103 replies to this topic

[convulso]

^ as long as shopping centers don't offend you, you should have no trouble accepting their style of development (if it's anything like tigertown). tigertown's not a progressive development - it's parking spaces and outdoor-access strip mall buildings, fringed with banks and restaurants - but it's done about as well as strip malls are going to be done. tigertown has done huge business (judging only from its steady traffic; i have no figures), with a scaled-down best buy, old navy, books-a-million, ross, pet store, office supply store, target, olive garden, buffalo wild wings, coldstone, starbucks and several other predictable stores & eateries. they themed the sidewalks with tiger statuary and have the planters that emanate music.

they're building the thing in phases, which i think is a good thing, and there is a lot more planned (though i'll have to check how far the current phase has progressed when i get back to town this weekend).

for me, it's a case of tigertown being as good as it gets, if it's a foregone conclusion that what you're getting is a strip mall. i've seen much worse, even where brand new strip developments are concerned.

hope that helps.

Edited by convulso, 11 April 2007 - 10:56 PM.

[DruidCity]

Thanks. Yes, that's basically what I was looking for - just the overall feel of the development.

[HSVTiger]

this is all great info , might be worth it to also post it in the ALABAMA forum.
Auburn, Opelika and Phenix City are in Alabama much to the surprise of people
from other regions of the country.

War Eagle!

[HSVTiger]

http://www.siteselection.com/
Auburn- Opelika Bests All Competitors in Tier 3

Being located between two $1 billion automotive plants has its advantages. In Auburn- Opelika, Ala., the proximity to Hyundai in Montgomery, Ala., and the soon- to- be Kia plant in West Point, Ga., opened the door to a banner year in 2006.
   The MSA of 123,000 people topped all metro areas of population between 50,000 and 200,000 in corporate project activity last year, netting 19 new facility projects totaling $188 million in capital investment.
   Auburn- Opelika beat out in- state rival Tuscaloosa for the top honor in the Tier 3 category of U.S. metros, although Tuscaloosa's 12 corporate projects accounted for $592 million in capital investment.
   The remainder of the top 10, including ties, were Sioux City, Iowa- Neb.- S.D.; Valdosta, Ga.; Blacksburg- Christiansburg- Radford, Va.; Harrisonburg, Va.; Parkersburg- Marietta, W.Va.- Ohio; Terre Haute, Ind.; Decatur, Ala.; and Danville, Va.

[Southron]

Great thread, ATLman1!  Lots of good info here.  This stuff ought to be in the Alabama forum.

[ATLman1]

ExpatBaman, on Apr 12 2007, 04:05 PM, said:

Great thread, ATLman1!  Lots of good info here.  This stuff ought to be in the Alabama forum.

I agree I just include it because it is in the Columbus area. I will be glad to start posting in the Alabama forum.

[ATLman1]

TigerTown will soon house a Kroger complete with its own gas station, as well as restaurants such as Shane’s Rib Shack and Zaxby’s. Also, Dick’s Sporting Goods will break ground in TigerTown sometime before Christmas.

Auburn-based SCA Inc. has started construction on its new facility to increase its current production capacity. The company, located in the Technology Park North off West Veterans Boulevard, was recently named a Tier 1 supplier to Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama.

As a Tier 1 supplier, SCA will produce automotive trimmed exterior plastic parts for Montgomery's Hyundai plant. The expansion is predicted to bring an additional $7.7 million in capital investment to Auburn and is expected to create 45 additional jobs.

[ATLman1]

Auburn/Opelika Airport Expansion:

The A/O airport is undergoing a $10 million dollar expansion. A new terminal as well as new hangers are currently being constructed. The new terminal will be served by an access road that will tie it into Frederick Road, providing easy access to Auburn, Opelika and Interstate 85.

[ATLman1]

$118M housing complex headed to Auburn by fall of 2009



With a growing student enrollment that has already surpassed the 23,500 mark, Auburn University is taking dramatic moves do away with what has been described as inadequate decades-old student housing and replacing it with new residential quarters.

The latest move is the biggest — The Village, an $118-million student housing complex inspired by an earlier 1930s-era residential development on the Auburn campus known as the Quad, which incorporated the building designs of that era and provided Auburn dormitory space for more than half a century.

Designers of The Village are incorporating what architect Stephen Allen of Birmingham, Ala.–based Williams Blackstock Architects calls “sustainable approaches and strategies” into the newest Auburn residential housing, with hopes it will prove to be as durable as the Quad.

That means using energy-efficient cooling and heating systems throughout the structure, creating a system for recapturing storm water runoff on the roofs of each building, installing a series of bay windows for natural lighting and making recycling centers available to students.

With stone and brick exterior walls, The Village will also be part of a larger campus configuration of trees and green space, with a tree-lined plaza and sidewalks also in the making.

