Thursday, January 22, 2015

New Dog Park Coming Our Way!


Auburn to construct dog park at Town Creek

Print
Font Size:
Default font size
Larger font size
Posted: Wednesday, January 21, 2015 3:56 pm | Updated: 6:19 pm, Wed Jan 21, 2015.
Katherine Haas | Opelika-Auburn News

Barking is allowed, leashes aren’t required and running fast is encouraged.
The City of Auburn has plans to establish a leash-free zone for four-legged friends to roam in the form of a new dog park located in Town Creek Park on South Gay Street.

The dog park, which will be the second in the city behind the existing one at Kiesel Park, will be fully accessible and in compliance with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) guidelines.
Alison Boykins Frazier, Auburn’s public works representative for the project, said the idea for the dog park at Town Creek came following a request from a disabled resident.
“In September, the city received a request by a disabled resident for access to the dog park (at Kiesel),” Frazier said. “While temporary accommodations were made to provide her access, a more permanent solution was necessary.”
Frazier said that after reviewing the possibilities of providing permanent ADA-compliant access at Kiesel, it was determined that selecting another space for a second dog park in the city was more practical. Plans for the dog park at Town Creek were approved by the Greenspace and the Parks and Recreation Advisory boards.
“As the dog park at Kiesel is already heavily used by residents, a second dog park would not only help to meet current demand, it could also be located and designed such that it would also be fully accessible to all residents,” she explained.
The dog park, which will be similar to the dog park at Kiesel but slightly smaller in size, will be located to the right of the restrooms in the existing open green space at the front of Town Creek Park. Fencing, lined with new evergreen trees as a screen, will section off the space to allow dogs an opportunity to run free and socialize with other dogs while still being contained. A double gate entrance is also included in plans.
Frazier noted that the park will be convenient to restrooms and parking.
On Tuesday night, the Auburn City Council approved a contract with Morrison Hemphill Construction for a $16,970 sidewalk modification project at Town Creek related to the construction of the new dog park.
Frazier explained that the sidewalk modifications will involve the installation of a sidewalk adjacent to the bathroom heading toward the existing boardwalk and northward. The sidewalk leading to the pavilion will be removed and replaced.
According to Michael Edwards, ADA coordinator for the City of Auburn, the sidewalk project is part of a larger project that includes parking and restroom improvements, which were completed last fall, the dog park and the overall improvement of accessibility to the park’s features.
“This project is aimed at ensuring the city’s programs and facilities comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act,” Edwards said. “Once completed, the project will also provide an additional fully accessible venue for outdoor concert events.”
Frazier said construction on the project should start in the next three to four weeks, weather pending, and work will take about 30-45 days to complete.

Article and information provided by OANEWS.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

Newk's Is Coming to Auburn.


