Huntsville International: A Tale of Two Airports

This is the third in a series about transportation in the Huntsville area.

A little disclaimer here: I don't fly. Not that I have anything against it, I just like seeing the country from the ground, rather than 30,000 feet above it. But on the rare occasion that I do, I fly out of Nashville, which I'm sure many of you do as well. More on that later.
Huntsville International (HSV) is truly a tale of two airports- a cargo airport and a passenger airport. The cargo side of the airport is the pinnacle of our area's infrastructure, a product of visionary leadership. It's the largest airport in terms of cargo volume in the state of Alabama. It has the second-longest runway (nearly 2 miles long) in the Southeast, making it long enough to carry the world's largest airplanes. It is because of this that we have a true "international" airport, with cargo flights to Europe, Mexico, and Asia.

But the passenger side of the airport is plagued by several problems, despite having 1.25 million passsengers last year, a clean/modern/efficient terminal, and an aggressive expansion plan which includes new runways and terminals to the west of the airport in Limestone County (This is in addition to the $65 million expansion project that is well underway).

• Outside of the "legacy" hubs-- Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, and Detroit-- and government hub Washington-- the airport can't seem to keep its destinations. Delta started non-stop service to New York-LaGuardia last spring, and ended it in September due to high gas prices. In the past few years, service has also been dropped to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Newark, and Las Vegas.
  
• HSV has problems with keeping/getting a low-fare carrier; therefore, it is more expensive to fly out of HSV than other airports in the region. However, it is not the airport's fault; they're just not lucky-- Independence Air went bankrupt in 2006, and Allegiant pulled out of the market because of bad service in 2008. Southwest, the original low-fare carrier, has around 25% of the market share, but refuses to serve Huntsville directly because of the proximity to Birmingham and Nashville, two cities Southwest already serves. (And yet, it serves four airports within 50 miles of each other in the Los Angeles area.)
  
• Access to larger, cheaper airports is easy. Birmingham and Nashville are two hours away, and Atlanta, one of the largest airports in the world, is four hours. And, as you see with Southwest's large market share here, people use it to their advantage.
  

So, what can be done? Well, there's a relatively simple solution....

GET AIRTRAN! Do whatever it takes to get AirTran, or any low-fare carrier for that matter. But AirTran is a match made in heaven for HSV. And here's why-- look at the top final destinations (excluding top-ranked by far Atlanta) for HSV travelers in 2008:

1. Washington, DC (National)
2. Orlando
3. Los Angeles (LAX)
4. Dallas-Fort Worth
5. Baltimore (BWI)
6. Houston (Bush Intercontinental)
7. New York-La Guardia
8. Las Vegas
9. Denver
10. Boston (Logan)
    

Out of these ten destinations, HSV does not currently have non-stop service to Orlando, LAX, BWI, LaGuardia, Las Vegas, and Boston. And AirTran's hubs/focus cities (according to Wikipedia) are: Atlanta, Orlando, BWI, Boston, and Milwaukee. Could it be any more obvious? Don't blame it on the economy, or that "we're too small"-- Knoxville and Asheville, both smaller airports, are getting AirTran next month. Also, the old Southwest excuse for not coming to HSV doesn't apply here, as AirTran does not serve Nashville or Birmingham. Plus, our "close, but not too close" proximity to Atlanta, AirTran's largest hub, could put us in a good position to become an overflow/secondary hub.

So, let's get AirTran to begin non-stop flights from HSV to Atlanta, Orlando, BWI, and Boston. Then we'll have 7 of those top 10 destinations. As for the other destinations on that list, get Delta to restart its New York flights now that gas prices are back down, get American or United to fly to LAX (that is, admittedly, a long shot), and forget about Las Vegas (HSV's a business airport). Another good destination to think about with plenty of international connections is Philadelphia; that's something US Airways could do. That would give HSV non-stop flights to every major East Coast city except Miami.

If AirTran is successful here (it should be), maybe HSV will undergo a transformation like what happened with Akron-Canton Airport in Ohio, an airport that had less than 500,000 passengers go through in 1995. After AirTran came to the airport, its growth exploded; in 2008, 1.47 million passengers went through the airport. It is now advertised as an affordable alternative to busier Cleveland International, 50 miles away. While it's unlikely such a growth rate will happen here, having a stable low-fare carrier will lower fares and keep people from driving to the other airports in the region.

All things considered, the airport's issues are much less dire than the needs of the rest of Huntsville's transportation system, and the solutions are much simpler.

(Updated) New UAH dorm/dining facility to open in Fall 2010

In light of new info/plans, this is an updated version of the March post.

The new dorms will be south of the recently-opened intermodal center/parking garage in the middle of campus. (For those who know the campus well, it will be across from Fraternity/Sorority Row.) A new dining facility will be added to the parking garage, and will connect the two. The 5-story, LEED-certified residence hall will house around 400 students and will feature lounges and a common kitchen on each floor. The new dining facility, the second on campus, will feature a Quiznos Express, a convenience store, and another yet-to-be-named chain restaurant (I'm guessing Burger King, Pizza Hut, or Chick-Fil-A). It will have the capacity to serve 350 students. The architects of the dorm/dining project are local architect firm SKT and Florida-based HADP Architecture. Construction is expected to begin this summer, with completion by the 2010-2011 school year. There are plans for a second residence hall, which will mirror the first one to the south. No word yet on when it will be built.

While this has been in the plans for years (and it's not a bad idea), I still don't think now is the best time to be building anything of this magnitude, considering the imminent budget/staff cuts and the obvious "lack of morale" among faculty and students on the direction the university is taking.

It's time to talk transit.

This is the second post in a series about transportation in the Huntsville area.

I've heard nothing but good things about "Roads That Won't Be Built," so expect more road posts in the future. And hopefully we haven't seen the last of those old maps. But now, I'm going to discuss another part of transportation which I believe has not been discussed enough in this area.

Every once in a while, there's a newspaper article about how this region's road system is nearing capacity. Some roads are already well over capacity. So, what's the solution? "More roads! Wider roads!" say our government leaders. Which has somewhat worked... until now.

Don't get me wrong; I agree that roads such as 53, Winchester, and 72 need to be widened. Those highways are vital for commerce in the region. But every city comes to a point where more roads aren't going to solve all their transportation problems. For Huntsville, this point is coming quickly. Our population is growing, but there is less road money to go around. ALDOT seems ignorant to our need for better infrastructure, and the federal highway fund is on life support.

For some cities, like Atlanta, leaders didn't realize it until it was too late; now they're stuck with 12-14 lane freeways that are well over capacity-- one is now planned to be widened to 23 lanes. Another problem with Atlanta is that their region's governments were fragmented. Now, some smaller but growing cities like Nashville and Charlotte have learned from Atlanta's problems, brought themselves together, and invested heavily in alternate forms of transportation-- building bike paths, creating walkable urban neighborhoods, and improving public transit. (To Atlanta's credit, they have done these things as well in the past few years, though this is seen by some as "too little, too late.")

Huntsville has been a leader in creating bike paths and greenways, and there are plans for at least 130 miles of them in the future. We're working on walkable urban neighborhoods. But those only go so far; if you live in Athens, you can't walk or bike to work in Research Park. You could, but you run the risk of being run over by some soccer mom in a Yukon. But what about increased public transit?

Well, let's put it this way: the recently released Tennessee Valley Regional Growth Coordination Plan explicitly stated 89 "priority" road projects in the Primary Study Area (PSA) of Madison, Morgan, and Limestone counties totaling $3.5 billion. While the plan was supposed to include all forms of transportation, this is all it said about the future of transit in the area:

"Increased attention should be paid to improving public transportation in the PSA with particular emphasis on providing effective home-to-work linkages for major employment centers such as Redstone Arsenal, Cummings Research Park and the Jetplex Industrial Park. This will require more funding for public transportation equipment and services; the cost is unknown at this time."

