A lot has happened this month, and I was gone for the weekend, so this update is a few days late.

Huntsville approves construction of greenway in south Huntsville
Greenways continue to expand, this time a 1.5 mile connection between Green Cove Road/Buxton Road and Hobbs Road/Redstone Road.

City approves partnership to expand affordable housing in northwest Huntsville
Unless I’m misunderstanding, the city made a press release to announce they are building an affordable home. One. One single affordable home. Very odd to spend the time and money on just one single house, but I guess they get to technically say they are building affordable housing.

Retail opportunities expanding in downtown Huntsville
About 300 sqft of new retail is coming to the ground floor of the parking deck on Clinton Avenue. I really like seeing more small retail spaces. This gives small businesses more opportunities to set up shop. As someone looking for retail space, its been a struggle finding something small. Most retail spaces for rent are 1,500 sqft or above. Some businesses just need a tiny space, and we should have more options for that.

$78 million Huntsville project moves a step closer: Here’s what’s included
This is the Pinhook Creek flood mitigation and Skybridge project. The flood mitigation part, which is the most costly part of the project, is expected to start soon. The project as a whole isn’t expected to be completed until late 2028.
The skybridge is being constructed to help reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities. Along with the skybridge, additional pedestrian and cyclist bridges and greenways will be added near the convention center that connect the bridge to the convention center, making it safe and convenient for people to walk or bike to the convention Center.

And finally, the thing I am personally most excited about;
New bike lane on 9th ave towards Lowe Mill! This is original reporting by me. The bike lane extends from Triana Blvd to 1st street.

This is something I wrote about earlier this year, and something I have advocated for at multiple bike planning public meetings.I talked to several people about it, so I think someone listened, and we got the bike lane 🙂
As mentioned in my earlier article, the reason its such a perfect road to feature a bike lane is because;

9th ave sw is a wide 4 lane residential road that leads to Lowe Mill. This road would benefit from a wide protected bike lane for multiple reasons;

• The car traffic count is low and decreasing.
• The road connects to a bicycle shop, coffee shop, and Lowe Mill, all of which encourage local bike traffic.
• It connects to the future sky bridge, giving cyclists in the lowe mill or westlawn neighborhoods a safe route to access the bridge.

The only thing we need now is a small bike lane along the rest of 9th avenue. The rest of the street is a 2 lane road, but its a wide 2 lanes. Notice how the mailboxes are several feet away from the road, meaning the pavement can be extended even wider to accommodate a bike lane without any mailboxes or utility poles being moved

This way we can have the protected bike lane on Governors House Dr connect fully with 9th ave, instead of having a segmented bike network like we have now.

Thats it for the news from October. Reminder that this Friday, November 7th, there will be a Strong Towns meeting at 6:30pm at Stovehouse! Come stop by and chat. We will be there until at least 8pm.
Also remember to stay connected through subscribing to the email list, following on bluesky, or joining the discord server.