Phenix City

[HSVTiger]

Chamber members learn of the impact a new proposed interstate could have in the area

William White / Staff Writer April 11, 2007

The prospects of a new interstate highway, Interstate 14, coming to east Alabama was part of a wake-up call for a room full of chamber members and guests early Tuesday morning in Auburn.

Interstate 14 is the proposed designation for a new freeway corridor between Natchez, Miss., and Augusta, Ga., with additional proposals extending west to Austin, Texas and east to Myrtle Beach, S.C. In this area, I -14 would branch off of Interstate 85 near Tuskegee and follow U.S. 80 to Phenix City.

The wake-up call the came in form of information about the interstate and an extension of another, two new 11-story buildings and new poultry industry in Phenix City and the impact of growth in Atlanta as presented by Biff Hadden with Science Applications International Corp., SAIC, the largest employee-owned research and engineering company in the United States.

http://www.oanow.com/servlet/Satellite?pag...mp;path=%21news

[Southron]

Interesting, two 11-story buildings when the tallest now is three stories. Growth in Columbus is really spilling over into Phenix City now.

I wonder where the proposed interstate is supposed to go through or around Phenix City and Columbus.

[convulso]

though not specifically mentioned in the OA news article, at least one of these structures has to be the phenixian.

whew - an interstate that piggybacks US 84 in mississippi and basically parallels I-85 all the way to augusta? who is the lobby behind this? southern mississippi's legislative delegation? i'm not saying it's bad; just that it seems a little redundant. i may be misinformed (i know 84 sees heavy traffic near natchez, and again where it crosses the tombigbee and alabama rivers, but nothing an expansion couldn't remedy.)

if this gets built, a zillion years down the road, you can pretty much start the countdown until montgomery to auburn to columbus to atlanta becomes one big metro, or at least a very urbanized / suburbanized corridor - particularly the I-85 and I-185 'triangle' area (surrounding auburn, columbus & atlanta). anyone who lives in auburn can tell you that, when one thinks of larger metros with which the city is associated, atlanta's is more of a candidate than montgomery's. it only takes 70-90 minutes to get to atlanta from auburn (depending on your driving manner), and it seems even nearer because of the sprawl greeting you as you get into the atlanta metro.

i really can see auburn becoming a bedroom community for some atlanta commuters, as atlanta's metro swells in the coming years. great quality of life (for certain demographics, anyway), great schools, a university town that feels small, proximity to a historic courthouse square town ripe for redevelopment and reuse (opelika)...that sort of thing will definitely hold much appeal for yuppie types who don't want urban life but want to draw an urban salary. atlanta's metro, imho, has a great chance of 'capturing' auburn from columbus in coming years - or, more likely, atlanta will 'capture' both into a giant metro.

a good thing? well...

. . . . . .

for some reason, most of the news concerning auburn, opelika, phenix city, etc. is posted on the columbus, GA forum. i guess because it's considered part of that metro, even though it's all alabama. there's a lot of good info on there, if you're interested in this part of the state:

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php?showforum=242

i don't know who ATLman1 is, but he consistently comes with great information about the auburn area.

[ATLman1]

Hey guys I am a senior majoring in real estate at the University of Georgia. I have a lot of contacts so I know a lot about all of the development in the Columbus/Phenix City/Auburn/Opelika area. I also read LOTS of stuff to keep updated on all of the growth. If you guys have any questions about anything please let me know. Here is a rendering of the Phenixian.

[ATLman1]

Here is the link to the other condo that is going up Phenix Rising. Click enter, projects, residential, and then Phenix Rising. It has two images of the building.

[Southron]

for some reason, most of the news concerning auburn, opelika, phenix city, etc. is posted on the columbus, GA forum. i guess because it's considered part of that metro, even though it's all alabama. there's a lot of good info on there, if you're interested in this part of the state:

http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php?showforum=242

i don't know who ATLman1 is, but he consistently comes with great information about the auburn area.

[aboutmetro]

I found the whole discussion very interesting, especially the part about 'future interstates'... could he be referring to the potential for an I-22 extension from Birmingham to Brunswick, to pass by Opelika-Auburn then Columbus?