Hartman Simons Vital in Facilitating MidCity Huntsville’s Redevelopment
03/20/18
Over the past 3 years, Hartman Simons has been assisting RCP Companies with the redevelopment of Madison Square Mall into MidCity Huntsville, a new $350 million mixed-use project near the center of Huntsville, Alabama. MidCity Huntsville is currently the country’s fourth largest real estate project of this nature.
Hartman Simons, led by Jeremy Cohen, Diane Lidz and John Lewis, assisted RCP Companies in purchasing the dilapidated Madison Square Mall in May, 2015. RCP’s plan was to demolish the Mall in order to revitalize that part of Huntsville and, in its place, build a state of the art $350 million mixed-use redevelopment on the former Mall tract. According to Max Grelier, co-founder and executive vice president of RCP, “We were looking to institute a more innovative, diverse balance of uses on the site,” and RCP wants to create a project that will bring pride to the surrounding community.
MidCity Huntsville will include approximately 300,000 square feet of specialty retail, 200,000 square feet of high-tech offices, over 900 residential units and a 150-room boutique hotel. The development, currently in Phase I, is part of a four phase project that is anticipated to be completed in 2022. As part of Phase 1, Top Golf has opened in December 2017 with MidCity planning to offer more recreational activities, including the “Adrenaline Zone,” which will include a 45-foot climbing wall. “Our intention with MidCity is to create a vibrant, authentic place that inspires social interaction, celebrates our regional culture and provides residents and visitors from outside the area opportunities to share memorable experiences,” Grelier said.
Labeled as one of America’s fastest-growing tech cities and one of the nation’s best places to live and work, Huntsville will continue to thrive as MidCity nears completion. The new project will be a social attraction and provide economic growth for the vibrant community that will evolve from this dynamic development. The City of Huntsville’s Director of Urban Development Shane Davis noted, “I think when it is complete, for west Huntsville, it will feel like their own mini downtown. It’ll have a lot of attributes that you see in downtown Huntsville with a little more retail options than downtown has.”