HUNTSVILLE — Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle spoke to members of the media on Wednesday about the U.S. Space Command's relocation to the Rocket City and its anticipated impact on the local community and residents.
Of chief concern for many in the area is the expected growth in population that will accompany the agency's move to Redstone Arsenal.
According to Battle, the change will be relatively small and take place over a period of years.
"For those who are worried about the growth, this is really a simple math problem," Battle told 1819 News. "When you look at 1,400 jobs that will come to the area, traditionally in most BRAC's and most movements, about 50% of the people come in. That's 700 people. Seven hundred people over five years is 140 a year. Those 140 will be spread out all over North Alabama."
Battle explained that City and County leadership have been preparing to expand the area's roads in anticipation of Space Command's relocation to Huntsville.
"We have been working in conjunction with Alabama Department of Transportation and with the governor's office, with our legislative delegation on our second road package that will come in after we finish the northern bypass and Mastin Lake overpass," he outlined. "So we have a very robust group of roads that are going to be necessary for our future, but they'd be necessary with or without Space Command. We have been working with this for the last three years or four years. So we will continue working on those road plans and road action."
"Chairman McCutcheon, myself, Mayor [Paul] Finley along with State Rep. Rex Reynolds (R-Huntsville), are working with the state to develop road plans that are on the peripheral areas of the city so that people can get into work faster, they can get back home faster," he advised.
The mayor is confident in the ability of Huntsville and the surrounding communities to handle the growth.
"I think that it's very reasonable that we can handle this," he said. "We have been handling it year by year. The city of Huntsville alone has grown by 7,000 people a year, year after year. Madison has grown by about 5,000. Madison County's growing by about 3 to 4,000. So, the growth is something that we will have with or without Space Command."
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