Twickenham Square Hotel Announced

A rendering of the new Homewood Suites, looking north from Gallatin. (Rendering credit: Chapman Sisson Architects)

Homewood Suites, a Hilton brand extended-stay hotel chain, will construct a 101-suite hotel at the Twickenham Square project, also known as the Councill Court redevelopment site. The four-story, $11.5 million building will be built on Gallatin between Lowe and St. Clair. Construction is expected to begin this fall, and the hotel is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2013. PHD Hotels of Auburn is the developer, along with Huntsville's Triad Properties.

In addition to the advantages of having another hotel downtown, this particular site is especially ideal for an extended-stay chain because it's within walking distance of Huntsville Hospital, making it appealing for patients' families who may need longer-term stays-- their closest options for such accommodations right now are on University Drive. Having a Publix grocery store down the street will make the hotel even more appealing for extended-stay guests.

This hotel project is not new territory, neither for Huntsville nor Homewood. The first Homewood Suites in Huntsville, located in Providence, is situated in a similar mixed-use environment to what is proposed at Twickenham Square. The design of that hotel and its surroundings were highlighted recently on Better! Cities and Towns, a planning blog.

Councill Court: What's Ahead

Since I keep reading about the Councill Court redevelopment in the paper, I guess I should talk about it, though I can't reveal any more details than what is already public information. Yes, it is true-- two years after closing Councill Court, the city and the housing authority may have found a developer who wants to do exactly what was envisioned for the area-- a mixed-use "urban village," a rare opportunity to create a whole new neighborhood in the heart of the city. If the project is approved and is built as advertised, it will change the course of the city center's development for years to come.

I won't delve into details and renderings until the project is made official, but here's a recap of what is public: a consortium of Huntsville and Nashville developers want to develop at least part of the former housing project into approximately 200 apartments, medical offices, small retail and restaurants, hotel, and the main attraction, an urban grocery store. However, there are two hurdles to overcome before anything happens.

First off, the urban grocery store, most likely a Publix, hasn't even signed on as a tenant yet. In Publix's case, a site presented to the company by a developer must go through an ominous-sounding "committee" before it is approved. Many store sites have made it to committee and have been rejected there, so a Publix store at Councill Court is not a guarantee until that happens, probably later this year. The good news is that Publix has experience with urban grocery stores in places like Greenville; Columbia, SC; and Atlanta.

The other big hurdle is the financing and construction of at least one, but probably two, parking garages. Mayor Battle has publicly said that the cost of the garage(s) will be $10-14 million. (By the way, if you're skeptical about going to a grocery store with a parking garage, it's becoming more common as retailers move into urban areas. So this probably won't be the last time you see this.)

There is good reason to be optimistic. One of the development companies that is part of the project, Nashville-based Bristol Development Group, played a major role in the redevelopment of an industrial area between Downtown Nashville and Music Row known as "The Gulch" by developing two condo towers, Icon and Velocity. In Germantown, another great Nashville neighborhood, Bristol is currently constructing an urban apartment complex similar in size to the one proposed at Councill Court. So these guys have a good track record and know what they're doing.

With the Councill Court project and Belk-Hudson, by the end of 2013, there will be 300 new apartments downtown, and there is room for hundreds more. An urban grocery store, whether it's Publix or another chain, will accelerate residential growth in the city center even further. It also gives smaller businesses, such as a dry cleaners or a sandwich shop, the anchor they need to thrive downtown.

First Private Development Deal for Councill Courts

The Huntsville Housing Authority this week voted to sell 1.3 acres at the corner of Gallatin and St. Clair to T1 Development, according to the Huntsville Times. The development company plans to build a 4-story mixed use building on the site called Resonant Pointe (why they called it this, I don't know). Plans call for ground-floor retail and restaurant space, second-floor offices, and "small, affordable" condos on the top floors.

Here's an aerial image of the area (courtesy of Sellers Photo) that shows the development's location in reference to Huntsville Hospital, Downtown, and Gateway Place (the senior housing complex being built by the housing authority).

Let's hope this is the first of many similar projects for this neighborhood-- there's still 15 acres of the housing project yet to be sold along with surrounding parcels of land (such as the old high school) that need to be redeveloped.

Council Court is "for sale"... sort of

The remaining 16.3 acres of the Councill Court housing project is now up for sale, in a way. The Huntsville Housing Authority, which currently owns the land sandwiched between downtown and the Medical District, is accepting offers for all or part of the land until April 15th, when-- if a buyer hasn't been found-- a Realtor will take over for HHA. The land is valued at around $20 million.

While I don't think the land will be sold as a whole (I doubt anyone can get $20M+ in financing these days), I do think the city should have discretion on who buys what. This is an opportunity to get the critical mass of residents needed to bring more shops, quick-service restaurants, clubs, even a bookstore and/or grocery store downtown. It would be a terrible waste of valuable land if, say, Huntsville Hospital buys the whole place.

My ideas: A new urban neighborhood


My proposal for Councill Court is to make it the urban neighborhood that Huntsville never had. This is a chance to make a community where people can walk or bike to just about anything, given they work in downtown or the Medical District. If you're not familiar with the area, refer to the map above. The gray-roof buildings in the center is Councill Court. The odd-shaped building on the left is the main library, and Huntsville Hospital is on the bottom.

Throughout the neighborhood and beyond: Pedestrian/bike access to Huntsville Hospital, downtown along Gallatin, and Big Spring Park via Lowe would be greatly improved, with wider sidewalks and more visible pedestrian crosswalks. Some small spaces, including along the creek/ditch/canal on the northern side, would be set aside as parks/greenspace.

Along St. Clair: A row of 3-4 story brick office buildings with retail/restaurants on the bottom floor, anchored by a 6 story medical office building at St. Clair and Gallatin. On-street parking would be available along with the Huntsville Hospital garage at Turner/St. Clair being expanded/converted into a public garage.

Along Gallatin: A pedestrian-friendly, tree-lined commercial district, with 3-4 story buildings similar to St. Clair, but have loft apartments/condos on the upper floors instead of offices. Commercial would be anchored by a small urban grocery store and a multi-screen movie theater.
On-street parking would be available, with public parking garages on the north and south ends of the district.

Along Pelham/new side streets: A mix of 2-3 story townhomes and 1-2 bedroom apartments. Townhomes will go for around $200,000; apartments at about $600-1000/month-- comparable with living in the suburbs, and much more affordable than what is cuurently offered downtown.

Councill Court demolition begins today

Councill Court, the 1950s-era public housing project near the public library on St. Clair Avenue, is finally about to see its demise. A partial demolition will start today to make way for a 4-story senior housing complex called Gateway Place (see rendering below). But this will only take up part (the area East of Gallatin Street) of the housing project's 13-acre footprint. The rest will be sold, hopefully to developers who could use the land (estimated at around $20 million) to bridge the gap between downtown and the Medical District. Some of the ideas being thrown around: more hotels, office space, and moderately-priced apartments/condos.


Another housing project might meet the wrecking ball soon. Sparkman Homes, a project you might know by its infamous former name Mason Court, is expected to be redeveloped as well. Its location on Holmes Avenue between UAH and downtown might make it a great spot for student apartments. (hint, hint?)

Huntsville Times