A thread for projects and construction in Mobile, Alabama's port city.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/RSA_TOWERwb.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/RSAtower.jpg


under construction

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Construction1.jpg

Rendering of Mobile's future waterfront (2006), including the cruise terminal, maritime center, and RSA Battle House Tower:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/waterfront-masterplan.jpg

Aerial rendering of Mobile Landing:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/mlaerial.jpg


Cruise terminal, to be completed by September 30, 2004...

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/610/3034arehcrppromenadeview.jpg


Maritime Center (museum/visitors' center/ferry terminal) [2006] ...

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Night-Shot-Maritime-RSATower.jpg


For details see www.mobilelanding.com

Click here www.sarpc.org/framelink-ferry.htm for information about passenger ferry service and Bus Rapid Transit.

Models of downtown federal courthouse (2007)

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/MCHmodel1.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/MCHmodel2.jpg


Renderings:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/mch05.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/mch04.jpg


from www.msafdie.com

Rendering of downtown park to commemorate the origin of the Mardis Gras celebration in Mobile.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/mardi_gras_park.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/WaterStLanding_1.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/WaterStLanding_2.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/WaterStLanding_3.jpg

artwork by Watermark Design Group of Mobile

Keep going with the updates it all looks awesome, I think Mobile is about to land soon.

i was there in janurary and the rsa site,at the time, was just one big pile of dirt with a buch of dump trucks roaming around. mobile has got a bright future.

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/610/3034rsa_towerwb.jpg

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/610/2127rsatower.jpg

under construction

Mobile looks like it's booming! What does "RSA" in the RSA Battle House stand for, and what type of company is it?

Retirement Systems of Alabama

http://www.rsa.state.al.us/what's_new.htm

That sure is a nice building, lol, ur cheating with the elongated spire thingy tho lol.

Retirement Systems of Alabama

http://www.rsa.state.al.us/what's_new.htm

Thanks BamaScuba! Did you register just to answer that question?

Nah, I registered because of all of the talk about Mobile & the tower Ihave been reading. Also I happen to be working for a firm with architects tied to that project (& others). Maybe I will be able to provide the forum with some good images or insights in the future :)

Nah, I registered because of all of the talk about Mobile & the tower Ihave been reading. Also I happen to be working for a firm with architects tied to that project (& others). Maybe I will be able to provide the forum with some good images or insights in the future :)

It's always good to have more Southeasterners on the forum! Welcome.

Picture of the Tower as of yesterday.............


http://www.rsa.state.al.us/mobilecam/MOB_WebCam_050114_124808.jpg

RSA Tower Construction Camera (http://www.rsa.state.al.us/MobileTower.html)

Crowning achievement
Sunday, February 20, 2005
By KATHY JUMPER
Mobile Register

The 28-story Riverview Plaza Hotel will get a $32 million facelift including a new, distinctive metal top to match its sister, the Battle House hotel and adjacent 35-story office tower, according to David Bronner, chief of the Retirement Systems of Alabama.

"From I-10 it will look like the Renaissance complex," Bronner said. "I want the Riverview to look the same as the big guy, only a little smaller."

RSA paid $11.8 million for the Riverview at 64 S. Water St. last July and has signed with Marriott Corp. to put its four-star Renaissance brand on both that hotel and the 250-room Battle House.

The Riverview renovations will begin in late March and should be done by late 2006, according to Ron Blount, RSA's project director for the hotel renovations. The Battle House is expected to open in March 2006.

RSA originally had planned to invest almost $19 million to renovate the 377-room Riverview, but the project now includes a major redo of the exterior including a metal top, or crown, and a new, canopied main entrance or motor court on Royal Street. The glass exterior of the building will be recaulked to prevent water leaks.

RSA also plans to gut every guest room and bath.

"We didn't want people to say they stayed at the Battle House, even though it was more expensive, because (the Riverview) was a dump," Bronner said. "We want it to be a nice, presentable, classy place. If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it right."

The total budget for the Riverview project, including the purchase of the hotel, was $45 million, according to Bronner.

TAG Architects in Mobile was hired by RSA to design the new top for the Riverview. "The intent is to give the building a new image," said Robert Krchak, a partner at TAG. "We're trying to make it complimentary to the RSA tower without copying it."

TAG will also design the modernization of the elevators, which are more than 20 years old, according to Blount, and the new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. RSA plans to seek bids from contractors to build the motor court and renovate the guest rooms and public spaces such as the ballrooms, restaurant and bar, according to Blount. A second local architectural firm will be hired to design some of the interior work, he said.

"We're going to spend a tremen dous amount of money on the sleeping rooms," Blount said. "We're going to gut them, and we're going to make the bathrooms larger and put in all new energy efficient fixtures, new tile and new vanities. In the rooms we'll put in new carpet, furnishings, drapes and wall coverings."

The hotel will remain open while the work is being done, and the staff will try to minimize any effect it will have on guests, according to Jeff Mayers, general manager of the Riverview. "The last thing you want to do is create customer service issues. We want to take good care of our guests."

The interior renovations will include adding a concierge's floor to provide breakfast and other guest services, according to Mayers. There will also be an upscale president's suite and governor's suite. The outdoor plaza will be redone to make it more functional for events.

Mayers is employed by RSA-affiliate Point Clear Hotels & Resorts, which operates the hotel.

While the Riverview and the Battle House will both have Renaissance flags, the Battle House is expected to command higher room rates, in part because of amenities such as a spa and its larger rooms and baths, according to Bronner. "This allows both convention hotels to have two price breaks for the same product."

In the downtown business area, the daily lease rates are in the $80s to low $90s, according to the Mobile Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The Riverview has always been dubbed a convention hotel by the hotel industry because it has a covered walkway across Water Street which connects it to the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center.

Renovating the Riverview and the addition of the Battle House Hotel will help bring more conventions to Mobile, said Kashi Misra, manager of the Radisson Admiral Semmes Hotel on Government Street.

"Now you like to come downtown, but in a few years, you're going to love to come downtown," Misra said. "We will have some quality goods."

Misra said the owners of the 170-room hotel budgeted $6 million for renovations that started in 2001 and will be complete this fall. The rooms, restaurant, lounge and public areas will have all been updated, he said.

The Radisson owners intend to build as many as 200 additional rooms in the future on land behind the hotel they plan to buy from Mobile County.

RSA will continue to study potential investment projects in Mobile, according to Bronner.

" I see a tremendous potential" in Mobile, Bronner said. "And I see a group, whether it's the city council or county commissioners, and a mayor, that understands that pieces to a puzzle come one at a time. When you put it together, you then have the ability to enhance that by getting other parties interested. When that happens, you have a successful program."

RSA also financed the $20 million Alabama Cruise Terminal at Mobile Landing, which is the current home port for Carnival Cruise Lines' Holiday. Alabama Real Estate Holdings, another RSA affiliate, owns and operates the terminal.

Bienville Square downtown is the next thing Bronner would like to see the city redo.

"If you can revitalize it, and especially if you get lucky and bring more (cruise) ships in, it could be as neat as New Orleans," he said. "The whole area would be dynamite."


[Roughly top center in the Mobile Landing aerial rendering, this hotel is the building at the left end of the pedestrian walkway that crosses over the highway near the river. The big white building on the river, to the right of the walkway, is the convention center.]

Does anyone have pictures of the proposed I-10 suspension bridge?

Does anyone have pictures of the proposed I-10 suspension bridge?
Here's an old one, with an obsolete rendering of the cruise terminal.

I hope that this thing gets moved further down the river -- it'd be a shame to drop this monster right on top of all the nice new developments on the waterfront.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Waterfront-bridge.jpg

MOBILE IS LOOKING HOT

The latest from that webcam, very cool:

http://www.rsa.state.al.us/mobilecam/MOB_WebCam_050313_154808.jpg

In addition to the waterfront condos (200 units) pictured earlier in this thread, below are a few downtown residential projects in the works or recently completed. There are some more that I don't have pictures of yet.

Old Dauphin St mattress factory conversion to 24 condos:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/412dauphin_old.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/412Dauphin2.jpg

Small Dauphin St residential conversion (5 condos):
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/TheWarehouse.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/thewarehouse2.jpg

Former Convent of Mercy, now St. Francis Place condos (completed):
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/753st_francis_st.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/753st_francis_st2.jpgThe convent is on the National Register of Historic Places.

wow. it is coming along fast now. very nice addition to the skyline.

www.al.com/business/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/business/111372958141992.xml (http://www.al.com/business/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/business/111372958141992.xml)



Here's an excerpt from an article in the Mobile Register about Mobile's emerging cruise industry. Click on the link above to read the entire article.





Six months ago, Carnival Cruise Lines' 46,000-ton Holiday sailed out of its Mobile home port for the first time -- sparking hopes of increased tourism and a shot in the arm for downtown.

While the city is still a rookie in the cruise business, local officials say they believe the ship has been successful enough to make it a question of when -- not if -- another cruise ship will make its home port in Mobile.

City leaders, who spent more than two years working to lure Carnival, never stopped the cruise industry recruitment effort. Recently, representatives from Carnival's rival, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., came to Mo bile and met with Mayor Mike Dow and Gov. Bob Riley, said Al Stokes, Dow's chief of staff. They were shown the city's new $20 million Alabama Cruise Terminal and told of the investments made in infrastructure and marketing.

"There's no question in my mind that we're going to get a second ship," Dow said Friday, reiterating a favorite refrain. "It's just a matter of time."

But Dow was tightlipped on details of recruiting efforts, saying, "I have no comments to make about anybody's visit down here; none."

Dow said cruise industry executives don't like publicity before a decision is final. When asked specifically about a Riley visit, he said, "The governor responds to everything we ask him to come to.

"That's good news," Dow con tinued, "because some of the cruise executives have indicated that they never had governors meet with them and talk with them."

Leon Maisel, president of the Mobile Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau, said Friday that just about all of Carnival's major competitors have an eye on Mobile.

"We're no longer the hunter, we're the hunted," he said.

Mike Lee, who was on the task force that worked to land Carnival, said, "The handwriting's on the wall that there's more coming." Lee's company, Page & Jones, is Carnival's local ship agent.

The RSA tower is going to make a lot of jaws drop :okay: Never been to Mobile, but from what I've seen in the photos the place looks very nice and inviting. Can't wait to see how the skyline will look once the new projects get finished.

No more RSA progress?

I actually saw the mythical RSA Tower 2 weeks ago in Mobile, isn't that something.

RSA Tower construction update:

http://www.rsa.state.al.us/MobileTower.html

I am appalled by the warehouse conversion, i think the whole design is just god awful. It just looks like a suburban developer's attempt to build a condo in downtown. A huge gated parking lot for only 5 condos, only about 40 percent of the property was developed. There is no need for an F'ing parking lot, there is plenty of street parking. Argh!! The ground level condo is just ridiculous, it should be a storefront. Argh.... oh well, at least they had good intentions.

Now the matress factory conversion is much better, even though I think the design is just a little subpar, but overall much better than the warehouse.

I am appalled by the warehouse conversion, i think the whole design is just god awful. It just looks like a suburban developer's attempt to build a condo in downtown. A huge gated parking lot for only 5 condos, only about 40 percent of the property was developed. There is no need for an F'ing parking lot, there is plenty of street parking. Argh!! The ground level condo is just ridiculous, it should be a storefront. Argh.... oh well, at least they had good intentions.

