Huntsville's height restriction (fit in, Valentine's day, condos)

[Huntsville_secede]

High anxiety downtown


Thursday, February 14, 2008By JOHN PECK
Times Staff Writer john.peck@htimes.com
City planners, others debate building heights for change in zoning
Should the sky be the limit? That's an issue the City Planning Commission could decide this month on a proposed zoning change governing building heights in downtown Huntsville.
The City Council will have the final say.


Apparently this restriction has already caused us to lose a 20 story hotel, threatening the constellation development, and a few future planned condos.

al.com: Everything Alabama

[deesonic]

"Zoning Chairman Earl Gooding Jr. warned that taller buildings may achieve goals of bringing more people downtown but hurt the atmosphere that makes downtown Huntsville unique."

It's uniquely DEAD for a city it's size. That's what we want to preserve?

[NicoleC]

I guess it depends on WHERE. The square is very unique and I'd hate to see that district dwarfed by tall buildings which would be very visible, or worse yet, some of those fine buildings demolished.

I would think that the considerations should be more on the placement of the proposed building than a blanket ban. 10 stories is pretty short, all things considered.

[Huntsville_secede]

Originally Posted by NicoleC

I guess it depends on WHERE. The square is very unique and I'd hate to see that district dwarfed by tall buildings which would be very visible, or worse yet, some of those fine buildings demolished.

I would think that the considerations should be more on the placement of the proposed building than a blanket ban. 10 stories is pretty short, all things considered.

Yeah I agree, restricting buildings in the entire CBD is a bad idea, it should be done on a case by case basis or just in certain areas of downtown. It sounds like some city council people who are stuck in the past and afraid to see Huntsville grow and change too much. Thats fine if you want to remain like a small town forever, but then stop recruiting for all these thousands of jobs if you don't want the growth that comes with it. If downtown doesn't grow with the city then all we will have is thousands and thousands more subdivisons with no character and a traffic nightmare. I think there needs to also be some higher density residential options too.

[NicoleC]

I'm personally not a fan of high-rise condos, and I am not sure Huntsville is ready for that model. (Whereas I think low-rise "flats" are perfect for the city.) But a high-rise hotel or office building would probably be a hit. Put a coffee shop and a lunch spot on the ground floor and a nice restaurant on the top story and you have a good place to work.

I'm not sure if it's fear of growth -- more like fear of change, maybe? If it were fear of growth, they really have done a bad job stopping it. You can have tall buildings which will fit in with the city look. Look at some of the older areas of NYC or other northeastern cities for tall buildings of that era. Some are gorgeous.

Anyone know if there is any truth to the talk about how Huntsville's substructure isn't strong enough for really tall buildings?

[Huntsville_secede]

Originally Posted by NicoleC

I'm personally not a fan of high-rise condos, and I am not sure Huntsville is ready for that model. (Whereas I think low-rise "flats" are perfect for the city.) But a high-rise hotel or office building would probably be a hit. Put a coffee shop and a lunch spot on the ground floor and a nice restaurant on the top story and you have a good place to work.

I'm not sure if it's fear of growth -- more like fear of change, maybe? If it were fear of growth, they really have done a bad job stopping it. You can have tall buildings which will fit in with the city look. Look at some of the older areas of NYC or other northeastern cities for tall buildings of that era. Some are gorgeous.

Anyone know if there is any truth to the talk about how Huntsville's substructure isn't strong enough for really tall buildings?

Yeah your probably right about the high rise condo thing, considering how they are struggling to get a high demand for condos (especially when they are charging over 300K for a lot of them but thats a whole different story) but I think its really unfortunate that the restriction caused the city to lose out on a possible 20 story hotel since there is this supposed shortage of hotel rooms in town. Yes i've seen it done in a lot of cities in the United States where taller buildings blend in very well with older portions of downtown, it can be done, yes they fear change... they want all the jobs that are coming but want to remain the same which I don't think is really possible. I've heard that the substructure thing was a myth but I can't say for sure. Hey NicoleC its valentine's day you aren't supposed to be posting on here you are supposed to be cherishing your love today lol.

[Chrishaune]

Hello to all. First time post here. Been in the Huntsville area for a while, just would like to help out. No, need for pats on the back. Anyway, this subject ticked me off.

I think what it is, is like Huntsville_secede said, the city council in Huntsville doesn't want it to turn out to be another Atlanta. Which in some ways is good, but large development can be good too. I think that they don't want all of the people and crime that comes along with being a fast-growing city. They still want their quaint little Huntsville that they can go and stroll through the park without any worries. Now, that's the way I see it. I think it'll be like that forever here, unfortunately. The mayor seems to embrace that type of thinking. She wants Huntsville to grow, but at the same time attract the same people it's been attracting. So she is not looking for real out of the box developments, only those that help her get the people she wants.

[rnc76]

^^^Welcome to the board, Chrishaune.

I kind of see what you are saying. However, by basically stopping any development downtown (which is what height restrictions will do), we will become a mini-Atlanta in terms of sprawl and traffic.

[HsvMike]

I fail to see how a skyscraper, or high rise condo / hotel will bring in more crime. You can't stop growth, with all the recruiting Hsv and the Chamber has been doing, and if you try then it will be detrimental to the entire area. I personally would rather see a high rise office building with what Nicole said a restaurant at the top and shops at the bottom.

From someone coming in from a bigger city, on 565 or the Parkway, the downtown area looks pretty sad. We pride ourselves for being one of the technology centers of the south, then we should really look like it.

[java85]

i've been wanting to say something about this since i read it on the front page of the times. when i read about this i laughed and asked myself "are they seriously trying to do that?" i think it's pretty embarrassing for city leaders to set height restrictions on downtown development when huntsville is booming. the last time i read about madison county's population it surpassed 300,000 residents in the 2007 census. it is just ridiculous how we have city leaders that don't want to envision future growth in the area. i am going to make a couple of points about this:

first, if the city council is really thinking about setting a 10-story cap or lower on commercial or residential buildings in DT the city will never see a diverse growth in jobs and people. just imagine how many jobs the city will be able to maintain if we make 20+story commercial buildings. this will make a huge impact on the huntsville job market and aid in the recruitment of young professionals already in the area and advertise the city "as the place to be." huntsville's economy is based on engineering and BRAC-related jobs with the government. it would be a nice asset for more jobs to locate in the downtown area since it would bring in future development such as high-end retail shopping, sophisticated and casual dining, grocery chains, high rise condos, and such.

second, this may not have much to do with the height restriction subject but the encroachment on big spring park that i hear every time is even more ridiculous than anything. i have lived here my entire life and i've been to the park many times. i remember walking through the park in october of last year and i couldn't believe how beautiful the park has become in recent years. the reason why big spring park is so beautiful is there is an embassy suites hotel that has a canal that connects to the park. in addition there is the thrasher fountain and benches that make it look more attractive. the summit building brings a lively appearance to the park. the expansion of the museum will be even better since it will include an amphitheater. i don't see why people will be so opposed to this. i feel like if an amphitheater will feature outdoor arts and music in the park then this will be a terrific asset to the downtown culture scene.

if anything i really hope city leaders change their minds and leave the height restriction alone and let developers build any landmark that will truly make huntsville a vital place to live and work in the future.