DECATUR, Ala. — We have been getting a sneak peek into all the exciting things coming here to the Tennessee Valley and Decatur residents have a lot to look forward to as we continue into 2023.
The "Steamboat Bill" Memorial Bridge acts as one of the gateways to the town of 57,804, but according to Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling, the city will be making a new connection. "If you're heading north out of Decatur and go toward Huntsville, all that area, once you get across the river, until you get to the 65 bridge that is the city of Decatur," Mayor Bowling shares. "That's 2500 acres where we have a new overpass being built that should be completed next month."
Huntsville was voted the best place to live in 2022, and Mayor Bowling shares that that announcement made for noticeable growth. "These are fun times in Decatur," Bowling says. "Our revenues continue to grow and with that, we're able to do more paving and do more quality-of-life investments for our residents and take care of the infrastructure needs related to this type of growth."
The year 2022 also saw the largest announcement in space exploration in Decatur. "United Launch Alliance (ULA) received from Amazon to build 48 rockets here indicator that created a $300 million expansion at United Launch Alliance," Bowling shares.
Construction on the new Fairfield Inn and Townhome development also began. "We've got a lot of things happening downtown as far as growth is concerned," Bowling shares. "With a new hotel, a parking deck, dormitories for the Alabama Center for the Arts and so just those items downtown is a $70 million investment. Magee Square, and that's an 18-unit townhome development in the Bank Street area and very nice high end."
If you're a Decatur resident who enjoys spending time outside, 2023 will bring more recreational activities to the area. "We were fortunate to have a settlement with 3M and that had been going on for years," Bowling shares. "We're working right now on the design phase of a new rec center that will go at Wilson Morgan Park, also the whole park will be renovated. In addition to that, we have eight new ball fields to build, so we'll have a new sports complex that is near Austin High School, and that will be a significant investment in our city."
To learn more about what's coming to the city, check out the City of Decatur website.