Prichard Developments

[Southron]

Prichard receives planning award

The city of Prichard received the Outstanding Planning Award for a Comprehensive Plan from the Alabama Chapter of the American Planning Association. The city of Gulf Shores won the award last year. The chapter president said a quality comprehensive plan addresses the basics of sustainable city development, such as transportation, walkability and a thriving downtown, all of which were included in Prichard's plan.

Mayor Ron Davis said some of the specific aspects of the plan included narrowing Love Joy Loop and making it a two-way street and improving infrastructure around the Alabama 158 corridor in the north part of the city to try to attract retailers. The city has been working with downtown property owners to get burglar bars off of storefronts, fresh paint on walls and awnings removed from over city sidewalks.

Mobile Press-Register: Prichard receives planning award

[Southron]

Voters approved the creation of an Alabama Foreign Trade Investment Zone in Prichard. The trade zone will make Prichard an area in which certain imports would be free from tariffs or duties; hopefully creating an incentive for investors.

Maybe this will give Prichard's economy a boost.

Mobile Press-Register: Voters OK Prichard investment zone

[elb401]

I bet it will. This is great news for prichard!!

[nitek_of_mobile]

Hopefully the passage of the trade zone will spur developers to spruce up existing industrial parks within and around the City of Prichard. The industrial park just south of the I-65/US 45 interchange would be a suitable site for a supplier plant. Also, US 45 from Industrial Park to the Toulmonville community should be widened to five lanes.

[Southron]

Rather than setting up a federal trade zone where other nations could ship goods into the country without paying duties, the new amendment will give a property tax break to companies setting up shop in the trade zone and dealing in goods that are already duty-free under federal law. Amendment supporters expect the new investment zone to attract businesses and jobs to Prichard.

There are six existing federal Foreign Trade Zones in Alabama, one based in Mobile. Mobile's zone is made up of 12 area locations, two of which are in Prichard. Prichard's municipal government has nothing to do with the federal duty-free zones within its city limits.

Mobile Press-Register: Many officials apparently misunderstood purpose of Prichard's Foreign Trade Investment Zone

[Southron]

The Prichard city council voted to add 56 houses in Alabama Village to the list of more than 500 dilapidated houses across the city that are set to be knocked down as part of the city's "Operation Eyesore" effort. The demolitions will cost about $3,000 per house, which will be assessed as liens against the owners. Demolition in Alabama Village is set to begin in mid-to-late fall.

Mobile Press-Register: Prichard to raze rotten houses

I guess this is about all that can be done at this point. Our cities need to be more vigilant and aggressive in code enforcement so that houses don't deteriorate to this condition.

[Southron]

Prichard City Councilwoman Earline Martin-Harris took a Press-Register reporter on a tour of Alabama Village to show why the demolitions are necessary. According to Martin-Harris, About 95 percent of the people living in Alabama Village rent their homes, some by the month, some by the week, and often in cash. Problems that residents have to deal with include flooding, fires, gunfire and drug dealers. Hopefully the measures being taken will help turn the neighborhood around over time.

Mobile Press-Register: A New Vision for Alabama Village

[Southron]

The Industrial Development Authority of Mobile County approved tax abatements for a proposed $37 million plastic pipe plant that could create nearly 150 new jobs in Prichard. Bristow-Krah Pipe of Atlanta plans to build the plant on a brownfield location, the old DeRidder Chemical Co. site off Whistler and Main streets. The plant should be operational by the first quarter of 2008, building up to 150 jobs in the third year of operation. Plant workers will earn $13 to $20 an hour.

Mobile Press-Register: Prichard pipe plant gets OK for tax breaks

[Southron]

The Prichard Housing Authority broke ground for the final phase of a $40 million HOPE VI project Thursday, a 22-home development near Highpoint Golf Course called Leacy Estates. The new $4.1 million development is the last of four built across the city to replace the old Bessemer Apartments.

Mobile Press-Register: Prichard starts work on housing development