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Old 04-05-2008, 08:56 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,440,962 times
Reputation: 17827

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We've read the Terms of Service and understand the need to perform research prior to posting. We have and still are. (Online newspapers, internet, we have a couple friends in HSV too, etc.) City-Data is another complementary tool.

We've reviewed the Subdivision Guide (broken link) and Official Subdivision Guide - Huntsville / Madison County Builders Association

We're familiar with ValleyMLS.com, great tool for fine tuning searches.

A little bit about us: Married, four girls under nine, considering moving to the Huntsville region this summer (career opportunities). Currently living between Colorado Springs and Denver (great place - gorgeous - will hate to leave); both of us originally from Thousand Oaks, CA (also great place) near Los Angeles.
I've been to HSV about seven or eight times on business mostly around Madison/Research Park. My wife needs to get out there. We've researched (internet) the schools and realize there are many choices and many neighborhoods.
Hampton Cove seems like a potential fit for us as we are looking for suburban living, lots of kids in the neighborhood, kid type amenities. We've also looked (internet) at Clift's Cove and a little around Madison. We plan on making a boots on the ground trip in the next month. We do have a very knowledgeable friend who lives near Hampton Cove who is a good source of info too. We noticed several other "Cove" named neighborhoods west and south of Hampton Cove; some of them don't seem to be up and running yet - a little concerned about lack of kid density.

If we were to spit out a target it would be something like 5+ BR, 1/2 acre lot (no bigger), price range $600K - $800K, lots of kids in the neighborhood so presumably construction range less than 10 years old. We don't want to be so far out that a trip to the grocery store/YMCA/restaurants/retail is more than 10-20 minutes. Hampton Cove seems borderline on this as much of the shopping (seems?) to be on the west side of the Cecil Ashburn Drive.

The focus of this thread What we're looking are responses that something like "They're going to build..." or "They're building..."; Where and when might the following being built:
New Hospital(s)
New Medical Facilities (Doctor's medical office buildings)
New High Schools (and middle and elementary if possible, figuring HS plans would be more well known/rumored - specifically to relieve the burden on HHS and VGHS;; For example, the kids from Hampton Cove attend distant HHS rather than the closer VGHS.)
Shopping Centers/Malls (for example, The Bridges would have come up had we asked this a year ago)
Libraries
Parks (I guess large parks...smaller parks are sort of everywhere within new subdivisions)
Hotels/Hotel Centers (I think there's going to be a new Hampton in Hampton Cove...and it would probably anchor restaurants and retail...any knowledge of this????)
Business Centers (Larger office parks for example)
Amusement parks
Aquatics facitilies (whether large or small, competitive or fun water slide type places)
Expectations of significant road construction. (This is a big one.)
What is going to happen at Sutton and 431? We see a Wal Mart and Lowes, that's great. Big anchors. What else? Is it under development? Construction? Google Earth and Live Local Search data are a little old.

Here are some examples of what we've already found:

'Lifestyle center' still in works- al.com
New I-65 interchange near Tanner in works- al.com
Hampton Inn hotel ahead for Cove area- al.com


We expect to post often and create new threads with more questions.
Thanks

Last edited by Charles; 04-05-2008 at 09:43 AM..
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Old 04-05-2008, 09:18 AM
 
Location: Huntsville, AL
2,221 posts, read 2,917,699 times
Reputation: 488
Welcome, I think your wife will like it here once she is able to see it. It really is a great place to raise a family. Ok I will put up here as much as I know of about new things going on around here:

Hospitals - Hsv Hospital just got the approval to start on a new hospital in Madison. It will be a 60 bed facility in between Wall Triana and Balch Rd on Hwy 72.

YMCA - I thought I heard one going up on Hughes Rd in Madison, I will have to double check to be sure.

Hotels - Yes Hampton Cove is going to get its first hotel. There are supposed to be more going up as well near Clinton and the Parkway to accomodate more conventions at the Von Braun Center.

Road improvments - They are talking about a lot of improvments all over Madison County. But them saying it is going to happen and it becoming a reality takes a lot of time.

Water park - Point Mallard in Decatur has a water park there. Not a far drive at all from Madison.

