Mayor Battle says Huntsville Depot building ‘not going anywhere’

Last month, the City of Huntsville asked for input on future plans for the Huntsville Depot property, and more than 1,000 Huntsville residents have responded.

The tremendous response from residents has given city leaders a better sense of concerns and preferences residents have over the plan.

Huntsville Depot building ‘not going anywhere,’ mayor says

Almost 1,500 people responded to an online survey on the issue, and the city saw a strong turnout for public input sessions at the Roundhouse on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Based on input from the citizen survey, city leaders immediately addressed two main issues:

1. The Depot is not going anywhere. “We are not tearing it down. It will be here,” said Mayor Tommy Battle.
2. This process is merely at the starting point. Citizens who couldn’t attend the public input sessions or didn’t get a chance to take the online survey did not miss out on their chance to give input. There will be more public meetings and online surveys as the project continues to evolve.

City leaders said they want to explore all options before identifying a financially feasible and sustainable plan for this public amenity. Multi-use plans and public-private partnerships will be considered.

“There is a lot of space here. We’re not going to pick one use and run with it. There is a lot of different opportunities to program this space.”

Dennis Madsen, Manager of Urban and Long-Range Planning

The 7-acre depot property includes:

• The historic depot building, baggage platform and associated outbuildings
• A 1980s reproduction roundhouse and turntable
• A Victorian-style house reproduction, open-air pavilion and green spaces
• Parking areas and a greenway connecting to Gateway Park and downtown

What are some ideas for the Huntsville Depot site?

Ideas for the property have ranged from a public park and recreation complex to restaurant/retail options and other commercial uses. We polled our LinkedIn audience last month on what they would like to see at the site, and the results were mixed:

Madsen said some factors need to be considered before any ideas take off:

• The grassy park between the Depot and Roundhouse is in a flood plain, which would create issues for new construction.
• The park also serves as a link in the City’s greenway plan, connecting Gateway Greenway Park off Meridian Street and the Huntsville Madison County Veterans Memorial along Monroe Street with Big Spring Park via the bike lane along Spragins Street.
• An apartment complex is not a consideration for the site.

More public meetings will be announced as the process continues.

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