Newk's Eatery planned for The Heart of Auburn

Print
Font Size:
Default font size
Larger font size
Posted: Wednesday, January 21, 2015 10:40 am | Updated: 11:12 am, Wed Jan 21, 2015.
Katherine Haas | Opelika-Auburn News
The Heart of Auburn retail center could soon welcome a new resident.
Tuesday night the Auburn City Council approved the first reading of a development agreement with Orange-Auburn LLC, in reference to constructing a Newk’s Eatery in The Heart of Auburn at 340 and 344 S. Gay St.
The Council will vote to approve or deny the agreement in its second and final reading at the Feb. 3 City Council meeting.
As per the agreement, in exchange for helping further develop a key economic corridor in the city, adding jobs and expanding the city’s tax base, The City of Auburn will to remit to Orange-Auburn LLC portions of certain sales and use tax for up to 10 years.
The maximum amount reimbursable under the agreement is $235,000, not to exceed $23,500 in any one year. The total project cost to build the new restaurant is about $2.7 million.
The agreement falls under the city’s Commercial Development Incentives Program, which was established by the city in 2011 to prompt both fresh development and redevelopment of existing businesses in need of aesthetic improvements in key economic corridors. If approved, Orange-Auburn will build according to streetscape and architectural specifications outlined in the city’s Downtown Master Plan in exchange for the tax rebate.
Newk’s Eatery, which will face Gay Street, along with additional parking, will make up the second phase of the Heart of Auburn development. The first phase faces College Street and includes businesses such as Taziki’s, Mountain High Outfitters, BurgerFi and CVS Pharmacy.
“Understanding that the location of the development is critical to creating synergy for new and existing commercial retail in downtown Auburn, the development will provide additional eatery options in the downtown area and will provide the Gay Street streetscape detailed in the Downtown Master Plan, this project meets a three-pronged commercial development initiative important to the City of Auburn,” states a summary of the project included in City Council documents.
Megan McGowen, deputy economic development director for the City of Auburn, said Orange-Auburn initially only owned the portion making up the first phase of the retail center, and the city passed a similar incentives agreement with the company for that phase in summer of 2013. It later acquired the land for the second phase.
“This incentive — its main focus was that Orange Development was kind enough to install a bigger streetscape that we have detailed in our Downtown Master Plan,” McGowen explained.
The retail center is named for the former Heart of Auburn Motel, which stood in that location for more than 50 years.
“This is a key redevelopment project, and that’s one of the reasons we're now doing a second tax rebate for that area,” McGowen said. “We were dealing with a very aged hotel, and we’ve replaced that with a very vibrant commercial development that is right across from Auburn University.”
McGowen added that the goal is to create commercial centers that are attractive to local residents and visitors alike.
“It has created some synergy in that area for commercial development,” McGowen said. “It’s a very successful development.”
Newk’s, dubbed a “fast-casual” dining concept known for its homemade sandwiches, salads and pizzas, opened its first location in the Auburn-Opelika area in Tiger Town last spring.
Also on Tuesday night, the City Council approved a similar development agreement with Sleep Tight Inc., doing business as Bedzzz Express at 1415 Opelika Road, the former Blockbuster Video building.
The agreement states that the city will remit portions of certain sales and use tax for up to five years, with a maximum of $25,000 reimbursable, not to exceed $5,000 in any one year.
Identified project costs total $179,000.
McGowen said the business will be redoing the façade on the existing structure and enhancing the exterior architecture overall in exchange for the tax rebate from the city.
Bedzzz Express and Orange-Auburn, LLC, if approved, mark the 19th and 20th businesses in Auburn that have taken advantage of the Commercial Development Incentives Program since its inception.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,

Study: Best Places to Live in Alabama

Study: Best Places to Live in Alabama

Study: Best Places to Live in Alabama

Posted: Jan 19, 2015 10:50 AM CSTUpdated: Jan 19, 2015 11:40 AM CST
By WKRG Staff
A real estate company's comprehensive ranking of the best places to live in Alabama left out an entire region of the state.

Southern Alabama was omitted from Movoto Real Estate's list of "10 Best Places in Alabama."

Auburn won the top honor of best places to live in Alabama, followed by Madison, Pelham, Florence and Calera, respectively.

The company evaluated seven criteria to form their rankings: Total Amenities, Quality of Life, Total Crimes, Tax Rates, Unemployment, Commute Time, and Weather.

However, southern Alabama's omission from the list is considered surprising. Baldwin County is considered by many to be among the nicest places to live in the state, not to mention the state's only access to the beaches of the Gulf Coast.
Many of the wealthiest people in the state, including politicians, have homes in southern Alabama, as it's usually considered one of the nicest places to live in the region.

However based on the criteria evaluated, all ten cities on the list are in eastern, central or northern Alabama.

“With these criteria in mind, we looked at the U.S. Census data for places in Alabama with a population of more than 5,000 people, which came to 102 locales,” explains Movoto's Natalie Grigson. 
“Each place was ranked from one to 102 in the criteria, with one being the best possible score. From there, the individual rankings were averaged into an overall Big Deal Score — the lowest score being our winner.”
Here's the full list: 
1. City of Auburn
2. City of Madison
3. City of Pelham
4. City of Florence
5. City of Calera
6. City of Enterprise
7. City of Chelsea
8. City of Mountain Brook
9. City of Albertville
10. City of Alabaster
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Saturday, January 10, 2015

How to arrange your furniture - HOUZZ

Like a blank page or canvas, an empty room can be either an opportunity or a challenge. With so many ways to fill it, how do you know where to start?