It went on to talk about the current transit services available in the area, which include the Shuttle/Handi-Ride in Huntsville, TRAM paratransit in Madison County, and MCATS demand-response service in Morgan County. Later on in the report, community leaders from 12 counties in North Alabama and Southern Tennessee were asked to pick their top 15 priorities for the future of the region from a list of 45, one of them being a better transit system. And guess what-- not one of them (we're talking about at least 100 people here) thought transit was a top priority.

And considering the current state of transit in this region, I don't blame them. Only 1,500 riders use the Shuttle daily, or about 0.009% of the population of the city. I challenge you to find a public bus system in a similar-sized city that has less ridership than Huntsville's; I haven't found one yet. This is of no fault to the people who run the Shuttle; I'm sure they're doing the best they can with the little resources they have; by the way, it's an amazing feat that they've kept bus fares at $1. And I think they're spending the stimulus money they received wisely, regardless of views on the stimulus package as a whole.

So, why doesn't it work here?

• There's little funding. The Huntsville Shuttle Bus, the only fixed-route bus system in the area, is funded solely from city and federal funds; none is truly dedicated and could go away at any time. There is no state funding for public transit-- you can thank our state constitution for that. And don't expect that to change anytime soon either; ALDOT maintains the view that "there is no place in Alabama" for transit. This lack of funding and its sources are the main causes for the other problems.
  
• It wasn't planned right. There is no real plan for fixed-route commuter transit in the region. Even within Huntsville, it's not commuter friendly-- note that there is only one route in Research Park West; it's not very visible and only goes to UAH, not downtown.
• Its extent/hours are limited. The Shuttle is run by the city of Huntsville, meaning that there can't be routes to, say, Madison or Decatur. Plus, there is little to no bus service on weekends or after 6pm, stranding many of those who need public transportation the most.
  

We could go on ignoring the need for transit, but there's a problem if we continue to do that.

Imagine Huntsville thirty years from now, in 2039. The metro population has just hit one million. It's a sprawling metropolis; cities like Fayetteville and Arab look like Madison today. The average commuting time has tripled; as a result, Huntsville is no longer one of the best places to live. Quality of life has taken a drastic hit as residents spend over two hours a day stuck on a road system that has barely changed in 30 years, leaving them little time to do anything else. In fact, the only list we're on is "America's Worst Traffic." Huntsville's become a miniature Atlanta-- but even that city now has better traffic.

Only then do we think about a transit system, but public/political pressure makes planners hastily design it without enough thought/public input. It takes years to get through government red tape and funding issues, and when it's finally introduced after millions of taxpayer dollars are spent, it's a "bus to nowhere"; few ride it because it still doesn't go where they need to go...

Definitely a worst-case scenario. The only thing I wasn't exaggerating about was the population projection. It's not a good idea to have a million-plus metro and no public transit. It's also not a good idea not to plan for transit after we really need it. Huntsville's growing, but our traffic problems aren't of epic proportions yet; so now's the perfect time to do something about it!

Here's what we can do today, without too much money being spent:

1. Create a Regional Transportation Authority (RTA), an appointed/elected transit board with representatives from cities and counties in Madison, Limestone, and Morgan Counties (eventually expanding to Marshall, Lincoln, and Jackson). Give it a catchy name, something like the "Valley Regional Transit Authority" (VRTA). The RTA would oversee operations like fixed-route bus service, paratransit (Handi-Ride), RideShare/Park-and-rides, etc. within the region. Need an example? Take a look at Chattanooga's RTA, CARTA. A website like theirs might help too.
   
2. Make a plan. The key to success for an efficient, well-run transit system in the Huntsville-Decatur region is comprehensive short- and long-range transit plans. Like the Long-Range Transportation Plan is to roads in the area, these would be a "road map," so to speak, for transit projects over the next 5 and 30 years, created by the RTA with lots of public input from throughout the region. Find out where people go frequently; for example, if a lot of people commute from the Winchester Road corridor to downtown, plan accordingly. The plans would include the feasibility of increased bus service and commuter rail, among other options.
   
3. Start over. Using the plan, begin a "reboot" of the transit system. Drop all of the old routes, use the money to add new, more efficient ones, and as demand permits, begin looking into rush-hour express bus service between Decatur, Athens, and elsewhere to major employment areas like Research Park.

I tried to not be too specific, as this is only to serve as a foundation. I'm sure if you've read this far, you have your own ideas for where a Huntsville-area transit system needs to go.

Huntsville's Bypass Network, and Other Roads That Won't Be Built

This is the first in a couple of posts about transportation in the Huntsville area.

I went back and forth on whether or not to write a post on this; I didn't want to talk about stuff everyone already knows about. Well, like it or not, here it is...

As you probably know by now, the $500 million Southern Bypass portion through Redstone Arsenal has been blocked by the US Army due to future security issues. So, what now? First, a little background...

The Huntsville bypass "network", seen in this edited Chamber of Commerce map, will be an odd series of roads wrapping around the city, carrying such unique names as Northern Bypass, Southern Bypass, and Eastern Bypass (the western bypass is better known as Research Park Blvd.). The total length, if it still included the now-defunct Southern Bypass portion through Redstone Arsenal, would be about 55 miles when completed. Some of it, about 12 miles, is already at least 4 lanes with at-grade intersections.

A timeline:

• 1965: The road we now know as Research Park Boulevard/AL 255 (or if you've lived here for a while, Rideout Road) began construction, over the next 20 years becomes freeway-standard from I-565 (then AL 20) to University Drive/US 72. Total length: ~3 miles.
  
• 1995: The second phase of 255, from University to AL 53, opens. Total length: ~6 miles.
• 2005: The third phase opens from AL53 to Pulaski Pike. This portion is called Martin Luther King Blvd. Total length: ~9 miles.
• 2012-ish: The road is now 4-laned to Memorial Parkway, and freeway-standard to AL 53.
• Sometime before 2030: The Northern Bypass will be completed to US 72 East, near Gurley, connecting to the Eastern Bypass currently around Hampton Cove. Hopefully some portion of the Southern Bypass will be built, at least the part from Parkway to New Hope/US 431. Total length: ~45 miles.

Now, of course, take the future stuff with a grain of salt. These roads have been on maps since the early 80s, as seen on these maps:

This first photo is from a 1982 (pre-565) map of Huntsville. Note that the route goes through several Northwest Huntsville neighborhoods. This obviously met a lot of opposition; and I wouldn't blame the residents one bit on this one.

The proposed route at this time continued east, and would have plowed through the Moores Mill/Winchester intersection, several neighborhoods on Shields Road, and hit 72 around Ryland Pike.

The next map (from 1991-ish, post-565) is obviously more aligned with the current plans to parallel Bob Wade Lane to the Parkway. By this time, the eastern portion was changed to parallel Homer Nance Road. Growth in the area forced the MPO to amend the 2030 Transportation Plan and put it closer to Maysville and Gurley.

