(Mobile, Ala.) You might not notice when an old hotel comes down and a for sale sign goes up.
It might catch your eye when a second hotel is leveled and a for sale sign goes up.
But when it happens for a third time, then you start to wonder... what's going on here?
The owner of the old Rest Inn at Government and I-65 is one such place.
The owner told Local 15 he decided to retire and put the building up for sale.
When he got no buyers, he decided another approach might work.
He'd tear it down.
"A lot of these owners will simply go ahead and have a blank slate ready for developers to come in," said commercial realtor Cameron Weavil of Weavil Company, a commercial real estate firm in Mobile. "A hotel developer may decide that their property may be better to have a Target or a big box retailer there and go ahead and demo the building."
That's what happened with the old Emerald Palms Hotel at Government and I-65, now rumored to become an auto dealership.
When the building came down, the for sale sign magically disappeared, too.
Increasing curb appeal with local commercial properties is being encouraged, says Weavil, by that magic word... AIRBUS.
"Airbus is going to bring a lot of hope to this area," said Weavil. "It's going to be a long transition."
He said, though the market will take time to grow, he's becoming very optimistic about 2013.
Suppliers, he said, need to be close to Mobile.
In Weavil's opinion, the apartment and home rental market will be quick to respond to airbus this year.
Why?
Because those constructing the Airbus plant and even properties for suppliers, will lead to immediate construction jobs, and those workers will be looking for places to live.
But he feels commercial development won't be far behind.
