HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Mayor Tommy Battle told a packed Von Braun Center ballroom in Huntsville, Ala., on Monday that the city will ask residents to help write its next long-range plan, while he pushed state and federal leaders to pay a bigger share of local road needs.
The address was his 18th State of the City, delivered in the Saturn Ballroom to a sold-out crowd of more than 1,200 people from the business world and civic groups. Gen. Stephen Whiting, who leads U.S. Space Command, was in the crowd as the command gets ready to start construction of its Redstone Arsenal headquarters.
Battle announced The BIG Picture – Next Generation, a second round of the planning effort the city started a decade ago. He described it as a way to collect public input on future projects. Public meetings for the new version are set to begin in 2027.
The mayor said the original plan produced parks, homes, arts projects and redevelopment sites, and helped the city recruit retailers such as Trader Joe’s and Cheesecake Factory. He also pointed to the arrival of Eli Lilly, whose planned $6 billion campus is the largest private investment in Alabama history, and to work on Interstate 565 and Memorial Parkway.
Transportation was his main ask. Battle said Huntsville has already helped deliver about half a billion dollars in road upgrades, using city tax money to speed up state projects, and now wants Montgomery and Washington to step up. His top priorities are carrying I-565 east to Shields Road, a rebuilt junction where I-565 meets Memorial Parkway, and more capacity along U.S. 72 West.
Huntsville is the largest city in Alabama, with more than 250,000 residents, and ranks 94th in size nationally. Battle also noted the city’s growth in both population and land area over the past year.
Section: More Huntsville AL politics news
Filed under: Huntsville AL Politics News
