July was a very busy month with a lot to recap.

First we’ll remind everyone our next meetup in on August 7th. Anyone is welcome to join our public meetups to learn more.

Now for the stories, with the 2 most important updates up first on how you can voice your concerns and ideas:

City to provide update on University Drive corridor study, seeking continued public insight
On Wednesday, Aug. 12, the City will hold a public meeting to discuss findings on the University Drive Transit Oriented Development Study. The meeting will be from 6-8 p.m. in Room 621, Huntsville City Hall.
Huntsville has the chance to have the best public transit of any city in Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi with investment into a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line. High-speed bus lines with dedicated bus lanes are a huge quality of life improvement that cities can develop. Not only will you never be stuck in traffic, emergency service vehicle will also be able to use the bus lane to respond to emergencies faster. More transit options mean when your car doesn’t start one morning, you aren’t stranded at home. It means no struggling to find parking during big events. When bus transit is fast and convenient, more people want to actually take the bus, reducing the number of cars (and traffic) on the road. I’ve experienced the advantages high quality bus transit brings to cities when they invest heavily in their transit systems. Its time we invest in our transit infrastructure and develop a world-class modern high speed bus system in Huntsville.

ALDOT wants your input!
ALDOT had a public input meeting a few weeks ago, and now they have an online form you can fill out. I attended the meeting. They were much more engaged with us compared to last time they held an input meeting ~2 years ago.
Did they have interest in transit? No, but they said they are willing to work with cities who want to expand their transit along state highways as long as studies have been performed that show it will be beneficial. So they probably won’t be a road block when it comes to adding a BRT line to university/72??

Rent keeps going up in Alabama. Which cities pay the most?
A common thing you’ll hear is that living in cities is too expensive, you have to live in the suburbs to find affordable housing. In Huntsville though, its the opposite. Rent in the city proper has the lowest average rent in the metro area. The huge surge in apartments over the past 5 years have kept rents low relative to surrounding cities.

All lanes on key Huntsville thoroughfare may be open by end of the year
The $35.3 million Northern Bypass project,from Pulaski Pike to North Memorial Parkway, will be complete soon. This essentially adds a partial ring road along the outer edge of the city.

City Council approves rezoning of Harris Farms for planned housing development
New housing developments are planned along the new Northern Bypass road.

Huntsville approves engineering design contract for Old Big Cove Road
The improvements on Old Big Cove Road will include additional lanes with curb and gutter as well as sidewalks, bike lanes and streetlights.

$200 million expansion of Von Braun Center part of funding from Huntsville’s new tax district
The TIF will generate $200m for the VBC and $5m each for the North Huntsville Beltline, Mill Creek Park, and Lowe Avenue improvements.

City Council approves 1 percent lodging tax to benefit Von Braun Center expansion
An additional 1 percent lodging tax will also go to funding the expansion of the VBC.

Town Madison to get $650K pedestrian upgrades
A federally funded transportation project to improve pedestrian walkways and intersections at Town Madison is moving forward.

Civic Engagement Academy now accepting applications to build Huntsville’s next civic leaders
The City of Huntsville’s Office of Multicultural Affairs is accepting applications for the fall 2026 cohort of the Civic Engagement Academy, a free program designed to help residents understand how local government works and how they can play an active role in shaping their community. The deadline to apply is Friday, Aug. 21 at 10 p.m.

Tennessee River Greenway addition completes South Huntsville Greenway Loop
South Huntsville now has a continuous 17-mile greenway loop.