How's Huntsville Park looking these days? (Madison, Five Points: for sale by owner, crime, houses)

[JacketsFanHSV]

It's been over a year since the "bad areas in HSV*" thread was last updated, and I was wondering: how are the revitalization efforts coming along? Has the area gotten better or worse? There are several affordable homes and duplexes in the area, and as a single male I'm more worried about property values and property crime than a strictly family-friendly environment. What is on the horizon for this area?

http://www.city-data.com/forum/hunts...areas-hsv.html

[friday13]

Originally Posted by JacketsFanHSV

It's been over a year since the "bad areas in HSV*" thread was last updated, and I was wondering: how are the revitalization efforts coming along? Has the area gotten better or worse? There are several affordable homes and duplexes in the area, and as a single male I'm more worried about property values and property crime than a strictly family-friendly environment. What is on the horizon for this area?

http://www.city-data.com/forum/hunts...areas-hsv.html

Indeed alot has happened in the last year. Let me bring you up to speed:

The owner of the Paradise Apts. in Madison (the City got the complex from HUD for $1) is looking for a "suitor". Sale price a meager $1 - caveat: needs a 1 cool mil revitalization.
paradise apts News, Images, Videos, Classifieds & More - al.com

The Hsv Housing Authority has taken upon itself to spread the "wealth" throughout the City, with a propensity toward Hsv south
housing authority huntsville News, Images, Videos, Classifieds & More - al.com

As a result, the local residents are up in arms with the Authority, while South Hsv is rapidly going downhill crime-wise. Search for poster's Macwell updates on the Concerned Citizens Assn. regarding the matter.

As for the rest, watch the Police Blotter on al.com.

[deesonic]

I think the original poster was asking about the Merrimack Mill area (formerly known as Huntsville Park). I live near there and it is doing quite well these days. The area received the coveted "historic" designation a few months back and homes are being restored and renovated all over. It's really been great to see a blighted older area turn the corner. There's still some pockets of bad spots in there, but for the most part a nice area. Just a few weeks ago my wife mentioned she'd like to buy a home in that area.

[clamoore]

Dee, we would love to have you as neighbors. The neighborhood is proceeding nicely. We have a good bit of interest in the neighborhood, from the press and the City Government. Merrimack Hall recently staged a play based upon life in the Village in the past. Several homes are being renovated and several homes have been purchased by young couples and families. We had our first Neighborhood Block Party and we had a good turnout. We have an active Neighborhood Association, meetings held at the Huntsville Park Baptist Church the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. We hold regular neighborhood cleanup events that have great participation. We still have our challenges with absentee landlords and associated problems. We are making great strides every year. My family has been here for about a year and a half. We are actively restoring a converted duplex and hope to build a garage soon. We moved here from the Five Points Historic District and plan to stay for a long time. I encourage you to PM me if you are interested in some more details. Thanks for the interest. This would be a great opportunity for you, if you are interested in older homes and hard work.

[JacketsFanHSV]

Thanks for the information, deesonic and clamoore. That was the more optimistic than I was expecting. Good to hear about the cleanups and block parties, sounds like there's active participation in the neighborhood rather than just a neighborhood watch.

And I guess I'll stay away from the tire swing at Dublin Park in the future.

[clamoore]

JacketsFan and Dee, a house just went up for sale in the Neighborhood. It is for sale by owner. The sign directs people to go to sharpsales.com. Go to the Buy a Home page and enter ALA2J as the code. This is a good example of a renovated home. Many others are waiting to reach this condition with a lot of hard work. Also, these houses will come quite a bit cheaper than the one listed. The listed house is just one block away from Merrimack Hall, which has a lot of great events happening.