Special Report: Huntsville, the next boomtown?
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and developers for '2020 At Providence' share strategies for this ever-growing city.
In recent years the Rocket City has seen an immense amount of growth with more jobs, more people, and more homes.
City officials and developers say they have a strategy up their sleeves to accommodate the population boom in Huntsville.
Largest City in Alabama Population: 215,000 plus
Huntsville is now the largest city in the state of Alabama with 215,000 residents and counting. Developers and city leaders said they’ve been very strategic with the city’s growth.
“As a city, part of our plan, part of our strategy was as we brought in business, as we brought in jobs and we would grow, we would grow our infrastructure at the same time that we would grow the jobs,” said City of Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle.
Village of Providence is part of that strategy.
“Providence is part of that strategy. Bridge Street is part of that strategy. We’ve added apartments and hotels and Bridge Street so we could have that urban city-style living,” said Battle.
“It’s an all-encompassing neighborhood that just over the last 15 plus years has just grown to be that destination that we want to create from day one,” said WSS Village of Providence Co-Developer David Slyman.
2020 At Providence Village of Providence Project
The developers' latest project: ‘2020 At Providence’.
“It will consist of 360 apartments with 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, and a 7-story parking deck as well,” said WSS Development Managing Partner Marc Weil.
Slyman also said Starbucks will be added to the mix-used site, The Cajun Steamer, and Oh Crêpe. Slyman says developers are also scoping out a possible Italian restaurant.
“We currently have leases signed on about 90 percent of the retail space,” added Weil.
Infrastructure Traffic, Roads, Parking
In addition to this project, developers say Village of Providence is a billion-dollar investment. Mayor Battle says the same amount, a billion dollars, is being spent on the infrastructure.
“Right now we’re in the process of building another $300 million dollars worth of roads. And over the next ten years, we have another $4 million worth of road plans on the books. So, when you look at it, over a ten-year period, we’re going to put a billion dollars worth of roads in Huntsville. And those roads are made to accommodate the growth. Those roads are made so that we can continue to grow,” said Battle.
With all of this space, questions about parking, and traffic naturally come up.
Developers for '2020 At Providence' say the 7-story parking deck will accommodate more than 700 vehicles for residential and retail.
“It will serve as both existing and future parking,” said Slyman.
Slyman also added Highway 72 to the north, and Old Capshaw and the Old Monrovia area on the south is a few of the ways to get in and out of this area. But Slyman said more areas are in the works.
“There will be another connection going out further to the West of the City of Huntsville plans that basically goes out towards the Jeff Bird Road. There’s really multiple entrances and exits in the Village that are both there now and or planned for the future,” said Slyman.
By mid-2023, '2020 At Providence' will be completed.