Our vision for improvements in our area begins to take shape with the help of professional planners and engineering staff. Imagine if Andrew Jackson Way had stores and apartments above them as in this picture; a lot of people liked that configuration! This sort of preference can/may lead to new zoning policy to make it a bit easier for a developer with vision to accomplish the makeover.
Check out the results of the last two meetings here:
When you walk on the Oak Park Trail, you will cross over a culvert on two bridges made by Northeast Huntsville friends and neighbors and other residents of Madison County. The first bridge was made by members of the mountain biking club called SORBA Huntsville; it’s a sturdy beauty. The second bridge, also sturdy, was built solely with hand tools from start to finish; felling, splitting, hewing, and making and driving pegs. Jacob Chancery introduced us to the tools and techniques used for at least 200 years to make the bridge.
We knew the wood had to be naturally rot resistant to be sure the bridge lasts a long time, and we wanted harvest the wood locally. We decided on black locust which grows quickly in areas with lots of sun. Brandon Perry of the Land Trust of North Alabama marked some trees that could be harvested, and fortunately they were only a few miles from our project site. We worked two weekends on the bridge. I hope you enjoy this video of our project!
The trails need improvements and we will built more “slow” bridges by hand. Get updates by texting ‘trail’ to 84483
Please join our Association to help build bridges between ALL residents of NE Huntsville! Contributions support the ways we promote the area as a great place to live and improve the quality of life in NE Huntsville.
The inaugural Tweed Ride on Nov 12th was a hit! Mike Smith came from Madison with his penny-farthing, sitting atop his saddle at 8 ft tall. He did the entire loop!
classic clothes for classic event
The riders came from all points of the compass and they discovered the businesses on Meridian Street- our western border of our service area. At the end of the ride, the staff at Mad Malts welcomed everyone with fire pits and smiles, the Josh Couts Jazz Band warmed spirits, and the two food trucks Beast Mode and Doctor BBQ were a great complement to one another. If the joy of bicycling is something you want to promote for our area and you will help out for the next ride, contact Brandy at
tweedridehsv@gmail.com
Brandy is intentional about building a group who will keep it going. In this, the inaugural event, the NE Hsv Civic Association contributed some money and provided the hot tea in the park along. This type of riding is an international phenomenon.
Incidentally, George Hamilton of Old Town hosts a casual bike ride held on the last Sunday of the month. Gather at Huntville Middle School and leave at 2 pm, for a short distance 6-8 miles. The pace is conversational, no spandex needed. Sorta like a mini tweed ride, w/out the old fashioned clothes.
A Need
The Homeowners Association of Saddletree needs an audit of its books by a Public Accountant. If you know an accountant who is a CPA or works at a CPA firm and will review the ‘books’ for this group either free or for a nominal fee, please contact the president of the HOA, Ms. Sherri Rhoads rhoads.sherrie@comcast.net
A List
A great community of all of NE starts with your block!
If you are a member and you get something going for the benefit of the neighbors on the few blocks near you, we may be able to help you with some materials and perhaps a little money and PR. Contact us! nehsvcivicassn@gmail.com We have a small “exec” committee so our decisions don’t take long.
A Market
Chapman School Merry Market Sat. Dec 9th 10 am – 2 pm
The teachers at Chapman sold booths to raise money for the National Junior Honor Society for a trip to Memphis to see the National Civil Rights Museum and The University of Mississippi, as well as the Greenpower Team and the Chapman Cheerleaders. There are many holiday markets, but this one will benefit our future leaders! Please pop over:
A few more helpful ( I hope so ) tidbits:
Be sure to use See Click Fixto report pot holes, street lights out, illegal dumping, zombie houses, etc, anywhere in our city. Open an account and use it often.
Contact the Community Watch Associationto find out who is organizing a watch group for your area. We know that members Joe Jefferson and Jean Arndt are spending lots of time on that. Thank you!
Sign our petition to obtain Public Access on-line to current crime reports. Our city is far behind on what is standard operating procedure in many cities, including Nashville.
Please stay healthy…let’s get some Vitamin D and some exercise! Everyone can park at the Oak Park fields and do some hiking from the trailhead there, it’s beautiful! Please help Scott Akridge with the improvements and maintenance of the trails; all hands welcome. Tools provided. Either send Scott a note via nehsvcivicassn@gmail.com OR sign up for notices of work days: Just send a text TRAIL to 84463. This work is a commitment we make as Trail Care Partners of the Land Trust. Did we mention that we FEED our volunteers, thanks to Ted’s BBQ and Galens!
Brunswick stew for the crew!