Back to the Southern Bypass: If you can't build a Southern Bypass through Redstone Arsenal, the only feasible option is to go farther south, into Morgan County. If you live in South Huntsville, you may already use AL 36 as an alternate route to get onto 65 South towards Birmingham. Why not make it a 4-lane divided highway from I-65 to US 231? Interchanges could be built at AL 67, US 231, and a new 4-lane road that will connect to a 5-lane Zierdt Road (or Wall-Triana Hwy) in Triana, using a new bridge over the Tennessee River. This could solve a couple of current and future infrastructure issues-- East Morgan County needs a major east-west highway, and an alternate truck route to the Port of Huntsville may be needed as traffic continues to grow on I-565. It will be much less expensive than the original Southern Bypass, as none of this would be a full-blown freeway, and the right-of-way needed is mostly rural farmland. The only obstacles with this option would be getting federal approval to go through a portion of the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, and it would be put at the bottom of ALDOT's barrel, putting the project back at square one and decades behind.

And while we're talking about things that will never get built, let's talk about the Memphis-to-Atlanta Highway. This thing's been on the drawing boards for forever. I don't think it's necessary, at least not in its current form:

1. The Mississippi portion is unneccessary, period; it is too rural and too close to I-22, which is already built in that area and serves the same purpose.
2. There is also no need for an all-new interstate between Decatur and Florence. Alternate 72 from Muscle Shoals to Decatur can be upgraded to be fairly limited-access, with interchanges only at the largest intersections, at a much cheaper price.
3. Is it really necessary to build the highway so far north of Decatur (see ALDOT stimulus map below), and have it parallel 565 through rural Limestone County? Why not build it as close to the river as the NWR allows, and connect it with an expanded 31/20 interchange?

The only part of the currently-planned highway that might be necessary is the portion from South Parkway onward to Georgia and I-75. This would almost cut in half the time it takes to get from Huntsville to Atlanta. But there are two things to consider: Is there enough of a demand for travel between the two cities? And will the high cost of building the road be offset by this demand and the subsequent economic development?

One of the points made in the Tennessee Valley Regional Growth Coordination Plan is that many people coming to the area for BRAC are coming from regions where passenger rail is more frequent, and the lack of it in this region might be seen as a "disadvantage." Atlanta is being looked at as a hub for high-speed rail in the Southeast, with several lines planned to places like Chattanooga and Birmingham. Could an Atlanta-to-Huntsville high-speed rail line be looked at as a cheaper (and faster) alternative to building a freeway?

Next in this short series: Alternate transportation, including what the region can do with its miniscule public transit system.

Martin/Zierdt development land back on market

Remember Madison Commons, the grocery-anchored shopping center proposed at the Northwest corner of Martin and Zierdt? Well, it isn't going to happen, at least not right now. The 21-acre site for the shopping center and outparcels is now for sale for an asking price of $5 million; a corner lot where a CVS was planned is also for sale. In all, 67 acres are being sold; much of it was recently rezoned multi-family residential.

Lowe Mill Revitalization Continues

At the Huntsville City Council meeting last night announced an agreement with GreenCiti, LLC for the ongoing Lowe Mill neighborhood revitalization project. Last year, the city announced a public-private agreement to build/renovate homes in the area-- this was suspected at the time to be the main reason why the Downtown Rescue Mission was forced out of the neighborhood. Either way, it's a step in the right direction-- the homes will go for $100,000-150,000, giving people who want to live in a relatively safe/vibrant neighborhood near downtown another option other than more expensive places like Five Points.

SpringHill Suites/Constellation beginning construction... maybe?

Developer Scott McLain told the Times that construction will begin next month on the 153-room SpringHill Suites hotel downtown, the first of two hotels that will anchor the Constellation mixed-use entertainment project at Clinton and the Parkway. The contractor is Bove Construction of Jacksonville, FL. The hotel is expected to open in mid-2010; however, since the groundbreaking in 2007, construction has been delayed several times with little progress. And during that time, the design has changed-- note that a year ago, the SpringHill Suites was going to have 130 rooms and 6 floors. (The new design might be slightly taller.)

That being said, there's a lot riding on Constellation. It might finally answer the question: Can Huntsville support a vibrant downtown? For the sake of this city's future, I hope that answer is yes.

Move Sci-Quest Downtown! A New "Museum District"

In the past couple of weeks, the Times has talked about the possibility of the State Board of Education evicting regional science museum Sci-Quest out of its leased space in the back of the Calhoun Community College to make way for an expansion of the school, instead of using unoccupied space in the building. While this might sound stupid (and would delay the Calhoun project further), it does bring back the idea that Sci-Quest should move downtown to a more visible location. A couple of years ago, several properties in the center city, including the old Hale Brothers Furniture building on Washington, were mentioned as possibilities, and then-congressman Bud Cramer even appropriated federal funding for the relocation. And then it died.

This recession's got me bored. So the (possible) renewed interest in the idea got me thinking... How about a Museum District downtown? I like Atlanta's example, where the major museums/attractions-- Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, Atlanta Children's Museum, along with the Georgia Dome, CNN, Philips Arena, and a couple of hotels-- are clustered around Centennial Park (cool website, another thing Huntsville should look into). Putting it into a Huntsville perspective, that could be Sci-Quest along with the Museum of Art, Early Works, Constitution Village, and the VBC within a few blocks of Big Spring Park.

I've been looking for an excuse to use this updated vertical aerial image, courtesy of Marty Sellers/Sellers Photo:

A couple of possibilities exist in this area for a new Sci-Quest, but my favorite is the city parking garage across from city hall. There are plans to tear it down and rebuild it. A portion of the new garage--say, the south end across from EarlyWorks-- could be built for Sci-Quest, along with some space near the square for retail and restaurants. The pros of this location: City-owned land (cheap lease, similar to $1/year the museum has at Calhoun), unlimited height limit, good visibility from Courthouse Square and Big Spring Park. Cons: It's a parking garage, little expansion opportunity. Another place that has similar pros and cons is the old Fire Station #1, part of the municipal complex on Church. The other red square on the map is a Regions bank branch that I think is a total waste of land, but not a good place for Sci-Quest; sorry about that.

But, of course, these aren't the only options. There are quite a few good places in the north and west parts of downtown, especially near the Depot and the VBC, where Sci-Quest would do well downtown without being clustered with the other museums.

Updated rendering for the "new" VBC

This is an updated combined rendering (click for enlarged image) for the renovated arena-- to be renamed Propst Arena-- and concert hall-- renamed for Mark Smith, late founder of Adtran--, the two major components of the Von Braun Center renovation project. Work is expected to begin this summer, and take a little over a year to complete. The architect is Matheny Goldmon Architects of Huntsville.

For more info:
October blog post about arena renovations
September post about concert hall renovations
Times article

Height Limits re-revisited

Since the city and the Times have (yet again) failed to produce a map of the proposed downtown buffer zones, I thought I would spend a few minutes on Google Maps and make one myself, using the city's text descriptions of the zone boundaries (scroll down a couple of pages). Those who have read the blog for a while (or those who click here) will notice some changes between this map and the one I made in February. Sorry about the dots. So, what do all these colors mean?
Buffer Zone A- Building heights restricted to 2-3 floors (25-35 ft.). This will include any area that abuts a residential zone. Any C3 zone that is E of Madison (South) and Greene (North) Streets will be part of this zone, unless otherwise noted.
Buffer Zone B- Building heights restricted to 4 floors (60 ft.). This area includes South and East Side Squares and the EarlyWorks museum.
Buffer Zone C (yellow)- Building heights restricted to 5 floors (75 ft. ). This area includes 301 East, a proposed condo/apartment development and a proposed parking garage.
Buffer Zone D- Building heights restricted to 6 floors (90 ft.) This area includes North Side Square and the block that includes the First United Methodist Church.
Other- In most cases, this area will have an unlimited height limit. Some areas that abut residential zones, however, will be part of Buffer Zone A.