Now the matress factory conversion is much better, even though I think the design is just a little subpar, but overall much better than the warehouse.

You're right, there shouldn't be any surface parking lots fronting Dauphin St. at all.

I liked the original mattress factory conversion plan better -- it included retail on the ground level. I don't know what happened there.

The last thing Mobile needs is suburban developers bungling downtown redevelopment.

You're right, there shouldn't be any surface parking lots fronting Dauphin St. at all.

I liked the original mattress factory conversion plan better -- it included retail on the ground level. I don't know what happened there.

The last thing Mobile needs is suburban developers bungling downtown redevelopment.

What part of Mobile do you live?

What part of Mobile do you live?


Actually, I don't. I plan to move to Mobile within a couple of years, but now I'm just a frequent visitor.

Actually, I don't. I plan to move to Mobile within a couple of years, but now I'm just a frequent visitor.

Where do you live now?

I live in Montgomery right now.

The building is moving faster on here than what I see with my own eyes when I pass by it everyday!

Anyway, as of today..........

http://www.rsa.state.al.us/mobilecam/MOB_WebCam_050613_064808.jpg

What floor is it up to now?

Port City gets wings

Mobile has today been awarded a $600 million aircraft engineering facility that could employ up to 1,150.

This is HUGE news for Mobile. It has been many years since Mobile has had any industrial growth, or growth of any sort for that matter.

The parent company of European aircraft maker Airbus, seeking to better compete with Boeing for a lucrative Air Force contract to build military refueling tankers, announced Wednesday it has selected Mobile, Ala., over three other Southern sites for a $600 million factory.

Ralph D. Crosby, chairman and CEO of EADS North America, said Mobile was chosen because it is "strategically located" on the Gulf of Mexico, and offers a skilled work force, airport runways and a deep-water port. Brookley Industrial Complex provides 4.5 million square feet of industrial space, and includes access to the Mobile downtown airport.

An Airbus engineering center will be built nearby and is expected to open in 2006, the company said. If it wins the tanker contract, the first plane could be delivered in 2008 or 2009, with a maximum annual capacity of 20 aircraft.

Although the true future of the facility depends on landing the contract, Crosby said — win or lose — opening the factory in Alabama is consistent with the company's strategic plans to broaden its American influence.

"Let's be clear, there is no conditionality with the establishment of this engineering site," he said.

Read the entire article http://www.al.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/business-1/111945295973260.xml&storylist=alabamanews]Here on al.com

As a South Carolinian, I'm disappointed that Charleston didn't land the plant, but I'm happy for Mobile. I'm glad that the area is getting some industrial growth.

The RSA tower will be an incredible addition to Mobile's skyline. I hope the flooding in downtown Mobile isn't too bad from Hurricane Dennis.

The RSA tower will be an incredible addition to Mobile's skyline. I hope the flooding in downtown Mobile isn't too bad from Hurricane Dennis.

nah. the Hurricane didn't do much in Mobile. lucky us. the RSA tower now has 31 floors and counting. its taller than the Amsouth Bank(white buliding) now.

Mobile is doing it big now! :applause: :master:

check this site out.

http://www.mobilelanding.com/index.htm

The federal government is buying land for the new downtown courhouse. Officials now say it may begin construction in 2007 and open in 2010.

From the Mobile Register:

Feds use eminent domain to buy land for courthouse
Saturday, July 23, 2005
By BRENDAN KIRBY
Staff Reporter

Government lawyers this week filed a second "eminent domain" action in their attempt to acquire a parking lot on the corner of St. Louis and Conception streets.

The parking lot is part of a 4-acre site they say is needed to build a new federal courthouse across the street from the present federal court building. The General Services Administration has been negotiating with property owners in the two-block area between Joachim and St. Joseph streets....

In Mobile, the General Services Administration proposed a 325,452-square-foot courthouse with 50 inside parking spaces. The existing John A. Campbell Courthouse lacks space for expansion, and officials have said security there is inadequate. Officials also have said the new courthouse will be large enough to house agencies, like the U.S. attorney's office, that now rent office space elsewhere.

Construction of the courthouse was approved four years ago at a cost of more than $91 million, but courthouse projects across the country have been stalled as the government has increased spending on the war in Iraq and homeland security.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Bert Milling Jr., the local point man on the project, said Friday that officials hope to get funding in the fiscal year 2006 budget. That would allow construction to begin in early 2007, with the courthouse open for business by 2010.

"It's an appropriations issue," he said.

Full article here:
http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1122110133178390.xml&coll=3

Waterfront condo development, depicted on page 1 of this thread, moves ahead with land purchase agreement.

From the Mobile Register:


Developer to buy land for condos
Proposed $60 million development at base of Government Street will be called Water Street Landing
Saturday, July 23, 2005
By ANDREA JAMES
Business Reporter

Real estate developer Oliver and Associates announced Friday that it has an agreement to purchase 1.6-acres of property from CSX railroad for $1.8 million, completing a crucial step in an effort to put three condominium towers on Mobile's downtown riverfront.

The $60 million development at the base of Government Street will be called Water Street Landing and include a terrace full of shops, cafes and restaurants, plus an Amtrak train station called The Depot, according to Andrew Oliver, president of Oliver and Associates....

The towers may be as high as 21 stories each and together will hold 239 residential units, Oliver said....

The price tag announced Friday is $15 million higher than estimates presented in December 2004, when Oliver first described the complex. The increase reflects additional parking and retail spaces, extra penthouse units and refine ments in the finishes, Dealy said....

Mobile Mayor Mike Dow said the next step will be for Oliver's team to present the city with a list of development requirements, such as utility services and a pedestrian walkway.

"These are quality investors, and they have plans for other large investments in the city," Dow said. "We are going to work very hard to make this first investment work."

....Oliver said the company is taking an "aggressive approach" to completing the project and hopes to start demolition on the CSX Transportation building by Dec. 1.

Floor plans for the condo units will be revealed in late August, Dealy said. A sales team comprising Johnny Roberts and Chris King from Roberts Brothers, based in Mobile, and Paige Thatcher from REMAX by the Bay on the Eastern Shore, will be in charge of marketing the units.

Although a news release Friday priced the units at $200,000 to $600,000, Oliver said pricing has not been finalized.

"We are actually still in the design stages," Oliver said....

Full article here:
http://www.al.com/business/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/business/1122110266178390.xml&coll=3

thanks for the info Baman

You're welcome, Eddy. Good to see more people repping Mobile.

This is a partial skyline photo that I took weekend before last. The RSA Battle House tower was still at the 31st floor -- taller than the AmSouth tower as Eddy said earlier, even though it looks like it might be shorter at this angle.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/MobSkyline1.jpg


New rising over the old...
http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/6905/oldnewrsa5sz.jpg

As Amsouth was already ugly - and will look all the more so alongside RSA and the hotel renovations - wonder if they will eventually renovate ?

That's an awesome photo, Expat Baman :okay: I am very anxious to see the RSA tower finished, but I am sure you guys are less patient than me :) Mobile's skyline is going to get a major boost once this project is finished.

As Amsouth was already ugly - and will look all the more so alongside RSA and the hotel renovations - wonder if they will eventually renovate ?

You're right, man, that AmSouth tower is hideous. The worst part of it is the parking deck at the base, which you can see in the photo. The deck creates an awful dead zone across the street from Bienville Square (the clump of trees in the pic), the traditional heart of the city. Hopefully, the deck will get a new pedestrian-friendly facade one of these days. I won't hold my breath, though.

A lot of character on Bienville Square and Royal Street was lost when the tower was built in the 1960s. The worst loss was the 1850s Customs House. Charleston and Savannah still have their old customs houses, but the urban renewers pretty much won every battle in Mobile. Two-thirds of the old city disappeared in the 50s, 60s and 70s. The scale of destruction was simply unbelievable.
.........


Thanks, Raleigh!

Thats awesome to see Mobile's skyline grow. The RSA Tower will really bring Mobile to the next level.

Amsouth has too many windows. anyway RSA tower is growing up, a new mayor, new condos, new everything baby. Mobile could use another big boy(150-200m building) in the skyline to make it look grand.

i think Mobile needs a trolley system like New Orleans, won't that be something.

Amsouth has too many windows. anyway RSA tower is growing up, a new mayor, new condos, new everything baby. Mobile could use another big boy(150-200m building) in the skyline to make it look grand.

i think Mobile needs a trolley system like New Orleans, won't that be something.

Yeah, streetcars would be something else. With all the renovation and new construction going on, bringing back the streetcars would be icing on the cake. Another 400+ footer wouldn't hurt either.

is the Mobile council still debating about the supension bridge?

is the Mobile council still debating about the supension bridge?

It's actually up to the state.

Regarding the trolley system. That won't happen anytime soon. Peavy has stated that he doesn't see light rail as a possibility for at least 20 years :(

Who knows what Sam Jones thinks.

BTW, I started an internship at the planning department the week of Katrina.

Regarding the trolley system. That won't happen anytime soon. Peavy has stated that he doesn't see light rail as a possibility for at least 20 years

that blows.

that blows.

At least we don't have to worry about Peavy's opinion on light rail now. :)

Sam Jones is our new mayor.

Regarding the trolley system, yesterday during my internship, I saw a very neat map of Mobile's old trolley system. It was very intricate! I was shocked to see how far and how many trolley lines we had in Mobile. It was actually quite depressing.... :(

I'll try and get it and post it online.

Is Sam Jones going to be good for downtown development ? Mass transit ? Can he cook ? Dunk with both hands from a flat-footed jump ?

Is Sam Jones going to be good for downtown development ? Mass transit ? Can he cook ? Dunk with both hands from a flat-footed jump ?

:hahaha: . no he doesn't do those things. He is planning on annexation, so mobile will get larger. revitalizing downtown is also a goal of his. so the trolley system idea is still up in the air.

RSA tower is growing and i mean growing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v116/fvcrew22/Mobile%2010-24-05/mobile5.jpg

The courthose project looks really nice, and the RSA building is great for the skyline and a great architectural design asset. It's good that a state company is building such a prominent building, I think. Too many cities have their most prominent building occupied by a national company that doesn't have deep roots in the community.

I cant believe Mobile is getting a building that big--it has to be the biggest in any metro your size. But, it looks great, Id like to see more pics.

Mobile will look nice when that tower is finished

http://www.rsa.state.al.us/MobileTower.html

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/1198/mobwebcam0601061742573pc.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Go Mobile. At night when riding on the suspension bridge Mobile looks spectacular with its illuminated skyscrapers. I remember driving through Mobile on the way to N.O. thinking i was in NO already.

i get the pleasure to look at it everyday. :)

http://home.comcast.net/~rustyowens/BHT.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~rustyowens/Downtown.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~rustyowens/BHTtopdetail.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~rustyowens/bht2.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~rustyowens/BHTEntrance.JPG

RSA is looking great! :) What's happening to that black glass tower in the first of Eddy's pics? It looks like it's got some scaffolding going up on the sides :?