Oak Park Trails behind the concession stand of eastern-most baseball field
Lastly, we spent a little money from our account to thank our Firefighters for their service, too. We delivered a Smoked Whole Turkey from TED’s BBQ to station # 2. They like That kind of smoke! Please keep your space heaters away from other objects! (And consider updating your electric wiring if you live in a house built in the late 50’s or the 60’s.)
Stephanie Pinto can smell the good kind of smoke- turkey from Ted’s BBQ
We had 8 brave souls show up for the work day this morning which started out at 14 degrees F. It was cold but thankfully the sun was shining and we didn’t have much wind.
We continued working on the new Dallas Branch trail, which was started after Thanksgiving on the Land Trust of North Alabama’s Monte Sano Mountain Preserve located in Northeast Huntsville, Alabama.
In preparation for the workday, the entire trail had been blown of leaves and debris which was instrumental in the group being so effective in their efforts. We broke out the tools and shortly after 9 a.m. began a short walk to where we began working clipping vines, grubbing (i.e. digging) out trees, cleaning the trail of brush, overhanging limbs, removing rocks, etc. We did take a short break and ate brownies but not to long because you’d begin to get cold again.
We knocked off at noon and ate pizza, provided by the Northeast Huntsville Civic Association, together and talked about trails, the hikers social coming up on Jan. 18th, plus other things. Tatyana helped in the group celebrating the Orthodox Christian Christmas which was yesterday with candy presents that we all received.
All of the high quality photos were provided by Kenn, who graciously supplied them and seemed to enjoy taking. If you’d like to get involved with Trail Crew work days, just send a text message with the word trail to 84483 and you’ll receive notifications.
Yes, there are auto shops, a party rental store, and electric supply stores on Meridian. There are also iconic and out-right uber cool new retail sites now, and the success of the Lincoln Academy and Village can’t be understated. And NOW, just for FUN, this Sunday is the inaugural Tweed Ride in Huntsville starting and ending at businesses right off Meridian Street. It is a regional draw….yes, it’s a thing and we are just now hearing about it!
Lowry House, 1205 Kildare St
Tweed Rides are an internationally popular way to mix it up with people devoted to leisure for an afternoon, wearing fine or vintage street clothes, exploring the city on slow bikes, talking to each other, enjoying a spot of tea at the park and picnicking with a jazz band. A group from Memphis is coming to Meridian Street with their Bone Shaker Bikes!
Beth Norwood, host at WLRH public radio and a resident of our area, interviewed Brandy Baird and me, Frances, on Nov. 8th to learn more about the NEHCA and the ride. The Darwin Downs neighbors received a special shout-out as the Original Tiny House Community.
Shakers and Movers since 2006
The Tweed Ride is also the first time our Association is sponsoring a special event to showcase the progress on Meridian Street, the western “limit” of our service area. Think of downtown as the heart with arteries like Meridian Street. Much of the progress on Meridian is a because of private investments, later supported by city investments in street scape as mentioned in the 2006 Downtown Master Plan.
The most recent investment is in the rennovation of the Lincoln Mill Commissary building, formerly home to an antique store and stage theatre. The very current and classy Preservation Company will fill part of the building. Holt Leather Company will sell high end goods from the other section, and they employ 35 people making the goods sold all over the country.
Ten years ago people would have thought you crazy to visualize Meridian Street as home to a renovated Lincoln Mill business center (thanks Ana and Jim Byrne and Wayne Bonner), an uber cool retail stores in a renovated Lincoln Mill Commissary (thanks, Butler family), a flourishing Lincoln Village Ministry (thanks Mark Stern, Southward Presbyterian, First Baptist, and other churches). The Downtown Master Plan of 2006 put Meridian street on the radar, and the private investments were complemented by attractive street lights, long sidewalks, bike lanes, and new construction design standards.
When you hear the call to participate in the Master Planning Process or The Big Picture this winter, please make every effort to attend, will you?
In any event, make a visit to the interior of Lincoln Mill, check out the shops in the Lincoln Mill Commissary, volunteer at Lincoln Academy, and while you are here, enjoy the sound of old fashioned commerce rolling through our area! (Warren Buffet is watching BSNF, too.)
The first session of the Five Points and Northeast Huntsville Master plan was productive. Have a look at the list of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats! More to come in January.
To: Your Highnesses of Five Points and All other Points in NE Huntsville, being kings and queens of your castle
From:Your humble and professional Staff of Huntsville Planning and Zoning and the elected leads of the NE Huntsville Civic Association
You are invited to the first Big Picture planning session for our small area, to scheme and dream of the perfect community surrounding your castle, and to clarify what you want done with our tax dollars and contributions earmarked for the city budget!
