Bass Pro Decatur, opening 2009

[codyg1985]

Yea, AL 20, has been one of the most dangerous roads in the valley for years, and will continue to be. Once this is built, or during construction, the city, state, and county will probably all look at ways to make this road more functional. If it is left how it is currently, it would definitely dampen the popularity of the development. I would expect the area to put money towards some kind of interstate style interchange like the one to Galleria Blvd in Hoover.

I can see it now, 5:15, traffic will be a nightmare. Wait it already is...

[3rdGenHuntsvillian]

Something similar to the Galleria Blvd in Hoover would work here, or perhaps a single point urban interchange (SPUI) at the northern entrance to the development.

[3rdGenHuntsvillian]

I was looking at the pic of this development at

http://huntsvilledevelopment.blogspot.com/ and I was wondering why they were building houses there. Then i noticed that to get to the houses you would have to drive through the entire retail "gauntlet" that they are building. Talk about a captive audience... I bet the stores will love that.

I have to say though that I am a little disappointed with this plan. I guess i was wanting something along the lines of an OpryMills, even though there never was any indication of that type of development. This looks more like it will be like all that sprawl near the Cool Springs Galleria filled with Cuts by Us, Ross, GNC and all the other stuff.

[HSVTiger]

I was looking at the pic of this development at

http://huntsvilledevelopment.blogspot.com/ and I was wondering why they were building houses there. Then i noticed that to get to the houses you would have to drive through the entire retail "gauntlet" that they are building. Talk about a captive audience... I bet the stores will love that.

I have to say though that I am a little disappointed with this plan. I guess i was wanting something along the lines of an OpryMills, even though there never was any indication of that type of development. This looks more like it will be like all that sprawl near the Cool Springs Galleria filled with Cuts by Us, Ross, GNC and all the other stuff.

[Alabadrock]

While it's great that the Bass Pro and hotel are planned, there are some strange things about this, maybe it's not warranted but the layout is not that spectacular.

It will be nice but I agree with your observation. I wonder how this will impact the on the shelf plan Decatur has about a downtown convention center?

I would be surprised if all the houses get built. "Built in phases projects" never seem to quite reach the last phase.

[HSVTiger]

Yea, the reason the houses are in the back is so that the retail gets more traffic and visibility. The convention center would be part of Calhoun, so this won't effect that at all. The city wants to renovate some of the buildings downtown for it, so nothing that happens with this shopping center will have any effect on Calhoun's plans for downtown.

[Alabadrock]

May not even be an issue but I wonder what the flood plain looks like in that area adjacent to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge?

[Alabadrock]

I read in The Daily a few days ago that the hotel is supposed to be 12 stories. So, it could be the new tallest building in Decatur, the current tallest is at 12 floors. Should be tall enough to be seen from the north bound lanes at the I-65 exit with Alabama 67.

[Huntsville_secede]

I read in The Daily a few days ago that the hotel is supposed to be 12 stories. So, it could be the new tallest building in Decatur, the current tallest is at 12 floors. Should be tall enough to be seen from the north bound lanes at the I-65 exit with Alabama 67.

[jmanhsv]

That's going to be weird... a 12-story building in the middle of thousands of acres of rural farmland. It'll be just about as bad as that 17-story casino they're building in Atmore, which I should mention that, sadly, it will be much taller than any building in Huntsville...

Note: It's not ILLEGAL to build a high-rise building in Huntsville... yet. Except for the CBD, the city is unrestricted in terms of height limits. And even in the CBD, the city council has yet to approve the height limits.

[Alabadrock]

Wow thats impressive considering its illegal to build buildings that tall in Huntsville

[Huntsville_secede]

That's going to be weird... a 12-story building in the middle of thousands of acres of rural farmland. It'll be just about as bad as that 17-story casino they're building in Atmore, which I should mention that, sadly, it will be much taller than any building in Huntsville...

Note: It's not ILLEGAL to build a high-rise building in Huntsville... yet. Except for the CBD, the city is unrestricted in terms of height limits. And even in the CBD, the city council has yet to approve the height limits.

[Alabadrock]

Yeah I know its not the whole city I was referring to the CBD since that is usually where most tall buildings are constructed. And I know we have Research park too but not counting the westin, most of those buildings are like between two and four stories. Talk about height restrictions, an area with thousands of acres of farmland is where one should actually be put in place not in a CBD they are helping to fuel Alabama's perception of being backwards. The CBD of the 3rd largest city in the state a leading city in research, engineering and aerospace has height limits and farmland has a 12 story building. The height limit may not be approved but its supposedly already killed or at least discouraged a few projects.

[Alabadrock]

According to what little bit I could read of the DecaturDaily, negotiations are underway to bring a SECOND hotel to the Sweetwater Development.

http://decaturdaily.com/stories/8972.html

[kayman]

I believe the only way to rationalize the peculiar situation with Huntsville City Councilmember's aprehension to taller buildings is the ideology to preserve the "small town feeling" of Huntsville. Although Huntsville has a vastly large city in shear size while having more non-natives than any other region in the state, there are still elements that exist in the Tennessee Valley that doesn't want the perception of "small town" Huntsville to change. This is their way "acting out", and I would much rather have them act out in this way which is quite trivial if you think about it because it will help make the central part of Huntsville's core more dense than the way many other cities in the South. Those other places have suffered this aprehension to the "big city reality" to the point that cosmopolitan culture and vibrancy of a place is nonexistent. Huntsville will get their taller buildings, just like us in Birmingham with core redevelopment and rapid population growth, it's coming but one has to be a little patient.

[HSVTiger]

According to what little bit I could read of the DecaturDaily, negotiations are underway to bring a SECOND hotel to the Sweetwater Development.

http://decaturdaily.com/stories/8972.html

[jmanhsv]

So much for "I've never heard of him..." John Q. Hammons has been confirmed as the hotel developer for Sweetwater by the Decatur Daily. So an Embassy Suites is now all but confirmed for the project, but a Marriott-brand hotel cannot be ruled out just yet.

Huntsville Times article

[HSVTiger]

This project appears to be a bad deal and is struggling a bit..

John Q. Hammons, the developer slated to build a multimillion-dollar hotel at Decatur's massive Sweetwater development, said Tuesday he's decided not to be part of the project.

"I decided negative on that position," said Hammons, CEO and chairman of John Q. Hammons Hotels Inc. "I pulled out, looked at the east side of the interstate, but I couldn't find a site that I liked.

"I continue to be interested in Huntsville, Ala., but I have not yet satisfied myself with the right spot."

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2008/05/hammon...sweetwater.html