April briefs: Progress and Delay

A couple of brief updates on some area projects:

• No other project has prompted more emails to me than Harris Hill. In recent weeks, several tracts of land around the farm have been bought by developer Cole Walker's company, and heavy equipment has been seen on the site. Also, a rezoning request was submitted to the planning commission in March for the area between the new Harris Hill Blvd., Moores Mill, and 72 East, which shows that there has been a change of plans from the original layout shown to the public about a year ago.
  
• On the other side of town, the Watercress project at 72 West and Jeff is going through city approvals and agreements.
  
• Over in Decatur/Limestone County, the Bass Pro is still planned, but groundbreaking will be "more than likely" 2010, according to the Decatur Daily. This was the original opening date announced last year.
  
• And, need I tell you more about the city's Courthouse Square improvements project? Seems like the Times and Mayor Battle have got it covered. But I will say this: while some might think the $2.8M to replace the sidewalks might be a lot to save some old ladies in high heels from tripping, there seems to be a whole lot of people these days that are a bit "trigger-happy" when it comes to lawsuits... so if it saves the city from getting involved in drawn-out legal battles that could potentially cost taxpayers millions more than this will, then I'm fine with it. A better-looking, pedestrian-friendly square and the ability to have more outdoor dining are good perks too.
  

A Pedestrian-only Courthouse Square?

Greg Hathorn, of Sam and Greg's Pizza, talked to WHNT about an idea he had for the Courthouse Square downtown-- close parts of the square to cars and create a "city market." While creating a mini-Pike Place Market might work, shutting down a part of the relatively busy square might be tough. The east and west sides of the square (Washington/Franklin and Jefferson/Madison streets, respectively) are the main routes in and out of downtown, and Southside is used to connect the two, so closing down any of those to vehicular traffic would be impossible unless the city wants to create gridlock and confusion. The northside of the square is less traveled than the other three, so that would be the only feasible location for a public market. Also, it just so happens to be where Sam and Greg's is located, so I'm sure they'll want to be part of their own project.

UPDATE 4/09: A website has now been launched--http://www.marketplaceonthesquare.com/

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.

St. James Place cancelled

Another proposal has given in to the bad economy. The 6.5 acre site slated for St. James Place, a planned 80,000 sq. ft. retail-office project on Cecil Ashburn Drive in Jones Valley, is now back on the market for $4.5 million.

City soliciting proposals for downtown site

The city is moving forward with soliciting plans to build a mixed-use "signature tower," and a location has now been cited as a surface parking lot at the northwest corner of Holmes and Jefferson. The project could be coupled with a parking garage (one of the "stimulus" garages?) if the winning developer chooses to do so. This is a very underdeveloped part of downtown, and being relatively far away from residential areas shouldn't create too much controversy.

Bridge Street creating Urban Outfitters petition

Bridge Street Town Centre has created a website in an attempt to gauge support for an Urban Outfitters store in Huntsville: http://www.wewanturbanoutfitters.com/. As some of you might recall, a similar attempt was made by Bridge Street a few years ago for a Wild Oats grocery store at the lifestyle center. Soon after, Wild Oats announced its merger with Whole Foods, and the new mega-organic grocery store chain has no current plans for Huntsville for the next 2-3 years, according to several inquiries by the Times and the Whole Foods website.

Personally, I think if Urban Outfitters wanted to locate a store in Huntsville, it would look for/prefer a more "urban" location than Bridge Street (Constellation developers, you guys listening?). Nashville's Urban Outfitters, for example, is opening next month in the Gulch, a growing cluster of high-rise condos between the CBD and West End. By the way, Urban Outfitters' "suburban" sibling, Anthropologie, is already at Bridge Street.

Downtown Height Limits Revisited

So, after months of talking about grocery stores (yawn), it's time to talk about downtown again. A public meeting will be held tonight (5:30) at City Hall to discuss the CBD's 10-story height limit restrictions, which many (including myself) believe are too strict, and have more than likely killed some projects. The Planning Commission approved the restrictions in 2006, and the city council put off revising the rules during the Spencer administration. Current mayor Tommy Battle seems to be more open to changing the limits, and has made several references to a "signature tower."

Update
Due to a previous commitment, I was not able to attend the meeting. But according to the Times, it seemed to be lively yet productive. The planning department will revise the height limits to include 2-4 story buffer zones in areas that are adjacent to residential zones, a 6-story height limit in the area where this development is proposed, and take out the 10-story limit in the remainder of the CBD. I can live with that.

Here's a new map with the proposed changes. This map is in no way official, and I cannot claim to its accuracy. There are probably some pockets of residential areas that I missed. Hopefully sometime soon the city or the Times will create a better map of the affected areas and put it on the web. But until then, here's the best of what 15 minutes on Google Maps can do:


I've divided the CBD into four zones: Blue Zone, Purple Zone, Green Zone, and Red Zone.
Red Zone: The areas abutting a residential area. Building heights restricted to 2 floors (30 ft.).
Purple Zone: The areas across the street from a residential area. Building heights restricted to 4 floors (60 ft).
Green Zone: A special 6-story height limit for a proposed public-private development (see below).
Blue Zone: The remainder of the CBD, or roughly Greene St. westward. Building heights unrestricted(?).

Areas in question

• The area of homes and businesses between downtown and the Medical District. West of Gallatin looks like it will be mostly blue. East of Gallatin, however, will be a mix of everything. It would be no surprise to me if this area is redeveloped in the future as a "Midtown" area of sorts with more relaxed restrictions of 6-10 floors.
  
• The housing projects northwest of the CBD. For now, they probably fall under red zone restrictions, but with their redevelopment coming soon, I just left them in the blue zone for simplicity's sake.
  

Huntsville Hospital wins Madison Hospital

A lengthy (7 years) battle for state approvals and the appeals that followed have ended in vain for Crestwood Medical Center. According to a press release, the hospital's board of trustees decided not to appeal a recent circuit court ruling to uphold the state Certificate of Need Review Board's approval of Huntsville Hospital's proposed Madison Hospital. The competing hospitals proposed separate hospitals along 72 West between Wall Triana and Balch. Huntsville Hospital's proposal is a full-service 60-bed medical center, a centerpiece in their already partially-built "Madison Medical Park." A list of proposed services can be seen on their site. No word yet on when the hospital will open, but hopefully it'll be soon-- an estimated 90,000 people now live in Western Madison County/East Limestone, which, if it were all incorporated as one city, would be the 5th largest in Alabama.

Side note- a Georgia developer last year proposed a 4-story medical office building next to the proposed hospital along 72. No word on if that's still going to happen.

Defense Aquisition University building CRP office

Defense Aquisition University, or DAU, will break ground in a couple of weeks on a new $12.3 million office building where classes will be held to train federal employees. The 50,000 sq. ft plus building will be located on Old Madison Pike, and will open late this year.

Catholic High breaking ground on new campus

Catholic High School (my alma mater) broke ground on their new campus off of Old Madison Pike today, five years after the school bought the 55-acre site from the UAH Foundation. The new campus will allow the school to have 400-600 students enrolled upon completion. The current campus, which opened in 1996 in a renovated office building in Research Park East with 40 students, is now at capacity with 320 students. Expected completion of the new school will be in mid-2010, with the construction of athletic fields coming later.

Go Falcons.

Park Tower "on hold indefinitely"

In another blow to downtown redevelopment, 200 Park Tower, a project that was to renovate the 9-story office building overlooking Big Spring Park, is now on hold indefinitely, due to a lawsuit filed in August of last year by a group of California investors against the local developers, Park Tower, LLC. The California investors, under the name San Francisco Residence Club (after an old hotel/hostel in the Nob Hill area in SF that seems to have closed a few years ago), claim to have invested $6 million in a ground lease on the building, according to court documents and the Huntsville Times.

