Front Row Development set to bring new stores, restaurants to downtown Huntsville

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Entertainment, shops and apartments will soon take the place of the old Coca-Cola plant in Downtown Huntsville.

The ‘Front Row’ project is a $325 million project led by Rocket Development Partners, a joint venture of Essex Capital and Ascend Property Group. Just across the street from the Mars Music Hall in the Von Braun Center, construction will soon start on a whole new area to eat, shop and visit.

Huntsville City Councilman Bill Kling says he thinks this will help improve the community.

“I think it going to make Huntsville a more fun place to live, a more fun place to visit,” said Kling. “I think it’s gonna have a great future”

The Front Row mixed-use project will be three blocks of restaurants, shops, homes, and a boutique hotel. The leaders have not released exactly what businesses fill the space.

“It’ll be a place where people coming from the civic center can get something to eat,” explained Kling. “At the same time, someone coming in from out of town for a civic center event can stay right across the street from the event. It’ll be great”

He says this is an opportunity to bring in more visitors, conventions and tax dollars.

“There are going to be bigger conventions coming to the community,” said Kling. “With convention type of money, we can put back into tourist attractions. Who knows what we’ll be talking about in five to ten years for downtown Huntsville, for our community”

Kling says he believes construction will start by the end of the year.

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