Eight new buildings will make up The Village, providing space for up to 1,800 beds.

Living space in The Village will consist of suites composed of a center living room and kitchenette centered around four individual rooms, which will be designed with the idea of creating a common shared space for students while also allowing for privacy.

The new development will also include study and classroom space and is expected to architecturally blend with other structures on a campus with buildings that date to the 1800s.

The Village will be constructed on the western end of the Auburn campus with access to the primary pedestrian pathway known as Thach Avenue that stretches in an east-west direction across the belly of the campus.

The project is the largest of its kind ever at Auburn and is only a part of a larger campus building trend expected to include a new $36-million engineering building and a school arena that, although final figures are not yet available, may cost at least that much.

Construction is scheduled to begin in the 2008-09 school year.

[ATLman1]

TigerTown Expanding

Columbus's WRBL News

Once Phase IV of TigerTown is complete, the open-air shopping center will stretch a million square feet and is expected to generate approximately $7.7 million in revenue for Opelika.

Members of the Opelika City Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the city and TigerTown Ltd. on Tuesday during its regular meeting. In 2002, the developer committed to develop 500,000 square feet of center space; by year’s end, TigerTown will consist of approximately 700,000-square-feet of developed space.

Now in Phase IV, "The developer commits to develop, or cause to be developed, at least 100,000-square-feet of additional retail space, plus at least one hotel, and restaurants and other outparcel space containing at least 10,000-square-feet by November 17, 2008," the memorandum says.

Phil Martin, spokesperson for TigerTown developer Newton Oldacre McDonald, said that Phase IV of TigerTown would consist of Dick’s Sporting Goods; a signature department store; a retailer of bedrooms, linens and baths; and 15 to 17 outparcels including two major hotels, Fairfield Inn by Marriott and Courtyard by Marriott. A number of restaurants, small retail, financial services and other establishments would round out TigerTown, and Phase IV will create 600 new jobs, Martin said.

Dick’s Sporting Goods is expected to break ground in TigerTown sometime before Christmas. The 45,000-square-foot store at the intersection of Interstate 85 and U.S. 280 will house all manner of sporting goods across 11 specialized sporting departments. Shane’s Rib Shack will be built near TigerTown’s freestanding Starbucks, and a Zaxby’s restaurant will become next-door neighbors with Logan’s Roadhouse.

[nitek_of_mobile]

TigerTown is the best looking power center I've ever encountered. It is far superior to Camp Creek Marketplace and Eastern Shore Plaza.

Edited by nitek_of_mobile, 13 July 2007 - 09:24 PM.

[eastcentralalabamateen]

ATLman1, on Jul 12 2007, 08:25 AM, said:

TigerTown Expanding

Columbus's WRBL News

Once Phase IV of TigerTown is complete, the open-air shopping center will stretch a million square feet and is expected to generate approximately $7.7 million in revenue for Opelika.

Members of the Opelika City Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the city and TigerTown Ltd. on Tuesday during its regular meeting. In 2002, the developer committed to develop 500,000 square feet of center space; by year's end, TigerTown will consist of approximately 700,000-square-feet of developed space.

Now in Phase IV, "The developer commits to develop, or cause to be developed, at least 100,000-square-feet of additional retail space, plus at least one hotel, and restaurants and other outparcel space containing at least 10,000-square-feet by November 17, 2008," the memorandum says.

Phil Martin, spokesperson for TigerTown developer Newton Oldacre McDonald, said that Phase IV of TigerTown would consist of Dick's Sporting Goods; a signature department store; a retailer of bedrooms, linens and baths; and 15 to 17 outparcels including two major hotels, Fairfield Inn by Marriott and Courtyard by Marriott. A number of restaurants, small retail, financial services and other establishments would round out TigerTown, and Phase IV will create 600 new jobs, Martin said.

Dick's Sporting Goods is expected to break ground in TigerTown sometime before Christmas. The 45,000-square-foot store at the intersection of Interstate 85 and U.S. 280 will house all manner of sporting goods across 11 specialized sporting departments. Shane's Rib Shack will be built near TigerTown's freestanding Starbucks, and a Zaxby's restaurant will become next-door neighbors with Logan's Roadhouse.

I went to Tiger Town about 3 weeks ago and from my sight, it almost looks like everything has been built and opened already. I even saw the newly opened Kroger while eating at The Olive Garden. Sometimes when I come to Tiger Town from Roanoke with friends, I forget where everything is when I tell my friends. Do you have a full map of Tiger Town where it covers phases 1-3 and the current phase 4?

[ATLman1]

eastcentralalabamateen, on Jul 31 2007, 12:57 PM, said:

I went to Tiger Town about 3 weeks ago and from my sight, it almost looks like everything has been built and opened already. I even saw the newly opened Kroger while eating at The Olive Garden. Sometimes when I come to Tiger Town from Roanoke with friends, I forget where everything is when I tell my friends. Do you have a full map of Tiger Town where it covers phases 1-3 and the current phase 4?