I've taken some of the basic rules of furniture arrangement and distilled them into 10 simple tips. They'll help you figure out where to put things, where not to put things and how to prioritize the choices you make.

These guidelines won't turn you into an interior designer overnight. But they'll steer you in the right direction and help you to achieve professional-looking results with a minimum of stress.
Traditional Living Room by Boomgaarden Architects
Boomgaarden Architects
Save
Function. Consider how the room is used and how many people will use it. That will dictate the type of furnishings you'll need and the amount of seating required.
Rustic Living Room by Dungan Nequette Architects
Dungan Nequette Architects
Save
Focal point. Identify the room’s focal point — a fireplace, view, television etc.— and orient the furniture accordingly. If you plan to watch television in the room, the ideal distance between the set and the seating is three times the size of the screen (measured diagonally). Therefore, if you’ve got a 40-inch set, your chair should be 120 inches away.
Traditional Living Room by Tamara Mack Design
Tamara Mack Design
Save
Priority. Place the largest pieces of furniture first, such as the sofa in the living room or the bed in the bedroom. In most cases this piece should face the room’s focal point. Chairs should be no more than 8 feet apart to facilitate conversation. Unless your room is especially small, avoid pushing all the furniture against the walls.
Traditional Living Room Traditional Living Room
Save
Symmetry. Symmetrical arrangements work best for formal rooms. Asymmetrical arrangements make a room feel more casual.
Traditional Family Room by Indese
Indese
Save
Traffic. Think about the flow of traffic through the room — generally the path between doorways. Don’t block that path with any large pieces of furniture if you can avoid it. Allow 30 to 48 inches of width for major traffic routes and a minimum of 24 inches of width for minor ones.

Try to direct traffic around a seating group, not through the middle of it. If traffic cuts through the middle of the room, consider creating two small seating areas instead of one large one.
Traditional Living Room by L K DeFrances & Associates
L K DeFrances & Associates
Save
Variety. Vary the size of furniture pieces throughout the room, so your eyes move up and down as you scan the space. Balance a large or tall item by placing another piece of similar height across the room from it (or use art to replicate the scale). Avoid putting two tall pieces next to each other.
Midcentury Living Room by Kristen Rivoli Interior Design
Kristen Rivoli Interior Design
Save
Contrast. Combine straight and curved lines for contrast. If the furniture is modern and linear, throw in a round table for contrast. If the furniture is curvy, mix in an angular piece. Similarly, pair solids with voids: Combine a leggy chair with a solid side table, and a solid chair with a leggy table.
Traditional Living Room by Malone Construction Company
Malone Construction Company
Save
Ease of use. Place a table within easy reach of every seat, being sure to combine pieces of similar scale, and make sure every reading chair has an accompanying lamp. Coffee tables should be located 14 to 18 inches from a sofa to provide sufficient legroom.
Traditional Dining Room by Roman Interior Design
Roman Interior Design
Save
Circulation. In a dining room, make sure there’s at least 48 inches between each edge of the table and the nearest wall or piece of furniture. If traffic doesn’t pass behind the chairs on one side of the table, 36 inches should suffice. In bedrooms allow at least 24 inches between the side of the bed and a wall, and at least 36 inches between the bed and a swinging door.
Traditional Floor Plan by Historic Shed
Historic Shed
Save
Planning. Give your back a break. Before you move any actual furniture, test your design on paper. Measure the room’s dimensions, noting the location of windows, doors, heat registers and electrical outlets, then draw up a floor plan on graph paper using cutouts to represent the furnishings. Or, better yet, use a free online room planner (I like the one from Jordan’s Furniture in Boston) to draw the space and test various furniture configurations. It’s less work and a lot more fun.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)