Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Construction of ‘Venue in the Vally’ development gets underway
Dirt flew from the shovels Tuesday morning as local, county and state officials broke ground for “The Venue In Valley,“ a planned residential, recreation and commercial development adjacent to the Valley SportsPlex.
January 24, 2007
VALLEY - Dirt flew from the shovels Tuesday morning as local, county and state officials broke ground for “The Venue In Valley,“ a planned residential, recreation and commercial development adjacent to the Valley SportsPlex.
In his remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony, Valley Mayor Arnold Leak talked about the dirt with the more than 150 people braving a cold January morning on the hilltop just off Fob James Drive.
“I want to emphasize that that dirt is in the city of Valley, which is in Chambers County, which is in Alabama, which is in east Alabama, which is next to the Georgia border - we are all in this together.
“This is not a City of Valley only situation. This is something that all of us are going to benefit from, and this is only the beginning of many more things to come.“
Walter Shealy with the Greater Valley Development Group echoed what the mayor said.
“There is not a lot of distance between the areas of the cities. Like the mayor said, we have got to work together to make the whole area better,“ Shealy said.
“With Kia coming, we sit on one of the most dynamic environments that exists in America today,“ Shealy added. “We are investing our money at home. We do live here. We all live here, and this is very important to us. What we are doing today is not just about making money. It is about improving the quality of life.“
The Greater Valley Development Group is doing “The Venue In Valley,“ with more than 650 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments within walking distance of the SportsPlex.
There will be grocery shopping and other retail businesses by up to a half-dozen restaurant choices. The tennis, swimming, soccer, football, baseball and softball fields will be connected with a beautifully landscaped 8-foot wide greenbelt pedestrian path, eliminating the need for a vehicle within the development area.
There will be easy access for residents interested in pursuing classes at the Valley campus of Southern Union State Community College. Also, the development group plans on adding an outdoor amphitheater and will expand both the existing soccer fields and tennis court sites. Leak said the Industrial Development Authority of Chambers County board was unfunded not too many years ago, and now they have professionals with the knowledge and continuing efforts ongoing.
“As citizens of Chambers County, as citizens of Alabama, we can be proud we are taking that approach. We we are not doing it like podunk Alabama. We are doing it like people who are really going after industrial development. I think all of you should take pride in that,“ Leak said.
He said the development wasn’t something given by someone with a lot of money.
“This was a hard-fought, well-negotiated partnership, and that is the way things are done in the real world. This was not done by getting grants to buy our way into the future. It is give and take. It is win-win. If it is not that way, then it doesn’t happen,“ Leak said.
“We gave, they gave, and I think in the end of it we are all going to benefit from it. That is the way business is done, and I am happy to say that’s the way this was done here.“
Initial occupancy for the new apartments is projected for second quarter 2008. The projected, phased arrival of Kia workers and executives will create a demand for quality, affordable housing in the Valley area, which the Greater Valley Development Group will be poised to support.
Situated about a mile from the recently renovated six-lane interchange and on-ramp at Interstate 85’s Exit 77, the development’s location is minutes from the future Kia production facility.