UP|Alabama

Birmingham Coffee House

bhamsly — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:05:47 +0000

ONB set to discuss potential Sloss Business Park.

http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2010/02/15/daily15.html

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Birmingham Metro Economic Development

bhamsly — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:02:27 +0000

Report: Birmingham to gain lab jobs by 2018

Birmingham is in line to benefit from a projected upswell in clinical laboratory jobs over the next decade, industry experts say.

The U.S. Department of Labor predicts a combined 108,000 clinical technologist and technician jobs will come open due to job growth and replacement needs by 2018. Those jobs include “rapid growth in private diagnostic labs, as well as in physicians’ offices,” according to a recent U.S. News and World Report list of the top 50 careers for the next 10 years.

Birmingham’s robust health care community and the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Clinical and Laboratory Science/Medical Technology Program could be a winning job-growth combination, according to health care professor John Lowe. Lowe, director of the Simmons College graduate program in health care administration in Boston, said the local area might benefit from an expected increase in lab work as baby boomers demand more medical services and technology becomes more affordable.

“Those things are going to expand,” Lowe said.

Clinical laboratory jobs include testing and analyzing body fluids and cells to help physicians make diagnosis. They also conduct blood and drug tests. In the near future, those laboratory jobs will also include greater genetics testing as scientists gain a greater understanding of DNA makeup, according to Janelle Chiasera, director of Clinical Laboratory Sciences at UAB.

Chiasera said up to 70 percent of decisions regarding patient diagnosis and treatment are based on laboratory results. She said clinical laboratory students entering the local market with bachelor and master’s degrees aren’t oversaturating the local work force. Instead of having to move away from Birmingham to find jobs, she said those graduates are being absorbed by health care facilities as demand for those services grows.

“The market tends to get flooded, but that’s not the case here,” Chiasera said. “We expect that the overall growth trend in the health care sector will continue to progress rapidly as aging baby boomers place new and increased demands on health care providers.”

Simmons College’s Lowe said the “x” factor for the field is at what level DNA work will increase. He predicts every hospital will have a genetics counselor on staff within five years.

As technology improves and costs decline, genetics testing will play a greater role in not only treatment but prevention, Chiasara said.

“As we get information from the genome, it will be important to the way we treat people,” Chiasera said. “The profession is currently experiencing a 10 percent vacancy rate, and 13 percent of the current professionals are likely to retire in the next five years, creating widespread opportunities for jobs across the country.”

Job growth in the clinical laboratory is expected to be faster than average with the number of job opportunities rising by about 16 percent. The fastest job growth will come from clinical, pathology and physician-office laboratories.

Lowe said lab technology is becoming more ubiquitous particularly among private physician practices, which are adding services as equipment costs decline.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

CityVille/Block 121 mixed-use project

bhamsly — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:56:21 +0000

Cityville Block 121 is almost complete.

http://cityvilleblock121.com/apartment_communities/cityvilleBlock121-Birmingham/pdf/3-2-10news.pdf

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Century Plaza

mallguy — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 02:01:51 +0000

Simon has also had some distressed shopping centers- Biltmore Square in Asheville, NC and Raleigh Springs in Memphis. It sold them off to other owners.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Century Plaza

bhamsly — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:56:25 +0000

I wonder what Simon is planning to do with the Century Plaza property. Simon has very good properties all over, so without a doubt they will do something great with CP.

http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2010/02/15/daily8.html?surround=lfn

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

About 100 historic buildings in Calhoun County to be demolished

ZachariahDaMan — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:41:35 +0000

Over the next 2 weeks about 100 abandoned historic building in Calhoun County are to be demolished. They were once military barracks.
http://www.whnt.com/news/sns-ap-al--calhounhistoricbuildings,0,771963.story

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Alabama Photos

gsupstate — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:27:50 +0000

The Yardarm, Fairhope:

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

BJCC Expansion plans

where_am_I — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:02:03 +0000

Since the BJCC voted not to give an extension to Performa to develop The Forge entertainment district, they are preparing to develop it on their own, possibly using Performa's help to do so. Let's get the ball rollin!

http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2009/11/bjcc_ready_to_fly_solo_on_ente.html

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Birmingham Big-Dig: Burying I-20/59 through downtown

kayman — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:00:50 +0000

Shotty consstruction and lack of foresight when it came to the amount of growth of the Greater Birmingham area from the planners at ALDOT. They know they could redevelop that interchange back in the 1980's in the midst of the largest of the area's growth spurths until the recent one, but they chose to do nothing.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Birmingham Big-Dig: Burying I-20/59 through downtown

Jim856796 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:03:09 +0000

convulso, on 11 November 2008 - 10:20 PM, said:

but why do we need a tunnel?

tunnels are dark, and dark places scare me. what can happen?