The project was expected to begin this spring, but with no news about it in at least a year, I had little hope for it anyway.

Kroger planning new store at 72 and Nance

A reader's email I received last week prompted me to look at the parcel of land at the northeast corner of the intersection of Nance Road and 72 West. They wanted to know if I had heard anything about a new Kroger at the location, but I had not. Sure enough, here it is, hidden in a deed to Bank Independent (they're building a new branch here as well) on September 16, 2008:

"Owner of Lot 2... shall solicit approval from The Kroger Company for the development and operation of a new store (the 'Kroger Store') on parts of Lot 2."

Further on in the deed, there are signs that an announcement could happen by June 1st. By the way, "Lot 1" is the immediate corner of Nance and 72, and is where the Bank Independent branch will be built. The Kroger will be located right behind it on a part of "Lot 2."

As always, no lease has been signed, so nothing is official yet.

Watercress anchor: Earth Fare?

Yet another blurry site plan has come up, leading me to believe that Earth Fare, a North Carolina-based chain of organic grocery stores, could be another possible anchor tenant for the Watercress development, only adding to the confusion around the project. Until now, there have been rumors and speculation that Kroger would build a store here, with the only proof being a suspicious symbol on the City of Huntsville's development map.

Once again, this is only an educated guess from looking at the site plan above. All I know for sure is this: the words in the anchor tenant aren't "grocery store" or "Kroger." If you believe you have a better guess, feel free to comment.

The Huntsville Stimulus Package: $570 Million and Growing

The Huntsville Times in today's edition did a special report on Huntsville's wish list of projects included in a "Main Street Stimulus" plan created by the US Conference of Mayors. Huntsville alone has a total of $568,762,000 in projects on the list. And while most of it probably won't ever get the President's signature, it does give us a good look at the city's "wish list" of projects in the next couple of years.

For downtown, the city list includes three new parking garages, the Gateway Place senior housing facility in the former Councill Court area, and a "Courthouse Square Improvement Project." The list has revitalization projects (totaling $24.5M) in the Terry Heights and Lowe Mill neighborhoods, two inner west side areas that have been targeted for gentrification in recent years. It includes new parks, infrastructure improvements, and a grocery store/food co-op in Terry Heights.

And for whatever reason, either intentional or unintentional, the Times did not list any of the projects labeled as "Transit." So here they are:

• 15 new buses with alternative fuel capability: $3.75M (the city currently has 15 city buses, and has talked about replacing them gradually with biodiesel-powered buses)
  
• Replace the city's two trolley buses: $500,000
• Updated transit center message board: $15,000
• Bus camera systems for all 15 buses: $75,000
• Replace bus stops and system maps: $25,000
• 25 new bus shelters: $125,000

You can look at the complete list of projects for the city of Huntsville here.

And on a side note-- Edwardsville, Alabama (population 194 according to Census estimates) has a $375 million list of projects, ranging from $43,000 for solar panels on its city hall and senior center to $37 million for an "electric solar enhanced railroad line for support of local vineyards and tourism" that would dual as "transport for local schools."

Whether or not any of this money should come out of a stimulus package intended for rebuilding this nation's failing infrastructure, I'll leave that up to your own opinion.

Bridge Street plans another office tower

Now that the first 6-story office building is fully leased by defense contractor CSC (no telling what happened to the insurance and dentist offices that were originally planned to occupy space), the developers are now planning a second office tower similar to the first. There are a couple of possible locations for it, including next to the DSW and some vacant areas north of the lake.

The early Bridge Street plans called for at least 3 6-story office buildings.

2009 Development: A Look Ahead

So, now that the new year is here, what can we expect this year in developments? Here's a "brief" list of my predictions, moving roughly west to east for no reason:

• The "Water" mega-developments, Sweetwater and WaterStone- both of these projects are unrealistically large as proposed, especially in this economy. Expect them to be downsized. Sweetwater will become merely an outlet center, but Bass Pro Shops will remain. There's no way 2,700 single-family homes can be sold 25 miles away from Huntsville! Plus, that's just wasteful sprawl. WaterStone will probably keep much of its retail portion, but scrap its medical and some of its office plans, and hopefully some of its massive parking lots...
  
• Madison developments- Colonial Promenade (the Wal-Mart on 72 West) will definitely break ground early this year; Academy Sports could be announced as its secondary anchor. Madison Lakes and The Peaks are more iffy on their timelines, with both scheduled for "mid-2009."
• More on 72 West- Watercress will probably break ground on its apartment portion early this year, with the retail portion (a Kroger or other grocery-anchored shopping center) coming later. And will Providence residents get their urban-ish grocery store at long last-- will it be Whole Foods, EarthFare, or something different? And, more importantly, where's Mellow Mushroom!? Hopefully they'll stick to their April deadline.
  
• Research Park- More office developments, go figure. Phase II of Bridge Street, with a Sports Authority as an anchor, will at least partially open. Just to the south next to Redstone Arsenal, a hotel/office/retail project by mall developer Jim Wilson and Associates has a good chance of getting off the ground this year.
  
• Downtown/Center City- Hopefully 2009 will treat downtown much better than 2008. The height limits that have choked projects in the CBD will be eased/lifted, opening the door for several developments to get off the ground. If that happens, the plans for Constellation and Councill Court will become clearer, and some high-rises will be announced. A major VBC expansion/renovation project will begin in the spring. Also, expect more gentrification projects in the Lincoln, Merrimack, Lowe, and Five Points neighborhoods.
  
• East Huntsville- Probably the most frequently e-mailed question: What happened to Harris Hill- is it dead? No. It's not. A major tenant announcement could come early in the year just to keep nosy people like myself occupied, with construction starting in the fall at the earliest. And a proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter at Shields and 72 will be "officially" announced.
  
• Metro-wide: A resurgence of Kroger. Dunkin Donuts returns to Huntsville after a decade-long absence. At least six new hotels.
  

2008 Development: A Look Back

Wow. That was one boring December. Few developments have come down the pipeline, save for a couple of small shopping centers and subdivisions... but nothing to write about. Despite the optimism expressed by government leaders and Realtors, the economic recession has hit Huntsville. But because of a strong start to the year, the total value of construction project start-ups in Madison County this year is on track to be comparable to (and even over) 2007's numbers (over $900 million), but the number of projects will be significantly lower, from 4,000 for each of the last two years to around 2,700. But there were some bright spots this year, as projects either finished-- like the Westin Huntsville, much of the airport expansion project, a medical office midrise in the Medical District, and three new Publix stores-- or just began construction, like Constellation and the Councill Court redevelopment. And more projects are expected to begin in 2009. More on those tomorrow. Happy New Year!

Entertainment center opening at Bridge Street

Bridge Street supposedly landed its newest tenant on Friday: The Station, a 28,000 sq. ft. family entertainment center, will be built on the north side of the development adjacent to the lake according to the Huntsville Times. It will have a 12 lane bowling alley, a restaurant/bar, arcade, billiards, and rollerball. It is scheduled to open in June or July of next year. The first location is supposedly opening soon near Cool Springs Galleria in Franklin, TN, according to a website posted in the comments section (see below). An official lease has still not been signed for the Bridge Street location.

Bridge Street developers talking about Phase III

Bridge Street's developers, Los Angeles-based O&S Holdings, are talking about Phase III of the Research Park mixed-use project. But Phase II's only announced tenant (Sports Authority) won't open for another year! An O&S spokesperson told The Times that the two additional tenants will be announced soon. As for phase III, plans are leaning toward a second hotel and more retail.