The Hampton Cove area is getting more and more stores and yes there are a lot more options just over the mountain ( Cecil Ashburn ) in Jones Valley. It is not far at all from Hampton Cove to Jones Valley.

This is what I know of off the top of my head. Let me know if you have anymore questions.
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Old 04-05-2008, 09:46 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,440,962 times
Reputation: 17827
Quote:
Originally Posted by HsvMike View Post
Hospitals - Hsv Hospital just got the approval to start on a new hospital in Madison. It will be a 60 bed facility in between Wall Triana and Balch Rd on Hwy 72.

YMCA - I thought I heard one going up on Hughes Rd in Madison, I will have to double check to be sure.
This is what we're looking for. Thank You.

Do you think Madison is more poised or has more potential for growth than does the SE Huntsville area?

What is the culture of the planning organizations in Madison? Development? Same question for SE Huntsville
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Old 04-05-2008, 10:16 AM
 
Location: Huntsville, AL
1,618 posts, read 4,766,096 times
Reputation: 1517
What I know in relation to the Southeast HSV/Hampton Cove area:

- There is a Huntsville Hospital wellness center going in at the corner of Taylor Road & Sutton. They have the lot graded and have started laying asphalt. What services will be there exactly is not clear, but it will probably include a fitness center (with playcare).

- I don't know of anything else major but I see many small businesses and restaurants poised to open soon. Large lots are for sale, zoned for commercial development.

- A new elementary and/or middle school will be going at the end of Taylor Road. If you move into Hampton Cove itself, this wouldn't be your school, but it will dramatically help the overcrowding problem at HCE.

- Kids in the HC area are zoned for HSV High instead of Grissom because of logistics. Look at this map and you can see why it's not practical to have HC kids go to Grissom - http://www.hsv.k12.al.us/dept/merts/...S_Zone_Map.pdf - kids near HSV High to the north have other schools they can attend to the north, whereas anyone who lives south of Grissom MUST go to Grissom. HSV High is not that far though taking Governer's Drive, and bus service is provided. And, I will be surprised if by the time my kids will be entering high school (nearly 10 years from now) if there isn't another high school in South HSV (either in South HSV so that HC kids get rezoned for Grissom, or a new high school in HC area itself.)

Quote:
Do you think Madison is more poised or has more potential for growth than does the SE Huntsville area?
My guess? Madison is more poised for growth. With CRP right there, and it seems to be the natural community for CRP employees to gravitate towards.

I know nothing of the culture of the planning organizations, but just by observing the infrastructure I'm more impressed with Huntsville. HSV is updating traffic signals, expanding roads *before* it's strictly necessary, etc. While Madison roads, IMO, are a headache to navigate and I see no immediately evident signs of improvement.

But, as I'm sure you both have figured out by now, I have my bias in favor of HSV.
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Old 04-05-2008, 10:31 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,440,962 times
Reputation: 17827
Quote:
Originally Posted by zenjenn View Post

But, as I'm sure you both have figured out by now, I have my bias in favor of HSV.
Great. Thank You for the reply. We take your comments very seriously.

We are hammering the internet really hard right now and are putting together a trip out there. Got to find people here to watch our two oldest for a couple days. Most likely fly in Sun 5/18 to Nashville (SWA is really cheap to there from DEN) and Michele will probably fly home T or W. I'll be working at Wynn drive that week.

If we do this (and it is starting to look pretty good) we have a lot to do: sell our home, buy a home, start a new job, get our home fixed up for sale, ....big jobs.
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Old 04-05-2008, 11:18 AM
 
Location: Huntsville, AL
2,221 posts, read 2,917,699 times
Reputation: 488
Madison is a great location being close to the Arsenal and Research Park. The infrastructure does need work, a lot of 2 - lane roads. But they have added a turning lane on Sullivan ( Wall Triana ) to make the traffic flow a little better.

Really SE Hsv ( including HC ) and the Madison area are the two most popular areas around here. You really can't go wrong with either. Madison might have a little more to offer you in regards to proximity to shopping and restaurants. But definitely check out both areas because they are distinctly different.

Both Hsv and Madison are family friendly. A lot of the improvements and projects back it up. The chamber of commerce is doing a great job of selling companies on the area, and not just defense related.
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Old 04-05-2008, 12:58 PM
 
142 posts, read 672,330 times
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Don't forget the Harvest-Monrovia area. Many new homes.