Look, I said the word "tunnel" because it looked like the submerged freeway through downtown needed to be covered by a green space similar to the proposed Woodall Rogers Deck Park in Dallas. And the Malfunction Junction interchange should be rdeveloped into a more conventional interchange. Why was the existing interchange designed like that, anyway?

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Birmingham Coffee House

Jim856796 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:04:58 +0000

On the former site of the Metropolitan Gardens housing project, a mixed-use development should have been built on that area. But I guess it is Birmingham's version of Atlanta's Centennial Place development.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Montgomery Developments

nowyano — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:57:54 +0000

brad0022, on 09 November 2009 - 07:41 PM, said:

WSFA 12 News has also learned that a private developer in Florida is investigating the possibility of building an aquarium off Bell Street near the Alabama River.

http://www.wsfa.com/global/story.asp?s=11472480

Thanks for that posting, I think it serves as a real reality check. Greenville is still working on their revitalization after 30 years, and Montgomery is just 7 years in. I don't want to wait 30 years, but until merchants fully buy in, like in Greenville, there will be a whole lot of slow work being done. For the record, I think what Montgomery has done so far has been amazing. Out of curiousity, does anyone know the approximate timeline of the Chatanooga revitalization?

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Montgomery Developments

brad0022 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:41:57 +0000

Montgomery Developments

nowyano — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:35:34 +0000

MATS has added an "Entertainment Route" which will be runnig from Maxwell through Downtown and Cloverdale.
http://www.montgomerytransit.com/Maps/EntertainmentRts18_19.pdf

I really do like what MATS as done in the last few years, they are slowly bringing back buses, and while there is no news on streetcars the buses are a good step. The city of Montgomery, has also been very good about trying to incorporate Maxwell into Downtown, whether this be the attempt to rename and renovate Bell Street or this I think these are positive signs.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Montgomery Developments

brad0022 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:28:44 +0000

Fredrick Thomas proposes horse drawn carriage rides in downtown by mid November. The city will have to get a license first.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009910310324

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Metro Huntsville Development News

Southron — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:59:43 +0000

What's new in Huntsville? Does anyone have any news or project updates?

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Poarch Creek Indian Casino

nowyano — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:16:35 +0000

When I left Alabama in 2002 the Poarch Creek Indians in Wetumpka had just finished their bingo hall with a bit of fanfare. Last I heard they had planned for a 140,000 square foot casino, with the help of Harrah's. Did this happen? I imagine not as I could not find any information on it. I did however see they had a small hall in Montgomery now. If this didn't happen, I'm curious as to why it did not. I know that Victoryland in Shorter has switched to bingo machines, which Bob Riley is against.

Are there still plans for this casino to happen? And if so what effect could it have on Montgomery?

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Court Square Plaza

nowyano — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:46:05 +0000

EXBubba, on Jul 24 2008, 02:15 PM, said:

Notice the throngs of people in and around the picturesque fountain. No place to sit, no place to eat no shade. What's wrong with this pretty picture?

Believe it or not there actually are places to sit and eat around the fountain. The shade is coming when all the trees that have been planted finish coming in. However, I do agree there are still no people in the downtown area, especially on the weekend.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

The GrandView at Cottage Hill

nowyano — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:52:10 +0000

This is a problem that a lot of cities have had with condo developments in up-and-coming areas. Owners buy the building, sell a few units, and then abandon the property because no one else will buy the rest. I hope this project continues to go forward. I'm sure it will once Five Points' redevelopment really gets going.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Montgomery History

nowyano — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:04:56 +0000

Southron, on Sep 21 2009, 11:02 PM, said:

A new walking trail is under development downtown that would feature civil war and civil rights related sites. The proposed heritage trail is being modeled after the Freedom Trail in Boston. Great idea, and the wayfinding signage mentioned would be a great help for people unfamiliar with the area.

Walking route would link Montgomery's past, progress

This is a great idea, I found this same article on the Advertiser's website today. I wonder if there is any new information on this. It seems like a pretty easy project to get completed.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Montgomery Developments

nowyano — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:32:06 +0000

I actually just did a post about thriving downtowns in the South Forum. I can't think of too many Southern cities that do have big drawing downtowns other than ATL. I had a friend in Birmingham who went to school at Auburn, and after we graduated I came down to visit him. I remember asking him what there was to do, and him replying that it was just a bigger Auburn. You could go shopping at The Summit, or go to the movies and that was about it.

