What Retail Would You Bring to Huntsville? (Birmingham, Mobile: lease, tenant)

[tammie2]

Believe it or not, I truly understand your desire to sit on furniture that you plan to buy, I guess you have turned me off with your desire to make AL something that it is not and insult the residents in the process. It seems that you are not happy with where you are, why not move rather than try to change your environment.

I have always been for growth, but I am also for preserving local culture, even if I don't agree with it or like it. The people of an area are not there for my entertainment(shocking I know).

There is a lot more to an area than how much they are growing(I have seen you post in multiple AL forums with the same type of questions).

[DavidH74]

James Howard Kunstler dissects suburbia | Video on TED.com

This video was on a Nashville forum. It's alright, but worth watching. It touches on lots of good points about thoughtless growth.
The supposed convenience of plopping down "stuff" everywhere just to make a dollar really becomes an inconvenience and really hurts a city's character. As the video points out, people live in suburbs (at least, orginally) to get away from the grittiness of the city. Suburbs were the country. Now, we've just taken the city with us to the country and left the heart of our cities dead. It also states there are always reasons why the hearts of our cities are where they are. Anyway, I guess the overall point is if we yearn for every tract of open space to be tboughtlessy developed, as i mentioned many times earlier, we only get hurt in the process. One of AL's greatest gifts is its natural beauty. It's something we should protect and what sets us apart from others. Let's develop our heart and leave our country the country. If we want development, let's create an environment like Mountain Brook with strict zoning and beautification efforts -- something that takes generations to develop...and stop with the "plopping down of stuff" just for the sake of having stuff -- conveniences that quickly become UGLY inconveniences, things that defeat the purpose of leaving the heart of the city.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by KE111691

If this is case, why are we talking about bringing new reatil to Huntsville if people can just shop over the Internet?

I'll bet of a lot of old school retailers are asking that same question.

[A&M Bulldawg]

What about a Dave & Buster's?

[Bamachic80]

Question? I was driving on Old Madison Pike and was turning onto Governor's West. I noted that something else was going in over at Bridge Street, there on the corner. Another building addition of possible stores? Anyone know about this and what those could be?

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Bamachic80

Question? I was driving on Old Madison Pike and was turning onto Governor's West. I noted that something else was going in over at Bridge Street, there on the corner. Another building addition of possible stores? Anyone know about this and what those could be?

It is (the beginning of) phase II of Bridge Street. I think it is a sporting goods store. Sports Authority.

A little more here:

Huntsville Development News: Bridge Street developers talking about Phase III

[A&M Bulldawg]

I can we get a petition or some sort so we can actually bring these retail that we feel that Huntsville deserves? We need to stop dreaming and take actions for ourselves!

[wakeful dreamer]

You know, I think Huntsville has other, more pressing problems than not having the retail stores that KE likes.

1) Not enough playgrounds, parks, and green spaces.
2) Traffic.
3) The blight of empty retail space throughout the city. (Not just the malls, but everywhere.)
4) Lack of public transportation.
5) Lack of "walkable" areas.
6) More public health initiatives needed.
7) More beautification needed all over, not just downtown.

And that's just a quick list from my point of view. I know there are other things that could be added, and that many of these problems are improving at this moment. But not having a Dave & Buster's is hardly keeping me up at night.

[A&M Bulldawg]

Those things will be fortunately done in the future by officials. For the people on city-data who want to see more specific retail in Huntsville, we need to try to bring them here ourselves, if possible.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by wakeful dreamer

You know, I think Huntsville has other, more pressing problems than not having the retail stores that KE likes.

1) Not enough playgrounds, parks, and green spaces.
2) Traffic.
3) The blight of empty retail space throughout the city. (Not just the malls, but everywhere.)
4) Lack of public transportation.
5) Lack of "walkable" areas.
6) More public health initiatives needed.
7) More beautification needed all over, not just downtown.

And that's just a quick list from my point of view. I know there are other things that could be added, and that many of these problems are improving at this moment. But not having a Dave & Buster's is hardly keeping me up at night.

Totally agree on 1 and 7.
Maybe Agree on 5, would like to see more Providence Village type things for an evening destination for a light dinner or ice cream and people watching.
Not sure about 4.
I manage 6 myself.
Probably 3 but like I mentioned in http://www.city-data.com/forum/7902405-post68.html at least Bridge Street doesn't seem to be doing so bad.
Not sure 2 is that bad, maybe in some newer parts of town where there are subdivisions being served by 1920s era two lane farm roads.