What's happening to that black glass tower in the first of Eddy's pics? It looks like it's got some scaffolding going up on the sides :?That tower is the Riverview Plaza Hotel. From my understanding, it's undergoing major renovations both inside and out, eventually making the building look similar to the RSA Battle House Tower with a matching glass and metal spire on top.

That's good to know, since it looks hideous as is.

yeah, it does need some serious renovation. i think the renovation is happening on the inside first.

http://static.flickr.com/43/98107747_846b673aec_o.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/41/98107748_44f1fdf0f0_o.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/24/98107750_766e19d414_o.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/25/98107752_fcb1eb0e3a_o.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/21/98109848_78d19fdce0_o.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/28/98109849_8e04dee36b_o.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/19/98109850_1d1950eb95_o.jpg

Can't wait for the crown to go up!

Can't wait for the crown to go up!
By the looks of those pictures, they're already working on that part of the structure. If you notice the exposed steel skeleton going up on the top of the tower, that's the crown u/c. :yes:

getting higher!

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/austinw356/Picture183.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/austinw356/Picture177.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/austinw356/Picture107.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/austinw356/Picture104.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f380/austinw356/Picture152.jpg

Lookin good.

I drove through Mobile for the first time...beautiful city...alot better than i thought. the tunnel is so unique! hopefully Mobile will get an increase in buildings in the future.

oh my lord oh my lord oh my lord THAT TOWER IS UN BELEIVABLE. Look at your skyline now. It is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

I found a website today that shows an updated design of the proposed Water Street Landing.

http://www.downtownmobileliving.com/index.html

... and for those interested in seeing what the new "crown" on the Riverview Plaza Hotel will look like:

http://www.riverviewmobile.com/photogallery.cfm

I'd post pictures, but my laptop is currently down, and I'm using a public computer at this time.

Great pics, Eddy. Can't wait to see that crown go up.

Mobile is looking good.

On a side note, what is all this talk about a Leprichan in Mobile???

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/leprechaun.html

^a leprechaun was discovered in the Mobile neighborhood of Creighton. NO ONE has been able to find him, yet. Real funny story.

Mobile's truly going to look nice once that RSA Battle House Tower is done. This suspension bridge is going to compliment the bridge quite well i must say. You guys are BOOMIN' down there!!!!!!

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/610/3034i10_bridge-waterfront.jpg

Mobile's truly going to look nice once that RSA Battle House Tower is done. This suspension bridge is going to compliment the bridge quite well i must say. You guys are BOOMIN' down there!!!!!!

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/610/3034i10_bridge-waterfront.jpg
I doubt the suspension bridge will happen. That's an odd place for it, plus it diverts traffic around the city instead of through it.

I will be going downtown on Saturday and will try to stop and take some updated pics and post them here.

(been following this thread for a while)

The tower should be completed by the end of the year!

Here's a little tour from NBC 15 news.

http://www.wpmi.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=0F0B778B-6A76-4074-A6B4-D4FEDFFE7560

Maritime Center (museum/visitors' center/ferry terminal) [2006] ...

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/610/3034night-shot-maritime-rsa.jpg

That would have been very nice to look at. What the heck happened to it?

found this at www.skyscraperpage.com

http://xs200.xs.to/xs200/06184/rsa_newspaper_1.png
http://xs200.xs.to/xs200/06184/rsa_newspaper_2.png

These were taken a few hours ago. It's cloudy today, but I tried my best to put some light behind the pics.

http://www.establishedboard.com/RSATower/DCP_0474.jpg

http://www.establishedboard.com/RSATower/DCP_0475.jpg

http://www.establishedboard.com/RSATower/DCP_0485.jpg

http://www.establishedboard.com/RSATower/DCP_0487.jpg

http://www.establishedboard.com/RSATower/DCP_0492.jpg

http://www.establishedboard.com/RSATower/DCP_0493.jpg

great pics, man. RSA's climbing the sky now. All Mobile need is some more smaller high rises.

great pics, man. RSA's climbing the sky now. All Mobile need is some more smaller high rises.
I wish they could fill the void in between the RSA and the Amsouth building in that last pic, or something close to it. There is demolition work going on near Royal and Church Streets to make way for a building probably, maybe we can cross our fingers.

Tower getting higher. credit www.skyscrapercity.com/

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h123/Blazer85_photos/8defe982.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h123/Blazer85_photos/4673a8e0.jpg

more new pics

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i249/kevmel22/408fd857.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i249/kevmel22/3171396b.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i249/kevmel22/9ae124b6.jpg
http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i249/kevmel22/91bdf073.jpg

Good job. So what are some other developments in and Moblie. Any condo contructions in Foley, Orange Shores, etc?

I'd love to see some highrise residential in Spanish Fort. Maybe keep Fairhope small, but really build up around it.

That tower would look even more incredible with a few 400 - 500 footers flanking it.

Good job. So what are some other developments in and Moblie. Any condo contructions in Foley, Orange Shores, etc?

^Another cruise ship could come to Mobile, when is the question. renovations of burnt down buildings are being done around downtown. There are some condos coming into the mix, hopefully that will add some flair in Mobile's improving skyline. Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are adding more and more hotels, it's crazy down there, the way all of the high rise hotels are popping out of the ground.

I'd love to see some highrise residential in Spanish Fort. Maybe keep Fairhope small, but really build up around it

Spanish Fort and Daphne, yes, either could use a 200 ft. Daphne would be a better fit. Fairhope doesn't need high-rises, but that's just me.

That tower would look even more incredible with a few 400 - 500 footers flanking it.

true.

Speaking of Daphne, I've actually stayed in the tallest condo tower there back in the late 80s. The grandmother of one of my best friends had a condo on about the 8th floor (?) with awesome views of the bay. Can't remember the name of the building, but it was a pretty large midrise tower just southeast of the Daphne/Spanish Fort exit. The building doesn't necessarily stand out that much from the interstate but it does qualify as a pretty good sized midrise tower. Can't think of the name of the place though.

There was a good Gulf Shores/Orange Beach thread on this board a while back (I think.....could of been skyscraperpage though). I agree, I'd love to see an updated Gulf Shores/Orange Beach thread with photos as well as new project updates on this board.

Speaking of Daphne, I've actually stayed in the tallest condo tower there back in the late 80s. The grandmother of one of my best friends had a condo on about the 8th floor (?) with awesome views of the bay. Can't remember the name of the building, but it was a pretty large midrise tower just southeast of the Daphne/Spanish Fort exit. The building doesn't necessarily stand out that much from the interstate but it does qualify as a pretty good sized midrise tower. Can't think of the name of the place though.

U mean the Loma Alta Tower, it's not very tall, but on that large Hill in Lake Forest, the condo looks even taller and it does provide some amazing views of the Bay.

I'd love to see an updated Gulf Shores/Orange Beach thread with photos as well as new project updates on this board.

yea, but i don't live anywhere near the beach, so i wouldn't know anything.

got a new pic

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v116/fvcrew22/mobile%207-22-06/mobilers.jpg

Spanish Fort and Daphne, yes, either could use a 200 ft. Daphne would be a better fit.

Daphne does have long-term plans for a "high-rise district" between 98 and the bay, with a height limit of 200 feet.

The first project planned there is Apalachee at 16 stories:
http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/news/1154337506196190.xml&coll=3

http://www.apalacheelifestyle.com/floorplans.html

Last month, my brother and I purchased an existing condo unit in Daphne as an investment (for under $60,000 , at that ). It is maybe 1/4 mile south of Apalachee, and within the high-rise zoning district. If I walk around the next building from our unit, there's a nice view of the bay and of the Mobile skyline.

more pics.

havent done this in a while. credit Musicright at skyscraperpage

http://xs207.xs.to/xs207/06410/IMG_2813resized.JPG

Battle House Hotel
http://xs207.xs.to/xs207/06410/IMG_2820resized.JPG
http://xs307.xs.to/xs307/06410/IMG_2822resized.JPG

RSA Tower
http://xs207.xs.to/xs207/06410/IMG_2825resized.JPG
http://xs207.xs.to/xs207/06410/IMG_2830resized.JPG
http://xs207.xs.to/xs207/06410/IMG_2829resized.JPG
http://xs207.xs.to/xs207/06410/IMG_2833resized.JPG
http://xs207.xs.to/xs207/06410/IMG_2852resized.JPG

A Future pic of Mobile?
http://xs207.xs.to/xs207/06410/IMG_2850resized.JPG

That RSA Tower does kind resemble The Empire State Building.

This tower will let the south know that Alabama is still in the game and we have just begun to fight!

What game is that, Tim?

The game of building tall of course :P

Has the RSA Tower had it's spire placed on top yet?

Has the RSA Tower had it's spire placed on top yet?

yes it has, since September 16, 2006.

sorry eddy - i didn't see your jpg attachments from october. the RSA tower is a very impressive building for relatively small place like mobile. i hope you can provide more pictures when the scaffolding comes down.

i appriciate that.

Indeed.

Anyone in Mobile take any more pics of the RSA tower lately?

Does anyone know when the spire/crown is getting placed on top of the Riverview Plaza?

scaffolding finally peelin' off.

http://xs412.xs.to/xs412/07083/IMG_4904resized.JPG

Looks like it's starting to come together! I can't wait to see it!

RSA Tower as of Feb 25th (http://www.mobala.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=28) - North View, side with scaffolding removed.

Looks good. Now lets see some more 400 to 600 footers around it and Mobile will have a wonderful skyline.

Any new developments?

The Downtown Mobile Alliance, Mobile's Business Improvement District, has a downloadable report on their website listing projects underway, proposed, or recently completed. Photos or renderings of 32 projects are included.

Report .pdf here: http://www.downtownmobile.org/images/news/...eport2_copy.pdf (http://www.downtownmobile.org/images/news/major_investment_report2_copy.pdf)

Website: http://www.downtownmobile.org

^^ I love this site already, Thank You!:banana:

looks like more good things are on the way for downtown mobile! very exciting!

btw, perpetual groove, the greatest band in the world is playing at soul kitchen in mobile on friday night! check them out at pgroove.com or myspace.com/pgroove if you're interested.

good post Expat. these projects look good!

give credit to www.skyscraperpage.com

more pics

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/padresfan311/i.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/padresfan311/f.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/padresfan311/d.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w222/nimsjus/IMG_2615.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w222/nimsjus/IMG_2614.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w222/nimsjus/IMG_2572.jpg

Thanks for the update Eddy.

Mobile wins the new steel plant from Germany! worth 4.2 billion dollars, and will bring in 2,700 new jobs.

http://www.nbc15online.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=233434@video.wpmi.com

Water Street developers persevere

Group putting together riverside condo-retail complex says it will overcome difficulties Sunday, July 22, 2007By KATHY JUMPERReal Estate Editor

The Water Street Landing condominium and retail complex is one of "the most amazingly difficult projects" that Los Angeles developer John Bostick says he has ever tackled.

The 241-unit project at the foot of Government Street downtown was announced three years ago, and progress has stalled from the get-go for a number of reasons: The city was unaware that a partner in the project is a convicted felon; negotiations are still ongoing with CSX Railway to build the condos over train tracks; a key development partner passed away in December 2006; and a month later the project architect and contractor filed liens on the property.

