Bluegrassrivals

new roads stimulate the economy. it creates construction jobs. it makes more land available for tax-paying companies to set up shop. it leads to more tourism.

And they never pay for themselves.

What does everyone this of the developments in the recent months?

Here is what the Hilton is supposed to look like downtown next to the Hampton:

[YOUTUBE="Hilton Garden Inn Pikeville"]pIbwIRjoQS8[/YOUTUBE]

Panther Thunder Wrote:Here is what the Hilton is supposed to look like downtown next to the Hampton:

Are both motels going to be combined into one large Hilton, or kept separate? Are they going to share the pool area?

If they would put some shops downtown instead of lawyer offices Pikeville would be great.

NEXT Wrote:If they would put some shops downtown instead of lawyer offices Pikeville would be great.

If the people of EKY weren't looking for a lawsuit every time they stubbed a toe, we wouldn't have a need for all these lawyers. Pike county isn't the only county has has tons of lawyers, every county that I have been in, in EKY, is full of lawyers. I know one kid that fell as he was having a seizure in WalMart. As he fell, he knocked down a woman, and she is suing the kids mom's homeowners insurance. Reports are, that she wasn't even hurt, other than maybe just a sore ass. One of by biggest pet peeves are these sorry ass EKY people that try to sue for every little thing. I could tell these fake lawsuit stories all day long.

TheRealVille Wrote:Are both motels going to be combined into one large Hilton, or kept separate? Are they going to share the pool area?

From what i have heard, they will be connected but remain separate individuals hotels. I have been told it is the same person putting in the Hilton that put in the Hampton. I am not sure about the pool, but that would make sense, IMO.

Quote:Blackburn also read a statement from H&W Management Company announcing the construction of the new Hilton Garden Inn hotel in downtown Pikeville. The announcement comes nearly a year after city officials approved a lease agreement for parking spaces in the city parking garage as part of the plan for the new hotel.

The announcement is the first official document read in public which confirms the construction of the new Hilton Garden Inn, which will connect with the existing Hampton Inn on Hambley Boulevard.

According to the statement from H&W, the hotel will have 114 guest rooms and a 5,000-square foot penthouse on the top floor. It will also feature an American Grill restaurant and feature approximately 7,500 square feet of event space.

Blackburn said Tuesday that the new hotel will bring Pikeville closer to meeting its need for hotel rooms. It will also help the city attract events on which it had previously missed out because of a lack of available rooms, he said.

“We’ve not been able to attract small conferences because of a lack of room space,” he said. “That’s been a common occurrence here, but we’re getting closer to where we need to be without affecting any of the existing hotels in the area.”

Blackburn said the projected start date for construction of the new hotel is January 2012.

http://thelevisalazer.com/index.php?opti...Itemid=242



Also, the mention of the parking garage as use for the hotels worries me. That thing is PACKED every day as it is. Some days I cannot find a spot. There needs to be a plan to increase parking for the Hotels and The University.

The Proposed Shopping Center behind WalMart and Texas Roadhouse

PIKEVILLE COMMONS

Quote:PIKEVILLE — Plans to expand the retail setting in Pikeville is gaining steam.

During a Nov. 14 meeting, city commissioners approved an agreement between the city, the U.S. Post Office and Neil Wilson of KY Pikeville Thompson, LLC. They also approved the sale of approximately five acres of property on Thompson Road currently occupied by the U.S. Postal Service’s Distribution Center to Wilson’s RealtyLink Investments, LLC.

The company is paying the $150,000 per usable acre for the property and Wilson’s company is recruiting nationally-known companies to move into the new shopping center, which is named “Pikeville Commons” in the agreement.

The deal will pave the way to bring more than one dozen nationally-known businesses into Pikeville Commons, which will surround the newly-constructed Texas Roadhouse restaurant and neighbor the back side of Walmart on Thompson Road

City Manager Donovan Blackburn reported that the U.S. Post Office will move from its current Thompson Road location to another 9,500 square-foot facility that it will lease from the city in the complex. He reported that the Post Office’s move will open up between 250,000- and 300,000-square feet of additional retail space to accommodate businesses that will bring between 400 to 600 jobs into Pikeville.

Blackburn said that the design of the shopping center is still “in the works,” but he shared a graph of the “projected design” during the meeting. There were at least 15 parcels of property highlighted on the graph.

“We’ve been on a road for about the last year and a half with Mr. Wilson, who is a very prestigious builder.” Blackburn said, explaining that Wilson has built stores for large corporations across the nation.

“I can say that he already has half of the facilities already committed, with deals that he’s working on to fill up the remaining facilities,” he said. “Pretty much almost every facility that you see highlighted either has a tenant already that’s submitted a letter of intent or has somebody that he’s working to solidify his deal.”

City officials have worked for years to bring expanded retail development on Thompson Road, a process that began long before the city commission invested funds to widen the road to improve safety and provide easier access to retail stores.

