiting on the shopping complex near the Hank.

Is that whyn it did not happen? I was younger about 14 then so I may not have paid close attention to the news but I swore I remembered it being more about that area being unsafe and the fact that the current downtown teams at the time were struggling to get crowds down there. I tried to find some articles from back then but that was not an easy task, especially since that time period probably predates al.com. Regardless, someone should have forked over some property because what we have now is pitiful. Plus that area near Navco isn't much better than Texas St. Hindsight is 20/20 I guess. I would have given up the Civic Center for a downtown baseball stadium.

[NitekKetin]

^ If you have a Mobile Public Library card, you can use it to access back issues of the Mobile Press Register
(from as far back as spring 1992) online. I've used on several occasions as a reference source.

http://www.mplonline.org/databases.htm

[Electrical Porpoise]

Originally Posted by nimsjus

Is that whyn it did not happen? I was younger about 14 then so I may not have paid close attention to the news but I swore I remembered it being more about that area being unsafe and the fact that the current downtown teams at the time were struggling to get crowds down there.

Well all of that is true as well. But they would have felt better about those problems if the location were right. Plus traffic and parking would have been difficult.

[NitekKetin]

I would have located the hypothetical stadium in a high quality Orange Grove mixed use development. It would even feature big box retail in an urbanist presentation.

[Del]

I wish I had a head for remembering this kind of detail. We hadn't lived in Mobile too long at that time and certainly weren't "in" on any privileged info, but just from following the story in the paper I got the impression that it was a (legal) sweetheart deal. In my very foggy memory, whoever the owner was got a bunch of swampland he owned near the stadium site magically transformed into valuable real estate overnight, by the simple expedient of "donating" another worthless parcel of it for the stadium. Of course, since all we have is the don't-linger-in-the-parking-lot googolplex and the Steak N Shake, I guess it wasn't such a sweetheart of a deal.

I would very much appreciate being corrected if I am wrong about this. I don't know if al.com has articles this old in their archives, but even if they did you'd have to pay to read them. It might be interesting to look it up next time I'm at the library.

Edit: NitekKetin, I didn't see your post about the library. That's good to know. I do have such a card.

[mobile]

***Hank Aaron Stadium***

We wouldn't have to actually put it downtown to get a great downtown view. We could put it in the bay! Really there is a huge spot in the bay right across from the battle ship. The water there is only about 2 to 4 feet deep and it wouldn't block any water ways. Go go google earth or maps.live.com and look at an aerial view of it and tell me what you think. From their you would have a great view looking through the entire outfield. You could see the battle ship and all of the downtown skyline!