"We do understand that there's a perception of 'Wow! This is probably never going to happen,'" said Bostick, a partner in the Millennium Pacific Icon Group based in Los Angeles. "But we're not going anywhere. The property is not for sale."

Bostick became the group's spokesman after the managing partner, James Mahoney of Tustin, Calif., died unexpectedly last fall.

"I still believe this is one of the best locations in the city," Bostick said. "We just keep running into issues. But some of the most difficult projects are usually some of the best."

The estimated $80 million

riverside residential and retail complex on 1.6 acres on Mobile River would include about 60,000 square feet of retail space, according to Millennium's plans. The condo units are to be built on the west side of the CSX tracks, with trains traveling underneath the project. Last March, Millennium hired crews to demolish the old CSX office and removed it from the property.

The most recent complaint against Millennium was filed June 26 in Mobile Circuit Court by White-Spunner Construction, which is seeking $68,500 for pre-construction services. The Mobile-based contractor had already filed a lien against the property Jan. 30, seeking payment.

"We're asking for the basic costs," said John White-Spunner, president of the firm. "The architect got paid. But we couldn't get any response." He said the company worked on the design plans and did the construction budget, which includes costs of materials and equipment.

White-Spunner's complaint has been turned over to Millennium's attorney, according to Bostick. "In our opinion, Alabama law says that you can file a lien if you've built a structure, and, obviously, they didn't build a building and didn't do work on the site," he said. "I don't think filing a lien is the right approach."

Watermark Design Group in Mobile filed an $869,724 lien against the property on Jan. 2, 2007, for design work the architects did for the condo project. The lien was withdrawn after the issue was resolved through mediation, according to Bostick.

Millennium plans to hire a Birmingham architectural firm to work on the plans, but that is on hold until CSX and city officials work out issues related to crossing the tracks, according to Bostick. The city would like crossings at the condo site as well as the nearby Alabama Cruise Terminal.

The city is confident it can reach a resolution with CSX soon, according to Al Stokes, chief of staff for Mayor Sam Jones. "We are not in a position to discuss the details at this time," Stokes said.

The riverside project was first introduced to the city in December 2004 by Andrew Oliver, a Mobile native working with the L.A. group. Shortly thereafter, the Press-Register learned that Oliver had a criminal record, including a conviction in connection with a bank robbery and murder in Georgia in 1965. He offered to step aside if his involvement would hurt the project, but city officials said they were still supportive of the planned development.

The condo building and retail stores may have to be under construction before people believe it will happen, according to Bostick. "We've never looked at this as a resort or vacation deal where you have to have presales before you can get construction financing. We see these as more permanent residences."

The prices for the condo units have not been determined, Bostick said. "What will drive our pricing is purely the location."

Condo projects keep sprouting downtown

Sunday, July 22, 2007By KATHY JUMPERReal Estate Editor

Tuscaloosa developer Steven Barr chose downtown Mobile a year ago for his 21-unit condominium at 308 St. Louis St., based on his belief that the city has a bright economic future.

"I felt Mobile was in for some good times," he said. "Mobile could be the capital of the Gulf Coast."

Like Barr, out-of-town and local developers are hitting the downtown pavement in search of buildings or land to construct more residences to meet the demand they say is there.

"The timing is right," said John Hunter of Mobile, who plans to develop 250 St. Francis Street, a 32-unit condo building on a parking lot site at St. Francis and North Joachim streets.

"We don't have to tear anything up," he said. "It's going to be a first-class project."

Hunter, who has developed several condo complexes on Dauphin Island, and John Peebles, a commercial broker, are partners in 250 St. Francis Street. Presales have just begun at prices starting at $239,900 for a one-bedroom unit and up to $375,000 for large, three-bedroom units. Six units are reserved, Peebles said.

"There's a pent-up demand for housing downtown, and the city's study confirms this," Peebles said.

Residents moving to downtown Mobile would fill more than 250 housing units a year for at least five years if developers could build them, according to a report done last November for the Downtown Mobile Alliance.

There's a potential market of 1,960 households each year that are looking to rent or buy apartments, lofts, condos or townhouses, according to the city's study by Zimmerman/Volk Associates of Clifton, N.J. Prices for the condo units and houses should range from $115,000 to $500,000, the report said.

The prices for current downtown projects range from $166,000 to $500,000, depending on the square footage and amenities. The complexes include historic warehouses to new construction. Some condo projects offer private, indoor or covered parking; others have secluded courtyards, and another offers balconies overlooking the Mardi Gras parades.

The buyers are a mix of young professionals working downtown, empty-nesters who have a second home on the bay or at the Gulf, and investors who plan to rent the units, according to developers.

Downtown's condo prices may be getting too high for folks to afford, according to contractor Tilmon Brown. "You need to match your pricing to the marketplace if you can," he said. "It's unrealistic to price condos at $400,000 to $500,000 downtown."

His downtown projects include the 24-unit Mattress Factory on Dauphin Street that he developed for seven out-of-town investors, which should be done this fall. There are two units available, a townhome listed for $325,000 and a loft at $199,000, according to Nichole Patrick of Dauphin Realty.

Brown just finished St. Emanuel Place, an 11-unit apartment complex he owns at 127 Dauphin St. The units rented so quickly that he plans to build 28 apartments in the Buick building or the former Turner Motor building on St. Louis Street.

But most developers are looking to build condo units to sell.

Brown has partnered with Todd Drummond, a commercial broker, and former state Sen. Ann Bedsole to renovate the O'Gwynn building at Conti and Conception streets into 10 condo units. The units will start at $191,000.

Another condo project under way, Carriage Works at 701 and 709 Dauphin St., is a joint project of Drummond and Bedsole. There will be seven condo units built in the existing building, priced from $229,000 to $390,000, and four new townhomes built next door, priced at $399,000, according to The Drummond Group.

Barr's St. Louis Lofts are priced from $166,000 to $255,000 and 12 of the 21 have sold, he said. He is renovating the former Mobile Fixture & Equipment warehouse.

"We're not disappointed with sales since lofts are still fairly new and people need to see what they look like," Barr said. "We think the momentum is about to pick up."

The newest residential project, 250 St. Francis Street, will be new construction built to look like old Mobile architectural style, according to Peebles.

"Our goal when it's finished is to have people drive down the street and say, 'Wow, what a fabulous old building, and we're so happy they saved it.'"

I took some photos in downtown Mobile a couple of weekends ago. The display at the future maritime center/museum site contains a couple of interesting renderings showing the proposed pedestrian bridge across Water Street.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Maritime_site.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Maritime_display.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/pedestrian_bridge.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/waterfront_render.jpg

Some (but not all) of the downtown projects under way, projected or completed within the last year or so.


Space 301, art gallery
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Space301_render.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Space301_2.jpg


Senior Bowl offices
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/SeniorBowlHQ.jpg


Royal St. office space renovation
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Neisner.jpg


Government St. office space renovation with ground floor parking
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/202Government2.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/202Government.jpg


Office space renovation, completed
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/50StEmanuel.jpg




Completed residential or mixed-use projects:


St. Emanuel Place, mixed-use with 11 residential units
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/StEmanuelPlace.jpg


Clarkson Townhouses, 4 residential units in new construction
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/ClarksonTownhse.jpg


Claiborne Apartments, 8 units in new construction
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/ClaiborneApts.jpg


Office space and 3 residential units on Dauphin St.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/459Dauphin.jpg

Residential or mixed-use projects under way or projected:


250 St. Francis Street
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/StFrancisRendering.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/250StFrancis1.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/250StFrancis2.jpg


Carriage Works, renovation and new construction, 11 condos
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/CarriageWorks_sign.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/CarriageWorks1.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/CarriageWorks2.jpg


Buick building, renovation into 30 residential units
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Buick1.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Buick2.jpg


Crescent Theater, art film theater and banquet hall with residential units above
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/CrescentTheater.jpg


Central Optical, office space and 8 condos
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/CentralOptical-1.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/CentralOptical.jpg


St. Louis Lofts, 21 condos
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/MobileFixture.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/StLouisLofts.jpg


Renovation into home and garden store with 2 apartments above
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Parkside_render.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Parkside.jpg


The O'Gwynn, 12 condos
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/OGwynn.jpg


Mattress Factory Lofts, 25 condos
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/MattressFactory.jpg

The RSA-owned downtown Riverview Plaza Hotel is undergoing a $60 million renovation to become a four-star Renaissance brand hotel. Part of the renovation includes adding a crown similar to that of the RSA Battle House Tower.

Renderings:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Riverview_crown.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Riverview_crown1.jpg


A new downtown Hampton Inn is under construction across the street from the Riverview.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Hampton_lot.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/HamptonInn.jpg

A few random photos from downtown, some including the completed RSA Battle House Tower.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Mob_skyline8-5.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Iberville1.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Cooper_bench.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/RSA_Tower_front.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Train_under_cc.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Waterman_bldg.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Bienv_fountain1.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/GMandO_1.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/CooperPk_fishing.jpg

Beautiful! I can't wait until some of these projects are done, and I can come into town and look around.

We have a tentative family event in the near future (yes, very tentative) in Mobile, and maybe coming for Mardi Gras next year.

Great shots and great job getting all of those details! I had no idea about the Hampton Inn project. I must have walked right by it and not even paid attention! Although I love these loft and condo projects downtown, we should be looking at building more upwardly on these empty lots. We have to mix the old with the new. Just my opinion of course.

Great shots and great job getting all of those details! I had no idea about the Hampton Inn project. I must have walked right by it and not even paid attention! Although I love these loft and condo projects downtown, we should be looking at building more upwardly on these empty lots. We have to mix the old with the new. Just my opinion of course.

^^ I agree! I think that 250 St. Francis is a waste for the value of that property. I think, if you don't want to go upward more than 7 stories on the level lots than you can just renovate one of the vacant buildings already occupying lots downtown.

When are they going to decide what to do with the old County Courthouse property? The grass and dirt is looking real nice right now!

When are they going to decide what to do with the old County Courthouse property? The grass and dirt is looking real nice right now!
According to County Commissioner Steve Nodine, the old courthouse site will be used for a park.

Mobile Press-Register: Courthouse site to be used for park (http://www.al.com/business/press-register/kjumper.ssf?/base/business/118823362528740.xml&coll=3)

A 5-minute video highlighting recent downtown developments was released by the Downtown Mobile Alliance, which featured the video at its annual meeting. Check it out!

Video: Living, Working & Playing in Downtown Mobile (http://www.airwind.com/portfolio/downtown/)

Wow, Mobile, Alabama? Whoda thunk it? That all looks great, keep up the good work down in Mobile guys!

^ Mobile is on a roll! The US Air Force recently announced that it will build its new refueling tanker aircraft in Mobile. Combined with the announcement last year of the new ThyssenKrupp steel mill, Mobile is set to be a boomtown over the next few years.

Mobile Press-Register: Air Force awards tanker contract to Northrop-EADS (http://www.al.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/120436652776060.xml&coll=3)

New York Times: Northrop and EADS Win Refueling Tanker Deal (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/business/29cnd-tanker.html?ex=1362027600&en=1d864938017387f3&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss)



http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/kc30.jpg

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/kc30_3.jpg


Airbus announced that if the Northrop/EADS team wins the tanker contract, this puppy will likely be built in Mobile as well:

Airbus A330
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Airbus330.jpg

The city of Mobile hired EDSA, Inc. of Ft. Lauderdale to develop a new master plan for the downtown area. Public meetings are planned for March, May and August, and the plan is to be completed by September.

