Huntsville/Madison Development News (Birmingham, Tuscaloosa: advertise, city hall, hotel)

[MisterEd51]

Originally Posted by cooldiver

Wow, walk-ups? I thought that was just an NYC thing.

A NYC thing? Some of us have never lived in a big city so I had to look it up.


Walk Up Apartments: What are They & How to Find Them


The higher the floor the more fun it is moving in or out of a walk up apartment!

[harry chickpea]

Originally Posted by MisterEd51

A NYC thing? Some of us have never lived in a big city so I had to look it up.


Walk Up Apartments: What are They & How to Find Them


The higher the floor the more fun it is moving in or out of a walk up apartment!

I lived in a 3rd floor walk up in Vermont for a while. Groceries were an ongoing pain.

I am not understanding how there are still walk-ups allowed in new construction. They are obviously not ADA compliant.

[djmaxwell]

Originally Posted by cooldiver

Wow, walk-ups? I thought that was just an NYC thing.

Aren't most apartments around here walk-ups?

[Hoping2retire]

Originally Posted by AU HSV

The newest park in Huntsville opened this past week, Legacy Park in North Huntsville.
This at the site of the old J.O. Johnson high school. Mae Jemison High School replaced Johnson
back in 2016.

You know you're getting old when they're tearing down high schools you helped build. My first job after high school was helping build J.O. Johnson high school in the summer of '68.

[Jakeweg]

Originally Posted by djmaxwell

Aren't most apartments around here walk-ups?

That's what I was thinking.....?

[apollorockit]

Originally Posted by djmaxwell

Aren't most apartments around here walk-ups?

Most of the complexes I've been to in the area have elevators if there are more than 2 floors.

[David1502]

Originally Posted by apollorockit

Most of the complexes I've been to in the area have elevators if there are more than 2 floors.

I'm not so sure about that - I know particularly the apartment complexes in Town Madison which have 4 floors don't have elevators, just stairs. In the future, with an aging population, it may be difficult to lease the upper floors.

The five story apartments in Mid City have elevators which is an advantage because even if you're on th second floor, you can still use the elevator.

[cooldiver]

Originally Posted by David1502

I'm not so sure about that - I know particularly the apartment complexes in Town Madison which have 4 floors don't have elevators, just stairs. In the future, with an aging population, it may be difficult to lease the upper floors.

I had no idea, especially at TM where I thought everything was supposed to be upscale.

[AU HSV]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

I thought apartment construction might be slowing down some (based on this site, just under 2000 units through June 24: https://maps.huntsvilleal.gov/permitstats/) but I guess I was wrong. Up to about 3,400 so far this year, in addition to the outrageous numbers from the last couple of years.

Sounds like a slow down will be the coming trend, there has probably been over 20,000 units built the last few years.

Dennis Madsen with the City Planning Division said around 9,000 apartment units are under construction right now in Huntsville.

“Creating more opportunities for diverse housing I think is the best approach to dealing with our growth,” Madsen said.

Last week, the city planning commission approved even more apartment complexes to be built. But with so many complexes already being built, Madsen expects apartment growth to slow in the coming years.
Huntsville Area Association of Realtors President Christopher Hulser-Hoover said while there is a demand for apartment-living in our area, there is also a lack of affordable single family homes. He hopes the city and developers will switch their focus to developing houses that people can afford to purchase.

“I wish our leaders would re-look at the number of apartments they are approving and building and look at the number of single family homes that are needed whether it’s a single family individual or a condo type. To help promote home ownership versus renting,” Hulser-Hoover said.

Madsen added that the city is trying to encourage developers to build more houses in the area, but as far as affordability, it’s a national problem. With high interest rates, many are not willing to move from old construction to new.
From WAFF

Hopefully that will be able to be the next wave of housing constructed.

[RocketDawg]

Originally Posted by AU HSV

Sounds like a slow down will be the coming trend, there has probably been over 20,000 units built the last few years.

Dennis Madsen with the City Planning Division said around 9,000 apartment units are under construction right now in Huntsville.

“Creating more opportunities for diverse housing I think is the best approach to dealing with our growth,” Madsen said.

Last week, the city planning commission approved even more apartment complexes to be built. But with so many complexes already being built, Madsen expects apartment growth to slow in the coming years.
Huntsville Area Association of Realtors President Christopher Hulser-Hoover said while there is a demand for apartment-living in our area, there is also a lack of affordable single family homes. He hopes the city and developers will switch their focus to developing houses that people can afford to purchase.

“I wish our leaders would re-look at the number of apartments they are approving and building and look at the number of single family homes that are needed whether it’s a single family individual or a condo type. To help promote home ownership versus renting,” Hulser-Hoover said.

Madsen added that the city is trying to encourage developers to build more houses in the area, but as far as affordability, it’s a national problem. With high interest rates, many are not willing to move from old construction to new.
From WAFF

Hopefully that will be able to be the next wave of housing constructed.

I suppose it's all relative. Lots of apartments are being built, but also a lot of single-family homes in the area. Last year, Madison County had 3,137 single-family houses permitted while so far this year (through May) there have been 1,418 which is about the same pace. Huntsville has had 580 so far this year, and 1083 in 2022. Much of the construction has been in unincorporated areas of Madison County.

In contrast, Mobile County (a county with similar population as Madison) has only had 333 houses permitted so far this year (and the City of Mobile only 49 single family houses permitted), and last year had 739 in the county and only 84 for the entirety of 2022 in the city of Mobile.

The data source is https://socds.huduser.gov/permits/index.html? which seems to be good for single-family homes but not accurate at all for apartments, especially in Madison County. A good source for both houses and apartments for the city of Huntsville only is https://maps.huntsvilleal.gov/permitstats/