Battle Discusses Vision for Downtown

This is exactly what Huntsville needed-- a mayor who supports real downtown growth. Mayor Battle told a group of young professionals yesterday about a plan by the Huntsville Housing Authority to build townhomes and lofts that go for $600-1000 a month. You're probably asking, "Does this mean more public housing?" Not exactly. These new homes will probably be built on HHA-owned land (like Councill Court) by a company that specializes in affordable housing developments, like Philadelphia-based Pennrose Properties.

He also expressed support in relaxing the height limits (possibly for his "signature tower" he keeps talking about) and placing buffer zones between residential areas and the CBD.

Huntsville Times article

Watercress layout... and is that a Kroger logo?

I was looking at the City of Huntsville GIS Department's Development Map earlier today, and stumbled on this proposed layout of the commercial portion of the Watercress development at 72 West and Jeff Road. In the middle is what appears to be an outline of a shopping center. And in the middle of that is a big black blob. Now, I don't want to fuel any rumors here, but does that look like a Kroger logo to anyone else?

If you need a closer look, check out the development map for yourself at
http://www.hsvcity.com/gis/dev_map/development_map.pdf

Another Kroger being renovated

The Kroger at Drake Avenue and Memorial Parkway will be renovated, with work probably starting early next year. This will be the third Kroger in the area to be renovated in the past year. The most noticeable changes shoppers will see are expanded Nature's Market (organic), deli, bakery, and wine sections, plus a slightly new interior and exterior design.

Copeland's redevelopment on hold

Real estate company Crye-Leike has scrapped plans to build a 3-story office building on the site of the old Copeland's restaurant at the corner of Airport Road and South Parkway. The building would have housed the company's regional headquarters, and was part of what seemed to be an aggressive expansion into the Huntsville region. However, that expansion has been scaled back due to the housing slump, and the Copeland's site is now up for sale again. According to the Times, the site has "received a lot of interest from restaurant and hotel operators." We'll see about that.

Huntsville Hotel Boom Update, November 2008

Time for another update to the Huntsville Hotel Boom list. Once again, if I haven't heard any updates on a hotel proposal, I haven't changed it.

Madison:
Limited-service, extended stay hotel in WaterStone (proposed)
Best Western Inn and Suites (proposed)
La Quinta Inn and Suites (under construction, Late 2008 opening)
2 hotels at the DeBartolo development (proposed, possibly dead)
Hotel at Madison Lakes (proposed)
Comfort Inn and Suites (approved by planning board)

West Huntsville:
Cambria Suites (proposed)
Hyatt Place at Providence (delayed, possibly dead)
Hotel(s?) at Redstone Technology Park (proposed)
Sleep Inn and Suites (under construction, opening 2009)

South Huntsville/Hampton Cove:
Hampton Inn and Suites-Hampton Cove (under construction, early 2009 opening)
Possible hotel in Jones Valley (proposed)

East Huntsville:
Hotel in Harris Hill development (proposed)

Downtown:
Courtyard/Residence Inn by Marriott (under construction, 2009 opening)
Spring Hill Suites by Marriott (under construction, 2009 opening)
Holiday Inn replacement by John Q. Hammons (proposed)

Limestone County:
Hampton Inn and Suites- Athens (under construction, 2009 opening)
Hotel/convention center at Sweetwater development (approved, 2010/2011 opening)

The Peaks planning resurrection?

The Peaks at Southchase, a massive and somewhat controversial development at the intersection of Zierdt Road and I-565, is apparently moving along after almost a year of hearing nothing about the project. Plans still call for the 263-acre development to feature a "regional" lifestyle center along with offices and "possible" residential space. And even though there were rumors earlier this year that DeBartolo Development, one of the companies behind the project, was backing out, the plans are still on their website, though they are terribly out of date. The new planned groundbreaking date is July of next year.

DeBartolo Development's Project Website for the Peaks

VBC Expansion/Renovation Continues

The long-awaited $15 million expansion/renovation of the VBC Arena will begin this spring after the city council unanimously approved the proposal. The "new" arena will be called the Propst Arena, after the family that donated $5 million toward the project. The expansion includes more restrooms, a grill pub facing the Embassy Suites, and more luxury/sky boxes. Matheny and Goldmon Architects worked with Rosetti Architects out of Detroit for the design.

Huntsville Times article

A renovation of the concert hall was announced last month.

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

Sidewalk dining comes to Southside Square

Longtime local auto dealer Jeff Sikes has stepped into the restaurant business with a new European-themed "contemporary American" restaurant called Cotton Row (not to be confused with Cotton Row Market, which was a short-lived establishment next to Humphrey's a couple of years ago). It is scheduled to open this week on Southside Square downtown, according to the Huntsville Times. So, what's so special about this restaurant? The prospect of it prompted the city to lift a ban on outdoor dining a couple of years ago. The building it is housed in-- renovated by Sikes-- was also part of the first phase of a city "sidewalk revitalization project" that never really went anywhere.

Madison Lakes, hotel go before Madison Planning Board

As promised, here's an update on the Madison Lakes development proposed at the SE corner of Brownsferry and County Line in Madison. A public hearing to discuss the rezoning of the land is on the Madison Planning Board's agenda for tomorrow night's meeting. Below are some new renderings from the city's website. As of now, the plans include:

• A retail center with the usual neighborhood businesses anchored by a grocery store. What chain? This area seems to be saturated in traditional grocery stores; Publix, Kroger, and Wal-Mart will have a presence in West Madison before this is finished. But there are no upscale grocery stores on this side of town, so this might be an opportunity for a chain like Fresh Market to put another location in the area.
  
• A town center with some small retail, restaurants, lofts, and a couple of office buildings (some of them will be for medical purposes).
• The southern half of the development will be multi-family residential, such as condos and townhouses, plus a nature preserve/park.
  
• A 120-150 room "limited service hotel." The plans conflict on the number of rooms. The brand is anyone's guess- a limited service hotel is any hotel without a restaraunt, meaning it could be anything from a Motel 6 to a Hilton Garden Inn. It will probably be on the more upacale part of that spectrum.
  

And speaking of hotels, a 4-story Comfort Inn and Suites is also on the Planning Board agenda. It will be located on the south side of Madison Blvd. between Wal-Mart and Hughes Road.

UPDATE: The Madison Planning Board meeting scheduled for October 16th was rescheduled to October 23rd.

Providence still expanding despite economic downturn

In the current issue of the Town Paper, a publication that features and promotes TND's (Traditional Neighborhood Developments), Providence developer David Slyman talks about future expansion plans for the community, which is approximately 33% complete. In the spring of 2009, work will begin on apartments that will go for around $950/month. Also, plans for the long-rumored grocery store seem to be coming together:

“A major grocer is ‘getting it,’” said Slyman. “They’re trying a new design for their next building, one that should fit into Providence. They want to be involved in the fabric of our small town.”

Back in April, Slyman said that a Whole Foods Market "or equivalent" would be a "good bet" for the proposed grocery store. While a Whole Foods might still be in the cards for Providence, I think an even better candidate is Asheville, NC-based EarthFare, which has 15 locations in the Southeast, with the first Alabama location opening in Auburn later this year. And, in 2009, the chain will open a new "yet to be revealed" urban prototype store in the Bearden neighborhood of Knoxville.