Company to develop plan for downtown Mobile (http://www.al.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/news/1201774538162170.xml&coll=3&thispage=1)

Master plan development website: www.newmobileplan.com (http://www.newmobileplan.com/)

Bo Wilson of Mobile and Shaul Zislin of Hollywood, Fl., bought the 82,000 sq ft Gayfers building in August 2007 for $1.2 million. According to the Mobile Press-Register, the developers named the renovation project Gayfer Place and plan to build 36 condominium units, along with 15,000 sq ft of commercial space fronting Dauphin Street. Units will range from 600 sq ft studios to 2,100 sq ft penthouses. The three-bedroom, three-bath penthouse units feature floor-to-ceiling windows and two-story high ceilings. Pre-sales should begin in May and prices will start at less than $200,000 and go up to $800,000.

There will be covered parking on the first floor, with at least 50 spaces for residents and commercial tenants and a 24-hour valet service. Residents can drive up to the St. Emanuel St. entrance and a valet will park their car while they walk into the marbled lobby and take an elevator to their unit.

Renovations include adding units on the fourth floor, a lap pool, fitness center and library on a fifth floor. The developers' plans have been approved by the Architectural Review Board.

Gayfers makeover to mix urbanism, historic feel (http://www.al.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/business/1205054201163950.xml&coll=3&thispage=1)



Dauphin St/Bienville Square facade, late 2007
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Gayfers3.jpg

Dauphin St./Bienville Square facade rendering
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Gayfers.jpg




St. Emanuel St. facade, late 2007
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St. Emanuel St. facade rendering
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A new racetrack, the Alabama Motorsports Park, is under development just north of Mobile by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and partners. The track is expected to be fully operational in 2010, and will include an oval track, a road course and a go-kart track. In addition, the project will include two lakes and commercial enterprises including residential, hospitality, retail, restaurants and entertainment venues.

From the project website:
The focal point of the plan is a 7/10-mile D-shaped asphalt oval speedway, which is neighbored by a road course and karting track. The road course, which measures over three miles for racing events, now includes a straight-away that runs through the center of the Race City retail area, providing a unique combination of traditional road course and street circuit racing.

The road course also circles two lakes, and numerous creek banks will provide beautiful vistas from RV lots at the north end of the site.

www.alabamamotorsportspark.com

Site plan:
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The Associated Press ran an article Thursday about the expected boom in Mobile's economy and development over the next few years:

Mobile's economy on upswing with major industrial scores

3/20/2008
By Garry Mitchell
The Associated Press

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Alabama's port city lost some 16,000 jobs in the late 1960s when the government closed Brookley Air Force base, an economic blow to a historic city proud of its giant live oaks and quiet Southern charm.

With a new downtown skyscraper, its first black mayor and plans for a German steelmaker to locate a huge plant nearby, Mobile's economy is taking off again and could be fueled even more by an assembly plant for Air Force refueling tankers....

While the city — set back by political corruption in the late 1970s — has markedly changed since the Brookley heyday, it still boasts coastal lifestyles, pastel-colored gardens and Azalea Trail maids in antebellum hooped skirts posted at city welcoming ceremonies.

But the state's tallest building — the new 35-story RSA Tower — now overlooks the waterfront, and the city's first black mayor, Sam Jones, has been at the forefront of a bare-knuckle political war being waged over the tanker contract.

Shipping executive Robert Guthans, who turned 79 on Thursday, said Mobile is making a "smooth transition" to a bigger city while still holding to its traditions.

"The political climate is better than it's ever been," said Guthans, who was president of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce when the Air Force pulled out of Brookley.

The city's economy has had booms and busts over the last three centuries, dating back to pre-Civil War days when cotton was king here. War production jobs surged in the 1940s.

In more recent decades, the closing of Brookley Air Force base — blamed on Washington politics — was a blow to the economy that "depressed the real estate market for a long, long time," recalled Leigh Vaughan, general manager of the Downtown Air Center.

In the 1980s, more jobs were lost with the pullout of Scott Paper Co. and International Paper.

Today, Vaughan said, he's "never seen such a total positive atmosphere" in the city because of the new steel and aeronautical industrial prospects. In a twist, the once-shuttered Brookley field survived as an industrial park that now could be home to the Northrop Grumman aircraft plant.

Semoon Chang, an economist who is director of the Center for Business & Economic Research at the University of South Alabama, said Mobile's economy is "about to explode" because of new industry, including the ThyssenKrupp steel mill in north Mobile County. The German steelmaker is investing $3.7 billion in a steel processing facility, creating 2,700 jobs....

Tallying up the new and expanding industries in aerospace, steel, shipping, shipbuilding and plans for an auto-racing track, Chang said some 10,000 jobs could be created in the next several years, with a ripple effect.

That raises questions of adequate housing and schools for the new arrivals as changes already are evident to local residents....

Trendy new condominiums, hotels and restaurants are opening downtown and historic buildings are being converted for loft-style living....

Carl Magee of Mize, Miss., supervising construction of a new Hampton Inn downtown, set for completion in October, said word has spread among contractors that Mobile is "THE place" for new construction for the next decade. "It's the biggest in the South as far as future work," Magee said....

Bill Sisson, Mobile's lead industrial recruiter, listed a half-dozen major projects that over the next decade will impact the area, including shipping from the city's harbor on Mobile Bay.

The port has been ranked by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as the 10th largest U.S. port in its 2006 port cargo tonnage by volume rankings — about 60 million tons — moving up a notch from its 2005 position with about 57 million tons....

Sisson said the new Austal USA shipbuilding operation could become the largest manufacturer in the city with 2,000 jobs. Currently, aerospace is the largest manufacturing employer.

A new National Cancer Institute also will employ more than 600, creating thousands of physician and scientist positions, Sisson said.

"The demands on the region's current infrastructure will be significant, so infrastructure and work force development become our region's top priorities," Sisson said.

Full story: Mobile's economy on upswing (http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8VHCHCG0.htm)

The National Maritime Museum of the Gulf of Mexico has a website up now: www.nationalmaritime.us (http://www.nationalmaritime.us/)

According to the website, site preparation and construction will begin in 2008 and the museum is projected to open in Fall 2009.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/Night-Shot-Maritime-RSATower.jpg

A new racetrack, the Alabama Motorsports Park, is under development just north of Mobile by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and partners. The track is expected to be fully operational in 2010

If they can have this facility fully operational by 2010 from nothing, I'm going to be even more pissed off at the 10-year time it is taking to widen I-110 in Pensacola. :lol:

Man, all the stuff happening in Mobile is just amazing. Hopefully the tanker thing gets thru this "review process" political crap and moves forward soon.

Anything new from the DOT on the new bridge or any more on the condo towers on Water? Anyone in Mobile up to date on this?

I'll be in Mobile next weekend taking photos downtown. I'll have a thread or two to share them early in that week. So check it out if you'd like.

From the Mobile Press-Register:

Mobile moves forward with bond issue

City Council gives OK to mayor's plan
Saturday, July 19, 2008
By DAN MURTAUGH
Staff Reporter
Mobile City Council members gave Mayor Sam Jones' administration approval Friday to move forward with $97 million in bond issues to refinance debt and pay for new projects.
The council voted 5-1 to give the city's advisors permission to price the two bond issues Monday. The council will vote Tuesday to actually sell the bonds.
The bulk of the bond issue would go toward restructuring nearly $80 million of existing debt at a lower interest rate. The measure also includes nearly $13 million for new projects, such as renovations to Ladd-Peebles Stadium and the Alabama Cruise Terminal. The remainder of the money will go toward overhead costs.
City Attorney Larry Wettermark said the bond issues would be almost like free money. Because of the expected reduced interest rates, the city would actually have lower debt payments for the next four years even after borrowing more money for new projects, he said.
After that, he said, the city would have the same debt costs as before without extending the length of the payments.
Councilman John Williams cast the lone vote against the measure. Councilwoman Connie Hudson missed the meeting because she was at her daughter's graduation in South Carolina.
Williams said he was tired of the city borrowing money without first putting together a prioritized list of future capital projects.
"Perpetual borrowing without such a plan is unhealthy and should be avoided if possible," he said.
Williams could have delayed the vote further. Because the measure was introduced Friday, he could have refused to let council members vote on it until Tuesday.
That would have thrown a wrench in the administration's plans.
City bond adviser Louis Cardinal said he wanted to price the bonds Monday because he believes the city can get the best deal in interest rates now because of a turbulent stock market and a dearth of other Alabama bond issues.
Jones also said he wants to sell the bonds before Aug. 1, when Jefferson County is expected to make an announcement on its debt problems.
The new projects in the bond issues are:
$2.4 million for renovations to Ladd-Peebles Stadium, including the construction of eight new skyboxes.
$800,000 for improvements to railroad crossings in downtown Mobile to create a quiet zone where trains would not blow their whistles.
$4.5 million for new buildings to house workers from the police, fire and recreation departments.
$2 million to help pay off the city's commitment to the Retirement Systems of Alabama for the RSA Tower.
$3 million for a new gangway at the Alabama Cruise Terminal to allow for a larger cruise ship.