Join the BIG Picture planning session on October 17th at 6PM at the Cooper House (405 Randolph Ave. SE). You will be able to participate in interactive exercises to help your civil servants create a Small Area Master Plan for the neighborhoods. This event is free and open to the public. People who RENT or Own Rentals are also welcome!
Before the meeting, please consider asking yourself: “When money is no object, and I am in charge, I will ( build, tear down, improve) ___________ for my community. What do I enjoy most about the area and what do I want to improve? What are the opportunities to create a close knit, healthy community? What will I spent my cajillion dollars on?
Is this worthwhile?
Your highness, as king and queen of your castle, be assured this process is important becauseit will inform future capital expenditures in the area.
For example, so far:
the Ditto Landing Master Plan resulted in new programming and construction on the river
and
the Downtown Master Plan fostered new private investment in housing and commercial services, and at the commoner’s street level, the construction of dedicated bike lane and improved walk ways.
Planning staff has identified six principles that will guide the final plan:
Build a Live/Work/Thrive Community
Expand a Sustainable, Resilient Economy
Design a Mobile and Accessible Transportation Network
Maintain a Network of Exceptional Education
Support Local Arts and Culture
Develop Healthy and Active Neighborhoods
Small Area Plans are created from public input and are tailored to the unique challenges facing neighborhoods and opportunity sites. Do mark your calendar, your highness:
Adam Rosetta was baffled by the sight of something strange on our Land Trust Trails out of Oak Park, in particular, on the Dallas Branch Trail. He shared the sight with others on the Nextdoor.com site but no one else could back him up on the sighting. Adam, living right next door to me, knew he could count on the Association to back him up. The best we can do, we said, was get everyone together to look for it. Join us! Send a text to 84483 with the letters: EventsOP to get updates.
Our villages are changing, especially in in Five Points- for now. Smallish mill-village houses are replaced by 30 ft. tall houses covering 40% of a 40 x 100 ft. lot. Cottages in a commercial zone are torn down on Pratt and sit fallow-for now. Some say we are under siege by developers and builders, others see simple business opportunity in the adage location, location, location.
During the special meeting on July 26 with the director of current zoning regulations, we learned that there are no back-room special deals going on nor any secret subdivision of property in Five Points. The “Big Four” on Pratt are built on narrow, deep lots that exist by plat made in 1892. The previous house was built across the lot lines. The town homes on Dement are also built “by right” in a higher density zone of R2,
west of Andrew Jackson, by submitting construction plans and applying for a building permit.
We learned that all property in Five Points east of Andrew Jackson is zoned for single family homes, even where the apartment buildings and trailer court stand. When an apartment building is renovated, it can remain, but if it is torn down, the owner must receive a variance through public hearing to replace the apartments otherwise only single family homes can go on the land. As for the land where Emma’s tea room stood, the front of the parcel is still zoned commercial, the back facing the athletic field is residential. Any change to that arrangement is by public hearing at the Planning Commission.
After the special meeting, a small think tank of residents convened to discuss how the culture of our mill villages may be preserved. People bought in Five Points because it is eclectic and people still set a spell on their front porch and wave. Thinkers asked: How might new construction occur while preserving the village culture? These residents also convened to list their preferences for ways to improve the quality of life in the area. Their thoughts and preferences are a great jump start for All of Us to participate in the making of a Neighborhood Master Plan that will guide priorities for city budget expenditures and public/private joint ventures.
The first opportunity get together to put a pencil to topics such as housing, roads, parks, business districts, and more is on OCTOBER 17, location to be announced.
Are all the tear-downs and re-builds a good thing?
What could go on the parcels at 401 Pratt where Emma’s Tea Room and another cottage was torn down? What about the parcels right behind them, next to the Goldsmith Schiffman field?
How did the four huge houses at Pratt and Maysville get approval to be built?
How did the tall row houses on Dement get approval to go there?
How does a property owner get approval to split or combine lots and / or re-define what is built there?
What might neighbors do to preserve the culture and aesthetics of the mill village area?
Let’s talk about it with city planners and construction experts.
Wednesday, July 26th 6:30 pm at Optimist Rec. Center, 703 Oakwood Avenue- near Andrew Jackson Way
Our villages are changing, especially in in Five Points- for now. Smallish mill-village houses are replaced by 30 ft. tall houses covering 40% of a 40 x 100 ft. lot. Cottages in a commercial zone are torn down on Pratt and sit fallow-for now. Some say we are under siege by developers and builders, others see simple business opportunity in the adage location, location, location.