Madison Commons: The Martin/Zierdt Development

Earlier today, I was out on Zierdt Road checking out a proposed "grocery-anchored shopping center" that I've gotten a couple of emails about. Recently, the site has been prepared for the development, but work has stopped recently. This is probably because the project is awaiting city approval, along with a building permit, which could take weeks. But I found some new info about the development this afternoon that should keep you occupied until construction begins...

First off, the development is called Madison Commons. If you live in the area, you probably know by now that it is being developed by Michael Collard Properties, an Orlando-area developer who, according to their website, has developed many grocery-anchored and pharmacy projects throughout Florida. Most of their grocery-anchored developments include a Publix, but with one only 3 miles away, whether or not they will build one here is up in the air-- a Kroger or some new chain isn't out of the question.

Madison Commons will be a 110,000 sq. ft. shopping center with a 45,000 sq. ft. grocery store, a 30,000 sq. ft. junior anchor (clothing store?), and about 36,000 sq. ft of smaller shops and restaurants. There are also six outparcels for banks, fast-food, etc; one of them (at the corner of Martin and Zierdt) will be a CVS/Pharmacy.

There are also plans for 300 apartments and 450 other residential units next to Madison Commons, along with a possible city park. Those are in addition to the 6700 residences proposed or under construction within a 5-mile radius of the development. This turns out to be an estimated 15-20,000 people moving to this side of town; there is no doubt this shopping center will have a demand.

Sports Authority opening at Bridge Street

The first tenant has been announced for the second phase of Bridge Street Town Centre. Sports Authority will build a 42,000 sq. ft. store in a strip of anchors planned across the street (Governors West) from the lifestyle center, and is planned to open next fall. This will be Sports Authority's first Huntsville store. The athletic store chain also has stores in Atlanta, Montgomery, and Memphis.

This is the first of three additional anchors planned for the second phase of Bridge Street. Original plans called for a Linens n' Things, Circuit City, and a larger anchor (department store?). Fortunately, it seems these stores' recent financial troubles forced them out of the project; this would have left one of the strip centers across from Madison Square on University completely vacant.

Sports Authority
Huntsville Times article

Constellation hotel construction delayed

Construction of the 6-story SpringHill Suites downtown has been delayed because crews have found "50-foot variations" in the bedrock where the hotel is to be built, according to developer Scott McLain. Construction will be delayed a couple of months to resolve the issue. The hotel is one of two planned for the $150M Constellation mixed-use development at the Clinton/Parkway interchange in downtown Huntsville.

Huntsville Times article

Bass Pro delayed again

Due to the economic downturn, construction on the Bass Pro Shops proposed at the intersection of I-565 and I-65 will not begin until "at least spring or summer of next year," according to the Decatur Daily. The groundbreaking was originally scheduled for June (of this year), then it was moved to next month. The opening of the store will be 10 months to a year after the groundbreaking, which means that it will open in the summer of 2010 at the earliest.

Decatur Daily article

Northrop Grumman breaks ground on second CRP building

As was promised back in March, the second of four planned Northrop Grumman buildings at their Research Park West campus broke ground today. The four-story, 110,000 sq. ft building, which will look much like the first building (opened in April 2007), is expected to open in 2010.

Madison Lakes: Another County Line Development

Bradford Health Services (yes, the addiction treatment center) will request a rezoning of about 78 acres at the SE corner of Brownsferry and County Line Roads for a mixed-use development. Plans call for about 300 apartments, 14 acres of retail along County Line, 12 acres for offices, a 180-room hotel, 16 acres of greenspace, and-- you guessed it-- Bradford's treatment center, which is currently on the site. We should learn more about this development next month when it goes before the Madison planning board.

(The picture above is from the September 5th Madison Record-- special thanks to Troy for sending it to me.)

Huntsville Times article: More Growth in Madison

VBC Concert Hall getting $5M makeover

Through a generous private donation, the Von Braun Center Concert Hall is getting a much-needed makeover. The renovation will include new seating, "luxury suites", a new sound system, a renovated lobby, and a new entrance (shown above). It is being paid for through a $3 million donation from Linda Smith (widow of Mark Smith, the founder of Adtran, which the renovated hall will be named after) and public VBC and TIF district funds. Work is expected to begin in March and end sometime in 2010. This is (hopefully) just the beginning of the VBC renovations, as much of the center is now over 30 years old.

Huntsville Hospital to build medical offices in Hampton Cove

This shouldn't be a big surprise to many people-- Huntsville Hospital (through a partnership with a private company) is planning to build at least one 30,000 sq. ft. medical office building in Hampton Cove. The building, which will be located on 5 acres at the intersection of Taylor and Sutton (near Wal-Mart), is scheduled to open in about a year. And if all goes well, another medical office building could be built, but that one is years away.

Huntsville Times article: Hospital eying Hampton Cove

Army Materiel Command groundbreaking Wednesday

The Army Materiel Command (AMC) is moving their headquarters to Redstone Arsenal from Virginia as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure decisions. The $127 million, 603,000 sq. ft building will also house the Security Assistance Command. The expected opening date for the building is 2011, which is the deadline for all BRAC moves.

Huntsville Times article

What's going on at the old Tweeter store?

If you have driven down University Drive West in the past couple of weeks, you might have noticed some work going on at the old Tweeter store in front of SuperTarget. The store is being split into two retail spaces, one for a Vitamin Shoppe and the other for a LifeWay Christian Store. The Vitamin Shoppe will be the second to open in Alabama; LifeWay is probably relocating from its current store near the University/Parkway intersection to this more visible location.

Madison Medical Office Building

I found yet another Madison project today. This is a medical office building planned for 72 West next to the proposed Madison Hospital. The 4-story, 72,000 sq. ft. building being developed by EDT Real Estate of Marietta, GA will be located just east (or just west, if somehow Crestwood successfully appeals the State Health Board's decision) of the proposed hospital. The tentative completion date is next year; however, I think that will be pushed back to around the time the hospital actually opens, which could be years from now. Please note that the above rendering may not be the real deal-- it says "Paulding Physicians Center" on the top of the building.

UAH expansion update

UAH president David Williams described some of the expansions the university will undertake in the next few years in the Exponent, the student paper. With the student population now at 7,400 (10,000 are expected by 2013) and the Five Year Plan (created in 2005) almost complete, the university is looking at other projects to expand the university and make it more of a "traditional" campus. This year, the university is doing renovations on two academic halls (Wilson and Madison), and next month will mark the completion of the campus intermodal center/parking garage, which will enable the university to eliminate some parking lots and replace them with greenspace. Williams said that plans for the long-term will include building dorms for 600-700 more students and a second student union/cafeteria food court to accomodate the influx of freshmen and sophomores that will be required to live on campus by 2010.

Gold's Gym planned for Madison

Anybody remember the old Gold's Gym that used to be at Marketsquare downtown? It closed a couple of years ago when the mall was being torn down to make way for Constellation. Well, it looks like the fitness center chain is coming back to the area, and their first store appears to be coming to Madison according to this site plan on the city of Madison's website. It will be located on Wall-Triana just north (or behind) of the Star Market shopping center. The owner of the center is a franchise company located in Columbus, GA. Gold's Gym currently has 10 locations in Alabama.

Publix opening 10th store in region; 11th coming

Publix continues its rapid re-expansion in the Huntsville-Decatur area with their 10th store opening tomorrow (Wednesday) in Harvest. And #11 isn't too far behind-- that store's going to Athens at the new East Side Junction development at US 72 and Lindsay Lane, with an opening later this year. The past few years have seen the Florida grocery chain grow past Kroger to become the clear market leader, with new stores in Riverton/Mt. Carmel, Meridianville, West Madison, and now Harvest. Publix opened its first store (the first outside of Atlanta and Florida) in 1996. Now, if they'd put a location in downtown Huntsville....