New retail opening despite national slump


Sunday, August 10, 2008 By KATHY JUMPER
Real Estate Editor
If you look at the new mega Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World that has come to life off Interstate 10 in Spanish Fort, you'd never guess the nation's retail market has been in a slump.
Ready or not, here comes Bass Pro's 140,000-square-foot store in Spanish Fort Town Center off I-10 and U.S. 90/98, set to open Aug. 27. It will be followed by a string of name-brand retailers:
A 105,000-square-foot JC Penney store and a 98,000-square-foot Kohl's store are scheduled to open this fall next to Bass Pro Shops.
A 14-screen Premiere Cinema will debut in the late fall at the Eastern Shore Centre on Alabama 181 in Spanish Fort.
Forever 21, a young women's and men's clothing store, plans to open a 26,000-square-foot store at Bel Air Mall in Mobile by the end of the year.
"There are still plenty of retailers doing deals, but there has been a marked increase in the number who have put the brakes on," said Josh Burmeister of Staubach Retail, the leasing agent for the 700,000-square-foot Spanish Fort Town Center.
"Mobile gets lumped in with other markets, even though the local market seems to be OK," he said. The large, power centers anchored with stores such as Target or a Bass Pro will continue to lease space, he said.
The last year has been a struggle for shopping centers and malls nationwide, leasing and retail experts say. The sluggish economy, high gasoline prices, uncertainty over the outcome of the fall presidential election and the mortgage crisis have contributed to the slowdown, according to retail experts.
And bankruptcy filings and general belt-tightening by national and regional stores caused vacancies at centers around the country. Locally, the commercial hits included Bombay Co., and Whitehall Jewelers at Bel Air Mall; Sharper Image at Eastern Shore Centre; and Goody's Family Clothing and Linens N' Things at Springdale mall.
Sales at discount stores, wholesale clubs and drug stores led the industry, according to Michael P. Niemira, chief economist for the International Council of Shopping Centers. "Although July captured some early back-to-school shopping, the month was dominated by clearance sales and discounts," he said.
In July, U.S. chain store sales increased by 2.6 percent compared to July 2007, ICSC reported. Back-to-school and fall merchandise sales in August should increase sales by 2 percent over August 2007, according to ICSC.
When signing up locals or small mom-and-pop businesses, "You've got to pick the right merchants who can weather the storms," said Tim Nolan, manager of Bel Air Mall, which is almost completely leased. "Good merchants can work anywhere."
The opening of Premier Cinema later this fall should boost traffic at the Eastern Shore Centre, according to Mark Kraft, manager of the lifestyle center that is more than 80 percent leased. The adjacent Eastern Shore Plaza with its big-box ten ants, is more than 90 percent leased, he said.
"Obviously, we have work to do," Kraft said. "But where a lot of places are struggling, we've been able to move forward with the cinema, Party City, Wintzell's Oyster House, a large anchor food restaurant; and Cellar 43, a wine bar and wine store. We've weathered a tough year fairly well." He hopes to announce several national tenants in 2009.
Retailers are more conservative about the markets they choose, according to John Vallas of Saad & Vallas Realty Group. "If the deal makes sense and its desirable real estate, they still have to open some stores. Some of the junior anchor stores are still doing deals, and they aren't hurting as much as the smaller shop tenants."
Still, leasing agents are seeing a resurgence of tenant interest at many of the commercial strip centers on U.S. 98 in the Eastern Shore, according to Jean Lankford of J.A. Lankford & Co. in Mobile.
"I can't tell if it's people leaving the big shopping centers because they can't afford the higher rents or the fact that we're close to the residential and it doesn't take as much gas to get to us," Lankford said.
The tenants at smaller, strip centers seem to be happy with being located a half mile or a mile away from Bass Pro Shops — and paying $12 per square foot in rent, according to Lankford.
The lease rates at the larger centers averages $20 to $25 per square foot, agents said.
No doubt about it, Bass Pro Shops is a huge draw for customers, leasing agents agreed.
"The risk you run when you get a box that big and that great is that you don't want people to go there and leave," and not shop at other stores, Kraft said.

<H1 class=red>Boeing says it has made no decision on dropping bid

</H1>

Tuesday, August 12, 2008 By GEORGE TALBOT

Political Editor
Boeing Co. said Monday it had not decided to drop out of the U.S. Air Force tanker competition, despite a report in an aerospace trade publication that the company was "strongly considering" not bidding on the potential $40 billion deal.
Aviation Week, citing unnamed sources, said Boeing was concerned that the new ground rules for the tanker competition favored rival Northrop Grumman Corp., which plans to assemble its KC-30 aircraft in Mobile. The report came a day ahead of a key meeting between industry and military executives to discuss the competition.
Chicago-based Boeing said no such decision had been made, and that any speculation prior to today's negotiations was premature.
"I don't know who Aviation Week's 'multiple sources' are or if this is pure speculation, but we are not commenting on internal Boeing deliberations about tankers," said Dan Beck, a Boeing spokesman.
The report comes as both companies jockey for position in a fierce and long-running battle for the coveted deal. Los Angeles-based Northrop won the 179-plane contract in February, then lost it in June when government auditors found that the Air Force made errors as part of its selection process. The ruling by the Government Accountability Office, in response to a protest filed by Boeing, led Defense Secretary Robert Gates to order a second round of competition, with a new winner to be picked by year's end.
The Pentagon issued a draft version of its revised bid document last week, giving the companies an Aug. 10 deadline to submit written comments.
A final version could be released as early as this week. Boeing supporters have argued that the aggressive timeline is unreasonable and that requirements spelled out in the bid request are slanted toward the larger aircraft offered by Northrop.
Boeing and Northrop are each scheduled to meet with top Air Force and Pentagon officials today at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, to discuss the draft document.
Defense analyst Loren Thompson said Boeing, having won a second shot at the deal, was unlikely to drop its pursuit.
"That would put their fate entirely in the hands of their Congressional delegation, which is already stretched thin," said Thompson.
Boeing plans to assemble its offering in the competition, a tanker based on its commercial 767 jet, on its existing line in Everett, Wash., and modify the planes for military use in Wichita, Kan. The company has received strong political backing from lawmakers in those two states.
Thompson said Boeing is facing an uphill fight because its KC-767 tanker "is more responsive to the Air Force's original request than to the revised criteria. There is no time to make significant changes, so they're kind of stuck."
He and others said Boeing's strategy may be to delay the competition, buying time to update its offer and build political support in Congress.
Gates is pushing to resolve the contest before a new administration takes office Jan. 20, and the Air Force is eager to move ahead with a program that has been stalled since a failed lease deal with Boeing in 2003. The new tanker, designed to replace the aging fleet of more than 500 KC-135 refueling aircraft, is the Air Force's top priority.
"I think Boeing's strategy is probably likely to be to try to push this decision into the new year and a new adminis tration," aerospace analyst Cai von Rumohr told CNBC on Monday.
Northrop and its bidding partner, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., made a similar threat to drop out of the competition last year. The team successfully lobbied to have language removed from the Air Force's initial requirements that would have disqualified its bid, which is based on an Airbus A330 commercial jet currently assembled in France.
Boeing (NYSE:BA) shares dipped Monday on news of the possible withdrawal, falling $1.24 to close at $66.62. Shares of Northrop (NYSE: NOC) rose 25 cents to close at $69.96.

County leases land for Mardi Gras park

Work to begin after crews complete the adjacent courthouse annex
Thursday, August 14, 2008 By RHODA A. PICKETT
Staff Reporter

The Mobile County Commission voted 2-1 Wednesday to lease the former county courthouse site to the city of Mobile, which has proposed building a Mardi Gras-themed park.
Commission President Stephen Nodine voted against the 90-year lease, saying that he wants to see the county get the best value for the downtown property bordered by Church, Royal and Government streets.
Nodine said later that he "was always for a mixed use development on the property, which included a park and some other things."
County Attorney Jay Ross said the contract with the city of Mobile is for 50 years with an additional two 20-year terms, totaling
90 years for $1.
"We gave a very valuable asset away," Nodine said.
Commissioners Merceria Ludgood and Mike Dean voted in favor of leasing the property.
"I just feel that this is another public body and that we are giving land for a public purpose," Ludgood said, adding that the park will benefit tourism. "I think it's a win-win for everybody."
"Let the leadership from the chamber and the leaders in the community go and raise $6 million to build the park," Dean said. "It's still going to be owned by the county. It's going to be a lease. Instead of spending the next few years raising money for a park, we're going to be spending time doing county services in the county and trying to do as many road projects as we possible can."
In 2007, the Mobile City Council approved a bond issue that included $1.2 million for the park. County officials said that work on the park will begin after crews complete the adjacent courthouse annex. Construction on that project is expected to begin next month.
In 2002 When Mayor Sam Jones was on the County Commission, the group voted to build the park.
Former County Commissioner Juan Chastang later proposed a condominium development for the site.
The latest plans for the park include a performing arts stage, benches and an open area, Jones said Wednesday.

Economist: SaltAire could have $1billion impact on area


Sunday, August 17, 2008 By KATHY JUMPER
Real Estate Editor

The town of SaltAire on the western shoreline of Mobile Bay could have a $1 billion economic impact on the area over the next nine years and keep upscale home buyers from moving to Baldwin County, according to a report compiled by a local economist.
The 500-acre mixed-use community off Alabama 193 could attract high-income households, according to Semoon Chang, an economics professor at the University of South Alabama, who was paid to do the study.
Jim Wilkie, general manager of SaltAire, said that people don't associate a community like SaltAire with bringing in jobs, businesses, and other improvements. But "the overall message is just like the building of a steel plant; it will have a lasting impact" on the community.
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The planned community will have up to 1,250 residences, single-family and multifamily, if built out as envisioned over the next eight to 10 years, according to Wilkie.
The land includes frontage on Mobile Bay and a nature center with kayak launch on Fowl River, a fitness center, jogging and walking trails on the water, two fish-stocked lakes, parks, shops and restaurants.
Chang's study considered the nine years from the development's announcement in 2007 through 2016.
Key findings include:
Total investment of $526.8 million, which includes $95 million in development costs and $431.8 million in construction costs.
Total economic impact of $1 billion, with earnings of $541.1 million and 19,724 jobs.
Annual economic impact of $11 million; with earnings of $54 million and 1,927 jobs.
Annual property tax revenues: $1.54 million to Mobile County, $1.31 million to Mobile County public schools, and $488,306 to the state.
Taxes on sales of building materials: $1.7 million for Mobile County and $6.9 million to the state.
The residential lots will be sold in stages. About 15 lots have sold and another 18 have just been released for sale, according to agents.
Nine homes in SaltAire will be featured in the Home Builders Association of Metro Mobile's Parade of Homes in October, including the furnished showcase house being built by David Rowe.
The current homes range from $499,000 to $799,000, but there are also plans for homes in the $399,000 range, Realtors said.
Wilkie said he did not know exactly what Chang was paid for the study, but said it was several thousands of dollars.
Chang said he found nothing negative in his review. "This is not an environmental study, so it's hard to have any negatives about the project," Chang said.
The SaltAire developers include Wilkie; George Jones, who has also developed on the northwest Florida coast; local landowner Logan Gewin; and local commercial broker Rick Collins.

FANTASY FULFILLED MOBILE IS GETTING A BIGGER CRUISE SHIP

Carnival Cruise Lines' Fantasy, which carries 2,052 passengers, will become permanent ship here next year
Tuesday, August 19, 2008 By KAIJA WILKINSON
Business Reporter

Mobile's desire to become a major cruise port took another step forward Monday afternoon in a room filled with Pabst Blue Ribbon beer cans and cat food.
Cats Lounge, an area decorated to look like the back-alley set of the Broadway musical "Cats" and one of 12 bars aboard Carnival Cruise Lines' Fantasy, was the setting as Carnival executive Terry Thornton and Mobile Mayor Sam Jones announced that the 2,052-passenger Fantasy will move from New Orleans to Mobile in November 2009.
The ship represents a 40-percent upgrade in capacity over Carnival's Holiday, Mobile's permanent cruise ship since 2004.
The city and Alabama Cruise Terminal Officials have been campaigning for a bigger or second ship almost since the 1,452-passenger Holiday arrived. The upgrade adds the possibility of more than 600 additional passengers at each sailing. That could mean another $2 million annually in parking fees among other economic boosts.
People may start booking trips on Fantasy from Mobile now, said Thornton, Carnival's senior vice president of marketing planning. It will have the same itinerary as the Holiday, embarking on year-round four and five-day trips to the western Caribbean.
Carnival plans to offer a one-time, six-day cruise to Progreso, Cozumel and Costa Maya on Nov. 10 with the regular schedule starting on Nov. 16. The company then plans to work in "a limited number" of seven-day cruises, Thornton said.
He described Mobile as a "terrific homeport."
"We want to take it a step at a time," Thornton said. "Historically, this is how we've built different homeports – we did the same kind of thing in Tampa, New Orleans and Galveston."
Holiday is scheduled to leave on Nov. 2, so there will be no gap in service. Carnival said it would be sold to a Spanish subsidiary.
The vessel attracts drive-in customers from as far away as St. Louis, and Thornton said he hoped that Fantasy would be an even stronger pull.
Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor in chief of online trade journal Cruisecritic.com, said cruising from ports close to home came into vogue right after 9/11 and is still very much in effect, thanks to a shaky economy and the high cost of air travel.
"I think that helps propel Mobile over the top," Spencer Brown said.
Fantasy has been calling Mobile its temporary home since an oil spill disrupted Mississippi River traffic to New Orleans late last month. It is scheduled to be here until Sept. 6 when it goes into dry dock at Atlantic Marine for an upgrade that will include an open-deck water park, adults-only area, and new pool.
Carnival has said it would announce today what will happen when Fantasy leaves New Orleans. Industry observers have said that they expect Carnival will move in an even bigger ship.
Cruises on the Holiday can run anywhere from about $400 to $1,100 per couple, according to Springdale Travel. Thornton would say only that Fantasy's rates would be "a little bit more."
Praising cruise terminal staff including terminal Director Al St. Clair and General Manager Sheila Gurganus, Thornton said only a few details need to be taken care of — most important, a new gangway to fit the larger ship. The city has approved the $3 million purchase.
Mat Probasco, associate editor of Cruise Industry News, said a combination of solid bookings and facility upgrades drive cruise lines to add capacity. A second ship could be on the horizon, he said, but that depends on some factors beyond Mobile's control.
Calling Fantasy a "perfect fit," Jones told guests that the city appreciates Carnival's vote of confidence. "We always knew that Mobile could be a great cruise city," Jones said. "Now if we could just get one more."

