Twelve things I'd like to see in Huntsville (Madison, Cuba: transplants, real estate)

[Charles]

OK, this isn't a bashing. This is designed to seed some constructive thought. Just about every one of these things can be shot down due to expense, community culture, or more hassle than it's worth. But, this is City-Data forum, an avenue for discussion and fun. (Besides, the Huntsville CD forum can be a little dull sometimes. There's got to be more interesting things to write about than 128 posts on the best pizza restaurants.) So here goes:

1. Less commercial advertising signage on main roads.
2. Less overhead power lines. Raise my taxes or rates $200/year and bury them.
3. More ethnic, non chain, hole in the wall restaurants
4. More street signs with the name of an upcoming street ahead (currently you have to slow down to 10MPH to see the small print street sign....How about some heads up a hundred yards earlier?)
5. Some sort of focused beautification of Memorial Parkway. It's ugly and it is one of the main drives in Huntsville.
6. Fight and spend and end the desegregation order.
7. Recognition that Hampton Cove is not a city; It is not Owens Crossroads; It is Huntsville. If you live in Hampton Cove, you live in Huntsville. Too bad the postal service doesn't work it that way.
8. Less streets that change names. If you drive from Four Mile Post/Whitesburg to NE Hampton Cove you are essentially on the same road with four different name changes in less than 8 miles.
9. There is no Number 9.
10. More secular preschools. (Quiz: What are the Rave movie theater, Hampton Cove Elementary school and Hampton Cove Middle school all serving as on Sunday mornings?)
11. More neighborhood parks with playground equipment.
12. Less banks.

[Sarges Dad]

Very good. I like all except they would take my extra $200.00 taxes and blow it elsewhere. LOL

[Elizabeth_G]

Charles, Ditto, Ditto, Ditto, etc. Memorial Parkway is disgusting. Hampton Cove is Huntsville, but not according to the Post Office, as you said. AMEN to fewer streets that change names. What is up with that? Agreed that we need more non chain restaurants!
MLS also needs to allow consumers to view addresses and square footage, lol. Good luck with that one
I live in Madison and we have many great neighborhood parks. Agreed that Huntsville does have a shortage in many areas.
We certainly need a sign ordinance....again, Memorial Parkway. Disgusting. No rhyme or reason.
We need a completed jail that won't bankrupt the city
We need an Ikea. (Hey, it's worth a shot)

[Reactionary]

#2 Burying the power lines would also mitigate storm damage and power outages.

isell - I like IKEA, and I'll raise you an H&M...

[Marc45002]

I would like to see fewer California transplants.

I left California 30 years ago to get away from Californians; now they seem to all be following me.

I am afraid that so many move to Huntsville (and other places) because they are different and then try to change them to be like their old home town.

Marc

[rnc76]

No disagreements here. A couple more for you. 13) Get rid of the assinine downtown height ordinance. Implement a reasonable buffer zone adjacent to the historic districts and let the rest of downtown develop. 14) In addition to Memorial Parkway, University from the Parkway to Research Park Blvd doesn't look much better. 15) Also, get rid of the public housing projects. It is a failed social experiment. Plus, in Huntsville, they seem to be sitting on prime real estate.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Marc45002

I left California....

Originally Posted by Marc45002

We are relocating to Huntsville this fall..

Originally Posted by Marc45002

...so many....try to change...to be like their old home town.

How would you like to make Huntsville more like California?

[zenjenn]

The streets and signage do take some getting used to after driving on crisp new western roads with signs that spoon-feed you your location. A lot of what you mention has to do with just the age of the area. I'd hate to see the upset of a major project of doing stuff like burying all the overhead lines, but new areas have underground lines and I'm sure as various opportunities present themselves, over time as lines and roads age or get destroyed by forces of nature and need to be replaced, things will be upgraded. But, it's not realistic to think that there's any realistic way to make a city of this age to have a "project" to make it look like areas in California or Colorado that are less 50 years old, and if there was, I don't think $200 a year would be enough to do it.

In regards to secular preschool, one of Obama's plans is to offer public preschool, so your wish may be granted. I'd personally love to see a Jewish preschool, but failing that, yes, the non-Christian options are limited to Montessori, Primrose, or Jumping Jack's.

[harry chickpea]

Charles, you need to move to south Florida.

1. Less commercial advertising signage on main roads.

Check. No room.

2. Less overhead power lines. Raise my taxes or rates $200/year and bury them.

Check, done and done.

3. More ethnic, non chain, hole in the wall restaurants

Check. Hope you like Cuban and south American food.

4. More street signs with the name of an upcoming street ahead (currently you have to slow down to 10MPH to see the small print street sign....How about some heads up a hundred yards earlier?)

Check. Rear-lit huge street signs. Very nice.

5. Some sort of focused beautification of Memorial Parkway. It's ugly and it is one of the main drives in Huntsville.

Check. One of my pet peeves of the south Florida area is that it goes overboard in this regard and spends millions.

6. Fight and spend and end the desegregation order.

Check. Just don't send your kid to a public school if you want them to be educated.

7. Recognition that Hampton Cove is not a city; It is not Owens Crossroads; It is Huntsville. If you live in Hampton Cove, you live in Huntsville. Too bad the postal service doesn't work it that way.

More or less check. If you live anywhere but Fisher Island, you live in south Florida more than in Miami or Ft Lauderdale, etc.

8. Less streets that change names. If you drive from Four Mile Post/Whitesburg to NE Hampton Cove you are essentially on the same road with four different name changes in less than 8 miles.

More or less check. The street names change depending on the popularity of the current sports legend. The stadium names change as regularly as stoplights.

9. There is no Number 9.

Check. Kids in south Florida can't count that high.

10. More secular preschools. (Quiz: What are the Rave movie theater, Hampton Cove Elementary school and Hampton Cove Middle school all serving as on Sunday mornings?)

Uncheck. Movie theatres are popular spots for new churches. The money is appreciated.

11. More neighborhood parks with playground equipment.

Check. Surprisingly, south Florida is good at this.

12. Less banks.

Heh. That will work itself out.


See? You just need to move.

[Southlander]

Originally Posted by isellhuntsville

Memorial Parkway is disgusting.

You should have seen it before they re-made it into the "roller coaster." It was unlimited access.
Things could be worse.