Ideas for Big Spring Park and Downtown (Huntsville, York: house, condo)

[java85]

All right, since the city council wants to keep the 10-story height limit ordinance (i still believe this is the worst move the city can ever make from developing some really awesome projects in the area) and expand Big Spring Park, what are some ideas you would suggest for downtown?

Despite the idea of encroaching buildings in the park, first I think Big Spring Park needs to offer more amenities for park lovers. The park needs to have some food vendors to offer to the public, especially during the day when a lot of people usually go out for a stroll or play. The food and drink prices need to be affordable and not expensive such as paying $6 bucks for a pizza or $3 for a beverage. Second, I think they should install a device where music can flow in the park for 24 hours straight. These two could possibly attract more people in the park than just adding more green space or only offering food to the public whenever a festival comes to the area.

As for the rest of downtown, I like how the restaurants, bars, and music clubs are flowing nicely together in the core area. The one thing that is missing in downtown are shopping amenities that will help boost a lot more businesses and living space in the area. I most certainly hope that Constellation will not be the only downtown shopping destination. I hope that developers will continue on with their projects as planned; unfortunately limit their projects to 10 stories, and allow retail shopping to blend in with office, living, or hotel spaces. I think if we allow this to happen then downtown will become the vibrant centerpiece that the city would need to keep its younger demographic in place.

I am sure there is some property on the strip of Memorial Parkway that is prime for high rise development. I am just still hoping that University and Research Park can become the new magnetic force in driving high rise buildings in those areas.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by java85

The park needs to have some food vendors to offer to the public, especially during the day when a lot of people usually go out for a stroll or play. The food and drink prices need to be affordable and not expensive such as paying $6 bucks for a pizza or $3 for a beverage. Second, I think they should install a device where music can flow in the park for 24 hours straight.
As for the rest of downtown, I like how the restaurants, bars, and music clubs are flowing nicely together in the core area. The one thing that is missing in downtown are shopping amenities that will help boost a lot more businesses and living space in the area.

Not sure why this idea hasn't caught on everywhere in regions/neighborhoods with family demographics: Mid to upscale dining with childcare/playground/supervised amusements. Add $1-$2 for each meal to pay for it (cheaper than a babysitter). Hire a few high school kids for $10/hour to watch the kids. The parents can kick back and enjoy a few drinks and an uninterrupted quiet peaceful meal (you people with kids know exactly what I'm writing about).
Right now the only place that I know of that does this is Joe's Crab Shack: They have a playground built with the restaurant. The parents kick back on the deck and the kids goof off and de-energize on the play ground.

[flstatenolefan]

Too many liability issues with the supervised amusement areas, I would think.

I think they should have Wi-Fi available through the park.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by flstatenolefan

Too many liability issues with the supervised amusement areas, I would think.

I think they should have Wi-Fi available through the park.

Joe's Crab Shack does it so liability issues are somehow managed.

I'd love free wireless. Of course then my wife would accuse me of going online and not engaging with my kids. I can hear it now: "Get off that g*d d*mn computer and help me with the kids...."

[rnc76]

Originally Posted by flstatenolefan

Too many liability issues with the supervised amusement areas, I would think.

I think they should have Wi-Fi available through the park.

They installed Wi-Fi in the park a couple years ago. Is it not available anymore?

[java85]

They installed Wi-Fi in the park a couple years ago. Is it not available anymore?

i too thought the city installed a wi-fi access for internet users in the park a few years ago. i don't know if they have it anymore. i thought i read in the Times last year that there were some money issues involved with the wi-fi connection in the park so more than likely it might had been pulled.

[rnc76]

I personally thought the Ovation condo was a wonderful idea. Replace that parking structure with a nice condo building with ground level retail and restaurants. You could sit outside and have a meal looking out into the park, then go shopping and take a walk. You could actually go to the park and spend a little time there. Of course, there would need to be a proper setback, but I think that would add a lot to downtown. Plus it is right across from the VBC, how much better of a location could you get? But as we all know, mammoth 8 story buildings alongside (not IN like those that oppose any downtown development try to scare people with) would cast ominous shadows over the beautiful park. I have heard and read that argument so many times. The problem is that a building on the north side of a park in the Northern Hemisphere CAN'T cast a shadow into the park. Perhaps they were speaking of a figurative shadow.

When I first moved here, I was excited about the direction downtown was going. The Embassy Suites and the Summit were being built with other projects on the horizon. Since then though, several nice restaurants and places to hang out have closed recently: Cafe Baba, House of Brews and Bruegger's (ok it isn't that nice, but it was great having a breakfast place downtown). A lot of the nice places downtown just don't seem to get much business despite the fact that they have 100X more characte and better service than the garbage along University. I have somewhat resigned myself to the fact that only a small percentage of people in Huntsville care at all about downtown and that bums me out. The only time they seem to care is when development is proposed, then of course they are vehemently against it because it would destroy the character of a place they never go to. Otherwise, they seem benevolent. Maybe things will start to change if they ever start building things at Constellation, or it could just kill everything east of the VBC.

[NicoleC]

Wow, I can't image a bigger turn-off than playing music over a PA system in the park non-stop. Shall we go with children's songs, hip-hop and rap, or what?

Whatever happened to a park being a place to relax with a tiny bit of nature in the city? If the noise of the birds offends you, there's always your iPod and headphones so you can drown them out for yourself.

[java85]

I have somewhat resigned myself to the fact that only a small percentage of people in Huntsville care at all about downtown and that bums me out. The only time they seem to care is when development is proposed, then of course they are vehemently against it because it would destroy the character of a place they never go to.

i have got to give props to that comment you just made! you couldn't have said it much better. it bothers me too that a small percentage of residents in the area wouldn't care so much about driving through downtown and spend time there when they can throw a huge fit over a so-called skyscraper being developed and changing the look of a city that would prosper growth. but i have read in the Times about residents who live in the five points area and especially in the twickenham district complaining about tall structures being built adjacent or three blocks from their neighborhoods. obviously, these can't be people around my age (early 20s) babbling about some monument overlooking their neighborhoods. if anything these are people probably too old who don't want to grow in with the trend that developers want to see happen in downtown.

i had a theory before i posted this comment that if the city had multistory residences when five points and twickenham were born it wouldn't be such a huge issue with the city limiting building structures to 10 stories. hell, atlanta was born into the south way after huntsville was born in the state in 1805 and had a few skyscrapers in the 1920s. a century and a half later look at how ginormous and prosperous atlanta has become! if this city ever continued going in the right direction with development, huntsville could've became another atlanta in another 20 years. but i guess that's looking less and less likely now if we keep the same people in office for another 20 years. i know another generation of leaders will change that and the residents will be a lot younger in age. so they will be the ones keeping an open-mind!

[deesonic]

Originally Posted by NicoleC

Wow, I can't image a bigger turn-off than playing music over a PA system in the park non-stop. Shall we go with children's songs, hip-hop and rap, or what?

Whatever happened to a park being a place to relax with a tiny bit of nature in the city? If the noise of the birds offends you, there's always your iPod and headphones so you can drown them out for yourself.

I would love to hear/see musicians and performers in the park. When I lived in Savannah GA I loved to just kick back and listen to a guitarist/singer, watch an artist work, or magician or whatever on River Street or in the squares. I'm not talking about loud obnoxious music (like my band...haha) or con artist types like you find in LA or New York. Arts and music could really add a lot of character to downtown Huntsville. We don't need Big Spring Jam or Panoply as an excuse for art or music to be downtown. I certainly don't want music piped in through loudspeakers like we're at the mall...ughh