SSAB OKs $250M expansion


Saturday, August 23, 2008 By JEFF AMY
Business Reporter

SSAB said Friday that it would go ahead with investments including a $250 million, 120-job expansion for which its mills in north Mobile County and Iowa are competing.
The Swedish steel maker's board approved plans Thursday to spend $5.3 billion Swedish kronor, or about $838 million. SSAB will pay for the work with cash and plans to finish it by 2012.
Overall, the company said expansions in the United States and at its two Swedish mills would allow it to make an additional 680,000 metric tons a year of quenched and tempered steel. Those treatments strengthen steel.
The company has not chosen between the local mill in Axis, which has 400 employees and 350 on-site contractors, and one in Montpelier, Iowa, for the quenching and tempering line. Bill Sisson, vice president of economic development for the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, said this week that he expects SSAB to choose a site after the end of the month.
Alabama and Iowa have put up competing incentive packages to lure the project. Iowa's is worth $81 million, while Alabama's is worth more than $29.3 million. Because property taxes are lower in Alabama, the state may not need to offer as much money to compete. The choice could also turn on which mill is closer to anticipated customers.
The Axis mill already has a smaller quenching and tempering line built by former owner IPSCO.
SSAB has also said that it's considering adding a $50 million vacuum degasser to the existing furnace in Axis. The vacuum degasser would remove hydrogen and nitrogen, purifying new steel.
SSAB officials have said they could build the degasser even if it chooses to build the quenching and tempering line in Iowa. That project could add 20 jobs in Axis.
It's unclear whether that project was approved.
"In addition to the new quenching line there will be upgrades in the U.S. facilities to capture certain synergies announced at the time of the acquisition of IPSCO," SSAB's statement said.
Company officials could not be reached Friday for further comment.
Making stronger steel and charging higher prices for it is the keystone of SSAB's business strategy.
"More value-added steel products are expected to lead to higher earnings stability and generate economic returns well above the group's long term targets," Chief Executive Olof Faxander said in a statement.
Besides the American projects, SSAB said it would set up a quenching line to strengthen 300,000 metric tons of steel strips at its Borlange mill, and raise production of quenched and tempered steel plate by 80,000 metric tons at its Oxelosund mill.

Mobile is going hammer-and-tongs!

SSAB steel mill project grows to 200 jobs, $475 million

Posted by Jeff Amy, Business Reporter (http://blog.al.com/live/about.html) October 13, 2008 5:01 PM

Categories: Breaking News (http://blog.al.com/live/breaking_news/), Business (http://blog.al.com/live/business/)
Mobile, Ala. -- SSAB (http://www.ssab.com/)officials now place the price of a proposed steel mill expansion at up to $475 million and new jobs at up to 200, according to materials submitted to the Mobile County Industrial Development Authority. That's up from $300 million and 140 jobs in July.
The Swedish steelmaker returned to the incentive-granting body this morning, winning approval for $34.9 million in tax breaks if the company chooses to build the expansion here rather than in Montpelier, Iowa.


The incentives would cover a new heat treating mill to strengthen steel, a vacuum degasser system to purify steel, and a research and development center. A fourth element, unveiled today, is a continuous variable crown system, which would allow SSAB to roll steel into thinner plates.
The four elements were combined into one application, although SSAB officials have said Iowa and Axis could split the projects.
SSAB, which owns the former IPSCO mill in Axis, has said it expects to choose either Axis or its Iowa mill for expansion by month's end.
Tax breaks approved this morning include an exemption of construction materials from sales and use taxes, worth an estimated $12 million. Also approved was a 10-year tax exemption on non-school property taxes, worth an estimated $22.8 million.

Downtown Mobile master plan to be unveiled Monday

Blueprint supports projects ranging from Civic Center redevelopment to bike paths to waterfront sidewalks
Sunday, October 26, 2008 By KATHY JUMPER
Real Estate Editor

The city's new plan for downtown supports mega-projects like redeveloping the Mobile Civic Center, as well as people-pleasing basics such as new bike routes and sidewalks connecting neighborhoods to the waterfront.
Urban planners considered wish lists from residents, businesses and city officials in developing a blueprint for turning 9.9 square miles of Mobile into a more livable, workable area.
The "New Plan for Old Mobile" will be unveiled Monday in 2p.m. and 6 p.m. meetings at the Mobile Civic Center.
The city paid urban planning firm EDSA Inc. $400,000 to revise the city's 12-year-old master plan, which covers an area bordered to the east by the Mobile River, the south by Interstate 10 and Duval Street, the west by Houston Street and the north by Three Mile Creek and the neighborhoods north of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
The planners' report will include recommendations about what items should be targeted initially.
"The world has changed in the last 30 days," said Russell Archambault of RKG Associates in Alexandria, Va., who was in charge of the plan's economic considerations. "It's going to take some time to work out the national economic issues. We have to get on solid footing before we can get serious about some of these projects."
Though the majority of the plan could begin within the first three years, Archambault said, big-ticket items such as the proposed removal of the overpass at Fort Conde connecting Water Street to the Interstate 10 George Wallace Tunnel would take much longer.
The most popular ideas emerging from public forums included redeveloping the civic center site, developing residential structures on vacant land and neglected sites, and extending Fort Conde and adding residences there, said Keith Weaver, an associate principal in EDSA's Baltimore, Md., office.
"The civic center project would probably be a public/private development, Archambault said. The new plan gives the city two options for the civic center, one for retaining the theater, and one for tearing down the entire building.
The civic center was built in the early 1960s and is costly to operate, according to Mobile Mayor Sam Jones.
"We are looking at redeveloping the site to include the civic center's theater, and do some retail and entertainment," he said.
Jones spearheaded the effort for a new city plan, saying that developers often ask to see a master plan before they make a commitment to Mobile.
Public input reflected
Many of the residents' requests were incorporated into the master plan, according to Weaver. It suggests creating commercial areas to serve existing neighborhoods, infilling vacant areas with residences and establishing a traditional African-American district that honors its heritage.
The plan also calls for connecting the waterfront with the downtown core and Fort Conde via sidewalks and bike paths; adding parking with new developments so as not to stress the existing situation, improving the Broad Street corridor and creating public transportation connections from neighborhoods into downtown.
Weaver said he met with officials at the Alabama state docks to talk about the plan's suggestions for shared waterfront. That plan won't happen anytime soon, he said, but has not been ruled out for the future.
Long-range plans call for revamping the city's skyline near Water and Beauregard streets as an office district, targeting the City Hall North building on Water Street, which is for sale, and relocating the U.S. Posal Service main branch on St. Joseph Street to make it part of the district as well.
Waterfront expansion
To expand use of the waterfront, a future plan calls for building a north hall to the Arthur Outlaw Convention Center and a waterfront hotel.
"We're looking at 10 square miles and we have to look at all areas equally and identify something for each neighborhood," Weaver said.
More information about the plan can be found online at www.newmobileplan.com (http://www.newmobileplan.com).

Prichard, Ala., mayor says $650M project a boon for city


Saturday, December 06, 2008 By DAVID FERRARA
Staff Reporter

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted a permit Friday for the multimillion-dollar Dale Earnhardt Jr.-affiliated racing venue and theme park that was nearly turned down last year when critics said it could significantly damage Mobile County's wetlands.
Prichard Mayor Ron Davis praised the project's approval and lauded the potential impact it could have on the city's economy.
"This has been something that we have been really trying to work with the corps and investors to make sure that this comes to fruition," Davis said. "Now that it has been issued, I expect we'll have a lot of work to do in Prichard to ensure that it develops as an attractive, business- friendly commercial area along the 158 corridor."
The latest plans call for an oval track, a road course and a karting track, accommodating stock car, truck, open wheel, sprint and motorcycle racing across roughly 2,000 acres along Alabama 158 off Interstate 65.
The corps said in a news release issued Friday that the project would have "no significant impacts" on the area.
A group critical of Alabama Motor sports Park, however, said the corps likely should have done more analysis.
Casi Callaway, executive director of the environmental group Mobile Bay Keeper, said that more than a month ago the organization requested the results of a complete environmental im pact analysis, but the corps had not provided the information as of Friday.
"If the project goes forward, we will watch it closely," she said. "We are excited that there will be no impacts, but we are a little doubtful that that's the way it works. We seriously question whether they've done a full analysis."
In June, federal officials invited criticism at an open forum in Saraland and said the project's impact to 84 acres of wetlands and 3,119 feet of stream habitat has been cut almost in half from what was originally planned.
"Due to the concerns raised in these comments, the applicant made major revisions to the request, which resulted in a dramatic drop in impacts to wetlands and streams," the release stated.
Callaway countered that studies from the corps had been done in drought years.
"We don't trust that the wetlands are only where they say they are," she said. "We will still monitor every single shovel that goes into the ground on that racetrack site."
Officials pushing the project forward from across Mobile County have predicted that the raceway will provide 5,000 permanent jobs and 190 days of entertainment.
Davis added that the $650 million construction project would be the "largest sole venture" to positively impact Prichard's economy in his lifetime. He said he envisions hotels, businesses and even possibly a water park spurning from the development.
"It will be a true benefit for this whole region," Davis said. "This gives our citizens an opportunity to go out and find jobs."