Very close to Village of Providence and US-72\University Blvd shopping. Harvest Square is under construction at the intersection of Hwy 53 and Jeff Road.
http://www.aronov.com/harvestSquare/index.html

It's easy to get around the area. Your personal view of traffic will depend on where you've come from. Getting from south Harvest or Monrovia to the airport or to Huntsville Hospital or to Palmer Park (Madison) or to Merrimack Park (Huntsville) or to the arsenal can all be done in less than 30 minutes.

Madison City schools and Grissom (Hsv City) seem to get all the talk, but don't forget about Madison County Schools. National rankings and scores do not always give the full picture. There are pros and cons at most schools that are not always evident. This is the first year for Legacy Elementary. Opening that school almost halved the students at Monrovia Elementary. And Monrovia Elem just completed a new playground installation.

Document on the Madison County School System
http://www.madison.k12.al.us/BRAC/welcome.htm

We moved from out of state 2 years ago, and have been pleased with the elementary and middle schools feeding into Sparkman High. Combined, Sparkman High and the Sparkman 9th Grade School have about 2,200 students. This is the second year the 9th Grade School has been open.
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Old 04-05-2008, 01:21 PM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,338 posts, read 93,440,962 times
Reputation: 17827
Quote:
Originally Posted by HsvMike View Post
... But definitely check out both areas because they are distinctly different.
Could you (and others) please elaborate? How are they different?

Is Hampton Cove the biggest master planned development in the Huntsville region (including Madison)? What are HC's biggest competitors?

My most common experience in the Madison area is driving from the Homewood Suites at Providence Point west on 72, south on Slaughter, west on Madison Pike to the Dublin Park pool. There I'd do swim workouts along side the BJHS swim team. Fine group of students and swimmers they seemed.

I did a quick drive up a road in Clift's Cove I think...it was a while ago and I think it was Clift's cove. There were nice homes there and on some parts of Slaughter, maybe to the west.
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Old 04-05-2008, 01:42 PM
 
Location: Alabama
280 posts, read 683,822 times
Reputation: 76
Default Hampton Cove and Madison

Hi Charles and family:
I recently moved to Harvest (about 1 minute from Madison) from Hampton Cove. I had been in HC for a little over 4 years and miss it A LOT! It was very convenient as everything I needed on a daily basis was within a minutes drive. Seriously between the Wal-Mart, Publix, dry cleaner, oil change, HC Elementary, etc... I rarely had to go over the mountain. However, should I want to do some serious shopping the Target Plaza in Jones Valley was about a 5-7 minute drive, Parkway Place Mall about 10 minutes and a great variety of restaurants in the same area. I can't say enough about HCE, LOVED it! My children are now in a county school, not Madison city. I can tell you that in the past couple of years I sold many homes in Madison to people relocating from out of state. They did not even want to look anywhere else because they were convinced Madison city schools were the best.
HC still has a lot of building going on. New construction is everywhere you turn. Madison you will find more existing homes for sale. I also am NOT A FAN of the traffic issues in Madison.
My vote at this point would be for the HC area!
Best of luck,
Melanie
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Old 04-05-2008, 01:52 PM
 
Location: Huntsville, AL
2,221 posts, read 2,917,699 times
Reputation: 488
Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles View Post
Could you (and others) please elaborate? How are they different?
The Madison area has more of a suburban feel. Pretty flat but convenient to just about everything. Hampton Cove is a little farther out in the sense that you do have to commute over the mountain ( it's not far though ) to get to everything in Hsv. In the Hampton Cove area, it kind of gives me the feeling of being a little more secluded. I don't live there but have been over there many times.

Quote:
Is Hampton Cove the biggest master planned development in the Huntsville region (including Madison)? What are HC's biggest competitors?
As far as the whole Hampton Cove area, yes I don't think anything can touch it around here. As far as competition for the luxury homes in HC, you have Clift's Cove in Madison, The Ledges in Jones Valley, and Lake Forest off of Zierdt Rd. ( it is considered Hsv but very close to Madison ) There are more but those are some of the bigger name ones.
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