This latest action taken toward the effort is made possible by the cooperation of the U.S. Postal Service.

“This is something that we’ve been working on for years, and it looks like it’s going to happen,” Commissioner Jimmy Carter said. “I don’t like to count our chickens before they hatch, but it’s looking a lot more promising, now that the post office is on board. I’m looking forward to moving forward with this very quickly.”

The new shopping center complex may, in fact, develop quickly.

Blackburn reported that Wilson traveled to Georgia on Nov. 15 to “sell” the development project in Pikeville to retail leaders at a national conference. The city is under a confidentiality agreement with certain retailers that have already pledged to move onto Thompson Road.

“This is an opportunity that’s not only creating new jobs, but creating nationally-recognized brand names that will enhance our community, making this a destination location for shopping,” Blackburn said. “We have already become that for medical, for legal, for entertainment, and I could go on.”

Commissioners are excited about the project.

“This gives us another opportunity to market ourselves even better, with nationally-recognized stores,” Commissioner Barry Chaney said. “It’s a great opportunity for us and it will be good for us.”

Commissioner Dallas Layne commended Blackburn for his effort and work on the project.

Blackburn, in turn, thanked Layne and commissioners for their leadership, vision and willingness to move the community forward.

This project announcement comes at a time when there’s already $200 million in construction projects occurring within city limits.

Those projects include the construction of a new facility for the Pikeville Medical Center’s office building and parking garage, University of Pikeville’s Kentucky School of Osteopathic Medicine, the Pike County Judicial Center and a new hotel which will break ground in 2012.

http://www.medicalleader.org/pmc_news.html?id=2999


[Image: 2llfvnp.jpg]

PIKEVILLE COMMONS: With the cooperation of the city of Pikeville, the U.S. Postal Service and a developer, this shopping center complex, “Pikeville Commons,” is expected to attract dozens of new businesses to Thompson Road. Details outlined in the graph are tentative, as businesses are being recruited for the shopping complex, but city officials report that retail tenants have signed up to move into almost every parcel that’s highlighted in red on the graph.


You will see the area will engulf Texas Roadhouse as a central structure and be adjacent to Walmart. I try to stay cautious, but it is really exciting to see the growth and development of Pikeville.

[Image: elb0gz.jpg]

Quote:PIKEVILLE — Several months ago, Pikeville Medical Center embraced its new theme: “We’ve only just begun.” Local residents will see the meaning behind that statement when construction begins soon on the hospital’s new 11-story, 218,233 square-foot medical office building and parking garage.
The public is invited to kick off the $100 million expansion during a groundbreaking ceremony at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 26 in the front parking lot of the hospital.
Hospital administrators will join local, state and federal officials for the event.
In addition to providing approximately 1,500 construction jobs and 100 long-term jobs, the project will improve health care for the entire region, officials say.
“When you look at how PMC has increased its services that allow people to not have to travel out of the area to receive quality care, this is what we have to do in order to continue to meet the needs of the community,” said Terence Farrell, Vice President of Professional and Support Services. “People who have worked here a while said it took 30 years to outgrow the Elliott Building, but it took less than 10 years for the community to outgrow the May Tower.”
The hospital is currently accepting contractor bids for the project, which is expected to begin in January. The building is being designed by Louisville-based Stengel-Hill Architecture and CMTA Consulting Engineering.
The parking garage is expected to be completed in 2012 and the entire project, consisting of additional hospital improvements, is expected to be completed by 2013.
The medical office building and parking garage will be constructed in the hospital’s parking lot and connect to the hospital via a pedestrian pedway. The new structure will fill the parking lot from Bypass Road to the front entrance of the May Tower.
The medical facility will house nine stories of office and clinical space for outpatient surgery, exam rooms, primary and specialty care physicians and other areas. It will also contain a medical research center to support existing research – in conjunction with East Tennessee State University and other local academic centers – on health disparities, genetic research related to the prevalence of cancer and other areas, including drug and treatment trials.
For years, Pikeville Medical Center has recruited top-quality specialists in various medical professions and many of those physicians operate in offices located throughout a 20-mile radius, Farrell explained. The new facility will bring those specialists together, much like the Mayo Clinic, so that physicians can work in closer proximity to each other and treat patients in a more holistic manner, he said.
The hospital has already laid the groundwork for its new research center, which will coordinate efforts between the hospital, colleges, universities and drug companies to improve health care. When the new facility is constructed, it will be easier for doctors to work with these groups to research, for example, why there is a higher incidence of colon cancer in this region as opposed to other states, Ferrell explained.
Pikeville Medical Center administrators began initiating plans for the construction more than six months ago with the purchase of properties at Harold’s Branch and the corner of Baird Avenue, which were turned into additional parking lots, and the renovation of other hospital properties into additional parking spaces.
The hospital’s shuttle service will continue to provide transportation to and from the hospital throughout the day. The new parking garage is expected to provide 931 additional parking spaces for hospital patrons and employees.
The construction at PMC and of Pikeville College’s Coal Building are two of the largest American Reinvestment and Recovery Act projects funded in Kentucky, according to Thomas G. Fern, Director of the state’s USDA Rural Development program.
“This project is a prime example of the ARRA monies being utilized for much-needed health care facility expansion in an economically- depressed region of eastern Kentucky and Appalachia,” said Fern. “This hospital has received national recognition for its quality of care, and this money will allow them to expand and build upon their success and continue providing quality health care services to the region.”
The project is partially funded through a $44.6 million dollar USDA Rural Development Loan, which may be extended to $49 million. Pikeville Medical Center will finance the remainder of the construction cost.