Northrop says company is committed to building tankers in Mobile /byBy GEORGE TALBOT


Saturday, December 06, 2008
Political Editor
The U.S. Air Force tanker program could deliver a tremendous economic stimulus at a time of great need for the country, a top executive with Northrop Grumman Corp. said Friday in Mobile.
Wes Bush, president and chief operating officer for Los Angeles-based Northrop, said Friday that the Air Force's primary objective is to find the best aircraft at the best price to taxpayers.
But, he said, the program's potential to create jobs should be an incentive for the Obama administration to move forward quickly with a new competition.
"This program represents a true investment in America's economy and creates a new economic engine for the nation," Bush said during a news conference at the Battle House Hotel in downtown Mobile. "It creates jobs in America when we need them most."
Northrop and its bidding partner, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., are vying against Chicago-based Boeing Co. for the potential $40 billion tanker contract.
If successful, the Northrop-EADS team would assemble its KC-45 tankers in Mobile, creating 1,500 direct jobs at a $600 million aircraft production complex to be constructed at Brookley Field.
Bush said the project would help create a high-tech aerospace corridor along the Gulf Coast and spur the creation of 48,000 jobs nationwide.
Rival Boeing would assemble its KC-767 tankers on its commercial aircraft production line in Everett, Wash., and modify them for military use in Wichita, Kan. The company has said its tanker program would support 44,000 new and existing American jobs.
The Air Force selected Northrop for the contract last year, but the deal was scrapped after federal auditors, acting on a protest filed by Boeing, found problems with the way the Air Force conducted its evaluation.
That led Defense Secretary Robert Gates to order a rematch beginning next year. Gates was recently tapped by President-elect Obama to continue in his current role, giving Gates oversight of the tanker contest.
Bush said Gates' familiarity with the program should help expedite the competition, describing the reappointment as "a very positive step."
Bush said there is an urgent need to replace the Air Force's aging fleet of KC-135 tankers, which average nearly 50 years in service.
"We are encouraging the new administration to rapidly resume the program," Bush said. "Doing so would enhance our national security and bring badly needed economic benefit to our nation."
Air Force officials have said that a new competition could take anywhere from 1 to 4 years to complete. Bush said he would like to see a faster turnaround, beginning with the issuance of a new request for bids early next year.
"We believe the Defense Department and Air Force can restart the tanker competition by quickly releasing an amended request for proposals," Bush said.
"While some have suggested that the new request should be delayed well into 2010, it is clear to us that the (Pentagon) can quickly remedy the minor procedural errors identified in the previous acquisition process and issue an amended RFP early in 2009."

why did this thread die? It was going pretty swell. Any updates from Mobile?

Yeah, really. With a CSA of over 1 million you would think there would be enough people on the boards and projects in development to keep this thread going.

Here is the problem with this region of the country (and why a thread can die with so many people in that area). We live in an area that is the last to reap benifits of a boom and the first to fall in a bust. I'm from Pensacola, very nearby Mobile and tied to it econmically and culturally here on the Gulf Coast. When I joined this and SSP, Mobile was adding billion dollar industry possiblities every day and my town of Pensacola had about a dozen mid-rise condo type projects approved for downtown. I thought it was going to be fun to post here and give lots of "progress" updates.

But understand, Pensacola (the actual city...they managed to cover Perdido with high rises in the meantime) started getting this flurry of investment condo stuff at the tail end of Miami building hundreds of high rises and Atlanta building dozens upon dozens. The proposals were just as serious as all those big city ones....but time ran out on that specualtive economy before anything tangible could get off the ground here. But it always does. The first projects to be pulled in such a shaky economy are these types of projects while ones in a place like ATL hang on with hope for brighter days.

It has died here because all of that potential and positive emotion sorta got flushed down the tubes at the first hints this economy was falling apart. Mobile still has a lot going for it from previous committs though. The steel plant will open. It's to much invested to quit now. Politics of the tanker make that opportunity iffy at best. Nicely growing port. But outside whatever boost any of this can give the area...the other speculation is so totally dead that it leaves us with nothing to even dream about. There is no "redefining skyline" coming to Pensacola and there probably never will be a boom lasting long enough for it to ever happen. We are sorta sunk emotionally when it comes to those types of ideas.

Yes the area has well over a million people scattered around in reasonably close proximity. But it is still viewed as the place to run from at the first sign of instability it would seem to me. So my batteries aren't very charged to post. And there really isn't anything to post that wouldn't be laughed at as it isn't on the scale of other places.

Actually, I've gotten the impression that Mobile has weathered the recession better than most cities its size.

Dale, as I mentioned Mobile has a steel mill to open soon and a port that is growing quite rapidly. It will weather the storm as well as could be possible. But it is hard to translate that to the kind of projects you are used to seeing here. I've got no red-steel erector set pictures to show you of a 20-floor building rising. The area will continue to grow. But I'm not sure what it will take for us as an area to be motivated to join this community in quite the same numbers way some of our faster growing friends do. Of course, that may have a lot to do with people here not necesarrily being as "urban" motivated as most of us here. That group probably includes me too. The politics are a bit different for the masses. But I wouldn't want to leave for anything.

Mobile Press-Register (http://blog.al.com/press-register-business/2011/05/thyssenkrupp_says_it_wants_to.html)


ThyssenKrupp says it wants to divest stainless unit, effects on Calvert, Ala., plant unclear

Published: Thursday, May 05, 2011

By Jeff Amy, Press-Register Press-Register

http://media.wkrg.com/images/news/2010/03/hiring_30_workers_a_week_442_295_s_100_images_wkrg_mobile_alabama_0_0_10_r_b_0_0.jpg

MOBILE Ala---ThyssenKrupp AG said Thursday that it's going to look again at divesting its stainless steel unit, a move that could leave two owners sharing the $5 billion facility that Germany's largest steelmaker has built in Calvert.

"The separation from ThyssenKrupp will result in an independent European market and quality leader within the stainless steel industry, giving stainless the opportunity to develop its competitive position with greater flexibility -- also with regard to potential strategic partnerships," the company said in a statement.

Ulrich Albrecht-Frueh, chief executive officer of Calvert-based ThyssenKrupp Stainless USA, said he wasn't authorized to comment Thursday.

The company's statement was released near midnight in Germany, and officials there could not be reached.

The announcement, which also included plans to sell or reorganize some auto-parts units, is the first big move under Heinrich Hiesinger's leadership of ThyssenKrupp.

Overall, the units involved had 10 million euros ($14.6 billion) in sales last year and 35,000 workers worldwide.

It wasn't clear if the announcement would have any effect on the completion of the stainless part of the Calvert complex.

The centerpiece of the stainless section is a melt shop, which would turn scrap into new stainless steel. ThyssenKrupp delayed construction of the melt shop because of the recession and a company cash crunch, but decided last fall to go ahead, and is now sprinting toward a late 2012 opening date.

Within ThyssenKrupp, the stainless business unit is already separately managed from carbon steel.

At the Calvert complex, stainless and carbon steel operations share the hot strip mill, the first step in processing steel, along with support units such as a barge dock and water treatment.

The stainless unit has almost 400 employees now, with a target of 900. The larger carbon unit has 1,350 people, headed toward a target of 1,800 employees.

Sales and profit can fluctuate widely for stainless operations, in part because stainless steel includes high-value ingredients such as nickel.

The European stainless steel business is burdened with overcapacity and ThyssenKrupp had previously investigated mergers with other stainless producers, though as Europe's largest stainless manufacturer, antitrust issues could have arisen.

ThyssenKrupp gave up on merger talks and said it would work on its own to improve profits. In December, the firm said it would close a stainless cold rolling mill in Benrath, Germany, and invest more than 100 million euros to move it to a larger complex in Krefeld, Germany.

The business in North America is healthier, although ThyssenKrupp's competitors have voiced fear that its big melt shop in Calvert could trigger overcapacity.

The world's largest steelmaker, ArcelorMittal, spun off its stainless business this year into a new firm called Aperam, saying it believed investors would put more value on the stainless unit when alone.

ThyssenKrupp's stainless unit, with 11,000 employees worldwide, had 5.9 billion euros ($8.6 billion) in sales in the 2009-2010 year. It lost 121 million euros ($176 million) last year, but that was a big improvement from the 926 million euros it lost in 2008-2009.

Here's the story from a year ago:

Al.com (http://blog.al.com/live/2010/08/amsouth_building_becomes_the_r.html)


AmSouth building becomes the RSA-BankTrust building today

Published: Wednesday, August 25, 2010

http://media.al.com/live/photo/amsouth-buildingjpg-b5a75655629128ca.jpg

MOBILE, Ala. -- Mobile’s second-tallest office tower becomes the RSA-BankTrust Building today as the bank signs an agreement to lease 72,000-square feet in the 34-story structure at 107 St. Francis St.

The bank will lease 25 percent of the building, according to Joe Toole, leasing agent for the Retirement Systems of Alabama, which bought the building for $6.75 million in February 2009.

RSA Chief David Bronner had dubbed the former AmSouth building the “GM” — reversing the initials for Mardi Gras and planning a Carnival color scheme for renovations.

RSA is investing millions to update the façade and renovate the interior of the 1965 structure, a project that should be finished by March, according to RSA.

The bank will lease the first floor and floors 25 through 31 with plans to move its 100 employees there by September 2011, according to W. Bibb Lamar Jr., chief executive officer of BancTrust, the bank’s holding company.

“Having our name on the building was obviously very attractive,” Lamar said. “The new space will allow for future growth.”

RSA will also build a drive-up bank teller window.

The move will allow the bank to consolidate its downtown offices — a leased main branch on St. Joseph Street and an operations building on St. Louis and Royal streets, Lamar said.

The operations facility will be listed for sale.

Lamar said that he wanted to keep the bank’s headquarters downtown.

“Number one, we’re local,” he said. “And there’s been a lot of revitalization downtown, and downtown has always been the banking center.”

BankTrust has 11 branch offices in Mobile and Baldwin counties and is the largest community bank in Alabama, according to Lamar.

BankTrust had $513 million in deposits in Mobile and Baldwin counties at June 30, 2009, the most recent federal data available. That ranked sixth among banks, with 5.73 percent of total deposits in the counties.

Terms of the BankTrust lease were not released. Leasing agent Kate Irvine of John Toomey & Co. said the deal took two years to close.

After renovations, lease rates at the 280,000-square-foot RSA-BankTrust Building should range from $15 to $17 per square foot, according to Toole.

RSA had planned Carnival-inspired purple, green and gold colors in the lobby and open spaces, but that look has been toned down, according to Mike Fitzhugh, executive vice president of BankTrust and market president of the banking company’s Southern division.

“We mutually agreed on a business style,” he said.

---



And here's how the finished product should look:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a37/expatbaman/Mobile/RSA_BankTrust1.jpg

Complete with New Year's Moon Pie drop!

http://media.al.com/live/photo/9162590-large.jpg

http://images.worldnow.com/RAYCOMGROUP/images/13755955_BG1.jpg

Other than the Moon Pie, I honestly can't tell much of a difference. Yes, somewhat brighter, but still ungainly and dated.

Other than the Moon Pie, I honestly can't tell much of a difference. Yes, somewhat brighter, but still ungainly and dated.

I realized that the picture that was uploaded on June 8 2011 was taken Aug. 2010! So I shoved a crappy render in there!

I realized that the picture that was uploaded on June 8 2011 was taken Aug. 2010! So I shoved a crappy render in there!

That was a dirty trick! :bash:

That was a dirty trick! :bash:

What can I say? The only people taking pictures in Mobile either do Mardi Gras or beach grass on Dauphin Island! :dunno: