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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Lincoln Mill Project back from the dead

Back in December 2007, a $20 million plan was revealed by Dr. James Byrne to renovate the Lincoln Mill in Northeast Huntsville into shops, restaurants, and up to 60 loft condominiums. The plan seemed like it had died until construction activity was seen at the site in July (though my fellow Northeast-siders who drive on 565 and fans of the blog on Facebook knew that already). Now, two tenants are preparing to move into the building- a small private school and a microbrewery, according to the Times. The third (top) floor, where the lofts were originally planned, is being considered by an environmental firm. And the conceptual "independent movie theater" still seems to be an ultimate goal to the developer. The residential component has been severely downsized, however; only a quarter of the of lofts originally planned are still on the drawing board.

Either way, this project will be a great shot in the arm for a neighborhood with a lot of promise. Lincoln Mill has the potential to become just as popular as Five Points in the next couple of years. A couple of shops, restaurants, and a grocery store (how about an urban Publix?) would probably do the trick.

More info:
Times article: Mill Makeover
Past blog posts on the project, including a rendering
Aerial photos of the site- Sellers Photo
Straight to Ale (the microbrewery); and their Facebook page

3 comments:

codelemur said...

Any word on whether the microbrewery is just a brewery, or a brewpub?

I would kill for a good brewpub in Huntsville.

James said...

@codelemur: Sorry to disappoint, but I think it's just a microbrewery. Google "Straight to Ale" and the first two results are their website and Facebook page.

DK said...

It is a brewery, not a brewpub. A brewpub is next to impossible to open in Alabama (must be in a historic building in a historic district; that historic district must have had a brewery in it before prohibition, you can only sell beer at the brewpub, and you must sell a certain percent of income as food).