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Constellation Huntsville, Construction Updates


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  • 2 weeks later...

Looks like they are finally ready to begin

http://www.al.com/news/huntsvilletimes/ind....xml&coll=1

By JOHN PECK

Times Staff Writer [email protected]

Constellation willbegin; Summitoption deal expires

One condominium project for downtown Huntsville died Tuesday while another won clearance for a groundbreaking.

The latter - a 80- to 100-unit complex in the planned Constellation hotel/retail/condo development at the Memorial Parkway/Clinton Avenue intersection - was kept alive Tuesday when the City Planning Commission held an emergency meeting to approve the subdivision plat for the 17-acre site.

Approval clears the way for a real estate closing between the developer and tenants.

Developer Scott McLain said the action "allows us to have a closing and transfer title" to the Marriott Hotel Corp. for construction of the first phase, a pair of hotels. Construction on the condos, offices and retail stores will follow.

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  • 3 weeks later...

green

By Robyn McGlohn

WAFF 48 News Reporter

http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=7906839

"We would like to do is make our whole building and our whole project LEED certified."

LEED being Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

In other words, they're going green.

There's only a few buildings in Huntsville that are LEED certified, and McLain hopes going green will urge other developers to do the same.

"We all have to be green, we have a limited small planet and we need to be working on making sure preserving our resources and taking care of our energy," says McLain.

And for that reason the asphalt will be re-used to make new roads.

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green

By Robyn McGlohn

WAFF 48 News Reporter

http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=7906839

"We would like to do is make our whole building and our whole project LEED certified."

LEED being Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

In other words, they're going green.

There's only a few buildings in Huntsville that are LEED certified, and McLain hopes going green will urge other developers to do the same.

"We all have to be green, we have a limited small planet and we need to be working on making sure preserving our resources and taking care of our energy," says McLain.

And for that reason the asphalt will be re-used to make new roads.

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  • 1 month later...

From a report on WAFF

Scott Mclain is a partner in Constellation LLC, the development company re-developing the site where the Heart of Huntsville mall once stood.

Mclain says a complaint he often hears about Huntsville is that there's really nothing to do.

"What we want to do is have maybe a dozen places where there are things to do, restaurants, bars, places that play music," says Mclain.

There will be some more groundbreaking ceremonies in the next few weeks.

This seems to be a change from the first announcements in that the number of restaurants has gone from 3 or 4 to 12.

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From a report on WAFF

Scott Mclain is a partner in Constellation LLC, the development company re-developing the site where the Heart of Huntsville mall once stood.

Mclain says a complaint he often hears about Huntsville is that there's really nothing to do.

"What we want to do is have maybe a dozen places where there are things to do, restaurants, bars, places that play music," says Mclain.

There will be some more groundbreaking ceremonies in the next few weeks.

This seems to be a change from the first announcements in that the number of restaurants has gone from 3 or 4 to 12.

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not sure how this will impact this project but it most likely will in some way, positive or negative

keep this family in your thoughts and prayers.

"Matthew David McLain, a Cumberland Law School student from Huntsville, was shot to death in Homewood early this morning in what appears to be an accidental shooting, according to his father, Huntsville developer Scott McLain.

McLain, 23, died on the scene at about 1:15 a.m. at Regent's Walk Apartments in Homewood, police Sgt. Kent Baker said. McLain was shot while attempting to enter an apartment at 739 Raleigh Court. McLain lived at 747 B Raleigh Court.

Police couldn't release further details, but Scott McLain said this morning that Matthew mistakenly entered the wrong apartment and was shot by the apartment resident. He said police are treating it as an accidental shooting.

"It is a most unfortunate tragedy," Scott McLain said. "It's such a waste."

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  • 3 weeks later...

Sounds like there are still some issues, and the slow down of the economy isn't helping. They need an access from the Parkway exit ramps and ALDOT may be balking at that.

The construction for the hotel should begin soon however, has the closing on the Marriott Courtyard happened yet?

Some comments from the developer

As new and old residents of Huntsville zip off Interstate-565 onto South Memorial Parkway, McLain said he hopes they'll look at Constellation and say "that looks fun, let's go over there. It will have interesting architecture and lighting and signage and then the all-important tenant mix."

The demolition is complete and Spring Hill Suites, one of two hotels, will come first on the site that will house office space, restaurants and bars, retail shops and condominiums, if all goes according to developer Scott McLain's plans.

The development is based on similar projects in Florida, McLain said. The blighted Boca Raton Mall was replaced in the early 1990s with Mizner Park, a 28.7 acre mixed-use project that includes homes, a park, shops, restaurants, office space, a movie theater and a museum.

That project has been touted by the Environmental Protection Agency as an "outstanding success" and was highlighted as an example of smart growth.

It took years for the project to launch, though, and McLain said he expects a delay in Huntsville, too.

"It's a slow process because people have to get comfortable with the project," he said. "Lots of stars are going to have to align for Constellation to happen."

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There is some activity on site, the building of the road through the property has started, removal of old drainage pipes and the moving around of dirt.

You usually don't do stuff like that for the fun of it, although driving heavy equipment is fun but expensive.

So I expect things will pick up a bit pretty soon.

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I admire McLain for wanting to redevelop an old mall, but I think he needs to improve the design if he wants to say that it is based on Mizner Park. Parking, other than on-street spaces, needs to be in the interior of the blocks and the buildings should be built out to the sidewalks. Maybe I'm wrong, but the current design looks too much like a suburban hybrid than an urban town center.

Having said that, though, I do hope he is able to move forward with the project.

EPA case study: Mizner Park

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I admire McLain for wanting to redevelop an old mall, but I think he needs to improve the design if he wants to say that it is based on Mizner Park. Parking, other than on-street spaces, needs to be in the interior of the blocks and the buildings should be built out to the sidewalks. Maybe I'm wrong, but the current design looks too much like a suburban hybrid than an urban town center.

Having said that, though, I do hope he is able to move forward with the project.

EPA case study: Mizner Park

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