Watercress update

The "Watercress" development at US72 and Jeff Road in West Huntsville is moving along, at least with obtaining city approval. On the agenda for next week's planning meeting is a subdivision of the project area and 324 planned apartment units. Also on the agenda are over 1000 other planned apartment units and a resubdivision of a possible grocery-anchored shopping center site at Zierdt and Martin Roads.

WaterStone: a more in-depth look

The summer lull in development news appears to be over. The $1 billion Wann Springs development proposed on County Line Road in Madison is now called WaterStone, and a website is now up with more in-depth plans. Also, the groundbreaking has been delayed for federal approval, and will probably happen late this year.

With the website now up, we can now look further into what is planned for WaterStone. See also the land-use plan I posted on here a couple months back, which in some ways is a better representation of the final product. Here's a "conceptual master plan" posted on the website:
Retail CenterNow, here's a close-up of the retail center portion of the project. The plans for this portion of the development:

• A suburban retail strip, with 2-3 junior anchors and one big-box anchor. Target would be the best bet for the big-box, considering the Madison area will already have 2 Wal-Mart Supercenters before this project is built. For one of the junior anchors? Barnes and Noble. They like to be near lifestyle centers (discussed later).
• A grocery store. Publix just opened a store about 3 1/2 miles north of the WaterStone site. Kroger has an older, yet recently renovated store about 4 1/2 miles northeast, but it might be far enough away to warrant a new store. The store that's going to occupy this space is anybody's guess.
  
• A movie theater.
• A open-air lifestyle center, with probably 20-30 stores similar to the ones at Bridge Street. Probably no new names to the metro, but ones that are traditional lifestyle center tenants-- Ann Taylor Loft, Chico's, Coldwater Creek, Bath & Body Works, etc.
  

Town Center

Ok, so I had a little fun with this picture. But if my lines are too confusing for you, here's a text summary:

• Two 4-5 story condo buildings adjacent to the lake.
  
• A civic (municipal) building. I'm guessing Madison wants to build city government offices here.
  
• Two art gallery/education buildings and a performing arts center. This part of the project is at best "iffy." Remember when Bridge Street had plans for a performing arts center?
• The true town center area will have buildings with retail on the bottom floor and offices on the upper floors, with a common area in the middle.
  
• Two waterfront buildings will have retail on the bottom floor, like the town center, but with condos/lofts on the upper floors instead of offices.

Everything Else

• An office park with up to 2 million sq. ft. of space. This might come in handy when and if BRAC comes.
• A 66-acre medical park with 1 million sq. ft. of space. It is odd that they are dedicating such a large tract to medical purposes when there isn't a hospital proposed here. The planned Madison Hospital will be located on 72 West.
• An 800-unit apartment complex.
• A 150-200 room "limited-service, extended stay" hotel. Example brands: Staybridge Suites, Homewood Suites, Hyatt Place.
  

Downtown Springhill Suites groundbreaking scheduled for Wednesday

The first of two hotels in downtown's Constellation project, a SpringHill Suites by Marriott, will break ground on Wednesday, according to developer Scott McLain. The 130-room, 6-story hotel is the first element of a much-anticipated mixed-use development, which will include another, almost-identical hotel (a Courtyard by Marriott), a 160-unit condo/apartment high-rise (at one time ~15 floors, but probably toned down because of the city's reluctance to change the height limit restrictions; the election could change this), retail and restaurants, and office space. McLain said that the Courtyard and condos will be next to begin construction, and additional retail/restaurant tenants will be announced soon as well; he said that he hopes to recruit a "green grocer," meaning a Whole Foods-or-similar-type store. The estimated completion of the project is now at least three years out.

Huntsville Times

In May, the Times also reported that the Courtyard had changed brands to Residence Inn, and that the condo building would be apartments. But in Saturday's Times article linked above, McLain said that he was on the "29th plan" for the project, meaning that he's changed it 28 times. Confused yet? Check out some of the older renderings for the project I found over a year ago:

Sweetwater in trouble.... again

Yes, you have heard this before. John Q. Hammons has once again pulled out of the Sweetwater project in southern Limestone County. He told The Huntsville Times earlier this year that he had pulled out of the project, citing problems with getting incentives. Hammons was hospitalized in Springfield, MO, earlier this month, creating doubt of his company's continued involvement with the $1.3 billion project. Sweetwater's developers claim that they are in talks with three other hotel developers. Also, the proposed 250-room hotel and conference center has been scaled down to 150 rooms.

Note: Bass Pro Shops will not build a store until a hotel deal has been finalized, which means that its already-delayed groundbreaking of October will probably be moved back again. At least most of the political hurdles have been cleared-- the Decatur City Council approved the project late last month.

Huntsville Times article

Sweetwater website now online

The developers of the troubled Sweetwater development in southern Limestone County have now set up a website showcasing the proposed $1 billion project, which will include a Bass Pro Shops, a glorified 225,000-300,000 sq. ft. outlet center, and a hotel/convention center in the first phase. The website contains renderings, a presentation being showed at today's Decatur City Council meeting, and a listing of the partners in the project (an interesting fact: one of the people involved in the project is George P. Bush, a nephew of the current President). This website was probably set up to reassure citizens and Decatur city officials that the project is still moving forward, even though there have been problems with finding a new hotel partner and the groundbreaking (originally scheduled for June) has now been delayed.

Thompson Tractor building store on Governors

This has been the subject of several questions on forums the past few weeks... Thompson Tractor, a Birmingham-based Caterpillar dealership, is opening a store in Huntsville on Governors Drive West. It is being built on a 16-acre site that used to be a driving range. The store is expected to open around March 1 of next year, according to the Huntsville Times.

Hudson-Alpha plans "mile-long campus"

After opening the first building of its future campus last year, the Hudson-Alpha Institute of Biotechnology is already expanding. Construction has begun on a $7 million conference center, which is scheduled to open next year. According to co-founder and president Jim Hudson, the eventual plan is to have a "mile-long campus" with a "grove" (something like a pedestrian mall) through the center of it. Hudson hopes to have the campus completed in about 15 years.

Huntsville Times article

Dick's Sporting Goods building Jones Valley store

Dick's Sporting Goods is building its second Huntsville store at Valley Bend at Jones Farm. It will be the last junior anchor at the massive development, which opened its first stores in late 2001 and added a second phase (anchored by Hobby Lobby) and a Rave Motion Pictures movie theater in 2006. The 48,000 sq. ft. store will open by next spring, according to the Huntsville Times.

Snappy Tomato Pizza opening its first Huntsville-area restaurant

Snappy Tomato Pizza, a Cincinnati-area-based chain of franchise pizza restaurants, is opening its first Huntsville-area location at the Harvest Square shopping center being built at AL 53 and Jeff Road. It will be the second location in Alabama (the other one is in Tuscaloosa). The news of its opening is the latest of several pizza-chain franchises opening up in the Huntsville area this year, including Marco's Pizza in Madison (already open) and Mellow Mushroom in Providence (opening later this year).

Academy Sports "expanding" in Alabama, probably in Huntsville/Decatur

Academy Sports and Outdoors, a sporting goods chain similar to Dick's, is planning to open "at least" 4 stores in the state in the next year, according to the Birmingham Business Journal. Two of those stores have already been announced to open in Decatur and Auburn. I expect at least one of those other remaining "to-be-announced" stores to be located in Huntsville.

Academy has 7 stores currently open in Alabama, including 5 in the Birmingham-Tuscaloosa area, one in Gadsden, and one in Mobile.