I can't find a map or site plan anywhere! Do you know who the developer is?

[eastcentralalabamateen]

ATLman1, on Jul 31 2007, 05:08 PM, said:

I can't find a map or site plan anywhere! Do you know who the developer is?

Newton Oldacre McDonald, LLC; same developer for a Prattville, Alabama shopping center

[aboutmetro]

ATLman1, on Dec 6 2005, 07:34 PM, said:

Since Auburn/Opelika is right across the river from Columbus, I will post some of the new development going on in the area.

Opelika-Auburn News broke ground Wednesday on a new 40,000-square-foot production and office facility that will give the newspaper a state-of-the-art new home. The new facility will consist of two buildings joined by an open mall area. Each building will be about 20,000 square feet. The new $14 million dollar building will be open by October 2006.

Thanks ALTman1.  That's big news about the O-A News, especially at a time when many newspapers are struggling.  WRBL (3/4) in Columbus and O-A News have a partnership agreement which is nice, it helps us keep up with what's going on across the entire market.  

It's entirely appropriate to include Auburn-Opelika in with Columbus since they're in the same CSA.  I've seen the acronym 'COAL' used recently, for Columbus-Opelika-Auburn-Lagrange, to talke about the entire market.  Kind of an unfortunate acronym with all of the bad press coal energy is getting. Oh well.

[gah]

aboutmetro, on Aug 1 2007, 08:54 AM, said:

Thanks ALTman1.  That's big news about the O-A News, especially at a time when many newspapers are struggling.  WRBL (3/4) in Columbus and O-A News have a partnership agreement which is nice, it helps us keep up with what's going on across the entire market.  

It's entirely appropriate to include Auburn-Opelika in with Columbus since they're in the same CSA.  I've seen the acronym 'COAL' used recently, for Columbus-Opelika-Auburn-Lagrange, to talke about the entire market.  Kind of an unfortunate acronym with all of the bad press coal energy is getting. Oh well.

How about COLA instead?  Emphasis on connections that region has with Coke (Woodruff/Pemberton/Bradley) and RC Cola/Nehi (Hatcher).
I REALLY like the developing triad theme between Columbus. Auburn/Opelika and La Grange.  At the risk of being accused of copying NC with its Research Triangle, it gives the area a real happening, synergistic vibe.

[aboutmetro]

gah, on Aug 1 2007, 10:26 AM, said:

How about COLA instead?  Emphasis on connections that region has with Coke (Woodruff/Pemberton/Bradley) and RC Cola/Nehi (Hatcher).
I REALLY like the developing triad theme between Columbus. Auburn/Opelika and La Grange.  At the risk of being accused of copying NC with its Research Triangle, it gives the area a real happening, synergistic vibe.

Yea, that's pretty good. Opelika and Auburn probably wouldn't mind being split up like that. Isn't it funny how the 'triangle' develops after Troup gets Kia. Kind of like finding a long lost wealthy relative.  Now if we could even get one of those new Interstates... oh well, visions of sugar plums.

[mh1220]

eastcentralalabamateen, on Jul 31 2007, 11:57 AM, said:

I went to Tiger Town about 3 weeks ago and from my sight, it almost looks like everything has been built and opened already. I even saw the newly opened Kroger while eating at The Olive Garden. Sometimes when I come to Tiger Town from Roanoke with friends, I forget where everything is when I tell my friends. Do you have a full map of Tiger Town where it covers phases 1-3 and the current phase 4?

Here's a link to the site plan, which I found on the developer's website, nomllc.com:

http://www.nomllc.co.....7_for web.pdf

[nitek_of_mobile]

I expect Kohls and Bed, Bath & Beyond to open stores in the TigerTown development.

[ATLman1]

Mando America Bringing New Jobs, New Dollars to Opelika

An existing company is expanding and bringing more jobs and more dollars to Opelika.

Mando America Corporation is expanding it Opelika operations again. The latest development came Tuesday as company officials and city leaders announced the creation of 77 new jobs and an additional $21 million in investment.

This is the company's third expansion since opening its doors in Opelika in the spring of 2003. At that time, the company planned to hire about 150 workers, but the latest expansion brings the total to more than 500 over the next three years. It's a move that seems to have exceeded everyone's expectations.

According to information from the city, the latest expansion is the result of additional orders and an increased customer base, which have prompted the company to expand production with new lines and products.

There's no word yet on a specific date for the hiring of the additional jobs, but Rolison said they will be looking for skilled workers for their highly automated assembly lines.

Mando's Opelika operations produce brake corner modules, suspension modules and steering systems for various automotive manufacturers, including the Hyundai plant in Montgomery.