HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A new $110 million mixed-use development is slated for Huntsville’s Mid City District, the developer announced Friday.
Anthem House, a mix of apartments, office space and retail, is added to the University Drive project that is already home to Trader Joe’s, Topgolf, a chain of restaurants and the Orion Amphitheater, according to Mid City developer RCP Companies.
Named after Mid City’s musical theme, Anthem House includes 330 apartment units, 35,000 square feet of “creative office space,” and 32,000 square feet of street-level retail. Anthem House will offer a “residential-meets-hospitality housing solution” with furnished units, shorter lease contracts and hotel-like surroundings and amenities.
Most of the major aerospace companies have a presence in Huntsville, which is home to regional employers including U.S. Army post Redstone Arsenal and Cummings Research Park. Additionally, the city offers twice the amount of government jobs per capita than any other city in the country. Huntsville’s workforce demographics feature many remote and contract workers who greatly prefer the multifamily-hospitality niche for their housing.
City Council Bill Kling says that the new developments are a good opportunity for a growing city.
" I think the idea of having more of these types of developments are good because they provide a additional housing opportunity right now I think with a growth at Huntsville has unfortunately we’re behind on the amount of housing that we need at this point" Kling says. "There’s been a lot of activity. New construction has taken place. People have been taking old areas, neglected land and now all of a sudden it’s being turned into a very desirable housing."
Housing projects like the Anthem House, have been created to address the city's need of housing due to the cities growth, but most of these developments aren’t budget friendly but according to Kling, there have been talk on addressing the issue.
"Well, affordable housing is something that we’ve been hearing from a lot in the public and what I heard a lot during the summer when I was out campaigning." Kling says. Last night at my monthly town meeting, I had the Director of the City Community Development department to come speak, and he was telling us about the plans and efforts that are taking place. Part of it is going to be private, part of it is responsibility of the government, but there seems to be an acknowledgment, and I think activities that’s taking place to deal with the needed affordable housing out here in the community.
With this new project and more to come, over the next five years, private investment in Mid City is expected to exceed $1.5 billion which is why Kling says the city is attractive.
"Just the idea that people are coming, they’re looking at the inner part of the city of Huntsville and they’re saying this is a great place to live" Kling says. That compares with Birmingham mobile Montgomery were people literally are fleeing inner part of the city to move out to the suburbs.