Montgomery has the potential right now, depending on what they put downtown to change that. I am a big believer in museums and walking tours. Montgomery's history could make for a great walking tour (Civil Rights, Pre Civil War times, Confederate History) and the warehouses could easily be converted into museums, or nightclubs. This could make for an interesting downtown.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

West Fairview Avenue Development

nowyano — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:26:23 +0000

This could be very good. The west side of Montgomery has been left to tarnish for some time now. It's good to see someone getting involved to make something happen over there.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

West Fairview Avenue Development

brad0022 — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:05:23 +0000

After the city has purchased land for a city park on West Fairview a local private company wants to invest in this area now.

Summit America will partner with Dover Kohl and Partners (company that developed the downtown plan), Goodwyn Mills and Cawood and McDonald and Associates.

Mayor Strange said they city will take care of a police presence with a substation, infrastructure, or a park if the company develops the shopping or entertainment facility.

Once the property values are increased the taxes collected will increase which those taxes will go right back to this area which is the same tax method that was used to fund downtown development.

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/articl...ONTPAGECAROUSEL

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Montgomery Developments

brad0022 — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:24:58 +0000

nowyano

That was a great writeup. I love to read about my city from a different perspective. I am hopeful that in a decade this city really will shape up.

I must say I was in Birmingham this past weekend for the Barber Vintage Festival and after I was through on Saturday by 2 pm. I and my two friends could not find a thing to do besides kill time at the Summit. We didnt have time to go downtown but even then I dont think there is anything downtown Bham on a Saturday afternoon. We stayed on 280 the whole day. Its the largest city in the state but its no ATL or even Nashville.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Montgomery Developments

brad0022 — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:19:12 +0000

nowyano, on Oct 11 2009, 04:46 PM, said:

I'm wondering if anyone knows any stores that are planning on locating to Downtown. I was mostly wondering about museums, entertainment complexes (Jillian's, Dave and Busters). And I was also curious if anyone knows if the Downtown businesses are ever planning on having better weekend hours. Also, ice cream. I was craving ice cream and there was no place to get ice cream downtown (closed, open, or otherwise).

I havent heard any serious decisions on other businesses locating downtown other than one more nice restaurant at the Alley and a country music venue that is in the plans for the Alley but the developer is waiting for more traffic. Thats the deal. It will take a good amount of time before more foot and auto traffic fills the streets again. Developers that are less risky are holding out for more people and consumers are waiting for more businesses. More lofts and apartments will definitely help.

I really wish they could build levees or whatever they need so that the river can be managed during flood seasons. So that the land across the river can be build up. It would be awesome to have riverside lofts right across from the stadium have a foot bridge to get across to downtown. Build a park.

But it can't since its flood plains.

nowyano

I have to say that that was a great writeup. I like reading about my city from a different perspective.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

The Summit

ct36 — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:08:33 +0000

Nitek_Mobilian, on Oct 12 2009, 05:14 AM, said:

Well, I'm not really surprised the A&F store in Montgomery closed, they closed the smaller abercrombie store that was next to it years earlier. Hopefully, they won't pull out of Mobile and Huntsville.

Back on topic: this closure just frees up more space for higher end retail at The Summit.

I dont think they will. What will go in there? I dont think that there is an upscale store that needs ~8,000 square feet that is not already at the Summit.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

The Summit

Nitek_Mobilian — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:14:20 +0000

ct36, on Sep 8 2009, 06:00 PM, said:

Really? Thats not good. Apparently they are not doing that good in AL. The one in Montgomery closed a few months ago.

Montgomery Developments

nowyano — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:46:17 +0000

Montgomery Developments

elb401 — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:02:58 +0000

Those are some great pictures! I haven't been to the downtown area of Montgomery since 2005. Great to see the city trying to bring back its downtown area!

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]

Montgomery Developments

nowyano — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:27:33 +0000

Upon further investigation (surfing the internet) I found this.

http://doverkohl.com/files/pdf/Montgomery_low%20res.pdf

I'm sure lots of people have seen it, but figured I would post it anyway. I really like the idea for South Court Street and have seen it beginning to take place.

View information on projects and add your own in our new Project Database: [Link]