http://www.medicalleader.org/blog/2010/1...dbreaking/

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Quote:The Coal Building at PCSOM = $30 million, 400 jobs

Pikeville College School of Osteopathic Medicine’s new Coal Building will include a new cafeteria, plenty of instructional and office space and specially-equipped examination rooms that will benefit the students and the public who receive free outpatient services from doctors in training.
The 18-month project, which is overseen by Codell Construction, is expected to bring 400 construction jobs to the region, according to Sumner. Pikeville College President Paul E. Patton said the facility will also generate between 10 or more long term, higher-paying jobs in the future.
The project will increase PCSOM’s enrollment from 300 students to 500 and generate around $1 million in additional tuition that could repay the debt, Patton said.

http://www.medicalleader.org/blog/2010/1...or-region/

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Quote:Pike County Courthouse = $30 million, 400 jobs

Pikeville may have sacrificed some historical buildings to make way for the new Pike County Judicial Center, but the facility is changing the face of Pikeville.
Site preparation for the new 90,000-square foot facility is underway and construction is expected to be complete in 2012.
In 2006, $28.4 million was allocated for the courthouse project and additional funding was used to purchase property at the site.
Sumner reported that the project will create 400 construction jobs over a two-year period and bring in several full-time jobs after construction is complete.

http://www.medicalleader.org/blog/2010/1...or-region/

I wasn't dogging the lawyers, just stating that shopping is needed downtown to help make all this viable, like Charleston and Huntington have done to get their Civic Centers into/close to the black.

No one wants to go shopping/out to eat where Walmart is then have to search an hour for a parking spot to go to an event at The Expo.

Something also has to be done for traffic flow at Walmart, it was atrocious during Christmas.

NEXT Wrote:I wasn't dogging the lawyers, just stating that shopping is needed downtown to help make all this viable, like Charleston and Huntington have done to get their Civic Centers into/close to the black.

No one wants to go shopping/out to eat where Walmart is then have to search an hour for a parking spot to go to an event at The Expo.

Something also has to be done for traffic flow at Walmart, it was atrocious during Christmas.

I wasn't either. I was dogging the need to have so many of them, because of the "sue em" people. I have several close friends that are lawyers, it's not their fault that EKY is the "sue" capitol of the world. Downtown Pikeville would be well served to have more parking garages. It's a great town, to go "downtown" in, if it is made easier to park.

Thanks for all the info PT.

I think the parking garage in front of the hospital is one of the dumbest things to ever happen in Pikeville. Why try to pretty up the hospital if NO ONE can see it?!

And I really, really hope the Hilton coming to PIkeville is actually one of the good ones instead of one of the trashy ones...

Good to read that Pikeville is getting so many new things.

Im moving nack to Pikeville here in a few months after being away for 12 years and Im pretty excited. Pikeville sure has changed and grown a lot in the 12 years Ive been gone.

Traffic is already horrible in the Wal Mart area. It looks like it is going to get worse.

Yea, I'll be coming back home in the next little bit. I love Lexington but I miss my niece and nephews really really bad. All of this is really exciting to see though and I can not wait to see it all happen!! Pikeville will always be home and it is fantastic to see the way that the region is changing and adapting for the coming years!

Panther Thunder Wrote:The Proposed Shopping Center behind WalMart and Texas Roadhouse

PIKEVILLE COMMONS

http://www.medicalleader.org/pmc_news.html?id=2999


[Image: 2llfvnp.jpg]

PIKEVILLE COMMONS: With the cooperation of the city of Pikeville, the U.S. Postal Service and a developer, this shopping center complex, “Pikeville Commons,” is expected to attract dozens of new businesses to Thompson Road. Details outlined in the graph are tentative, as businesses are being recruited for the shopping complex, but city officials report that retail tenants have signed up to move into almost every parcel that’s highlighted in red on the graph.


You will see the area will engulf Texas Roadhouse as a central structure and be adjacent to Walmart. I try to stay cautious, but it is really exciting to see the growth and development of Pikeville.

Does anyone know what kind of store and shops are suppose to be going into this complex? I think that this can be one of the biggest economic boosts for the tourism and overall central attraction from other areas of the mountains!

Does anyone really know if the traffic around the walmart will change with the ever-changing Cassidy Blvd.