Progress is being made on a long-awaited development on the fringe of downtown Huntsville.

We've been reporting on the "Constellation" project for years now at Clinton Avenue and Memorial Parkway. Now, dirt is finally being moved.

Credit: McLain Real Estate Credit: McLain Real Estate

The 480,000-square-foot space will have apartments, retail and office space, a hotel and a parking deck. This area has been called the "front door of downtown."

Business owners around the area told WAAY 31 they're excited to see progress being made. Right now, the mixed use development is only dirt and soil, but soon, it'll be home to new tenants and a place for people to explore.

McLain Real Estate said this has been in the works since 2017 and it's exciting to get the ball rolling.

The owners of Offbeat Coffee Studio said they're excited to see what new businesses the development will attract because that could mean more foot traffic for their business.

"You hear Alabama, and we say, 'Huntsville has the worst last name.' You're like, 'Oh, Alabama. I don't want to go there.' But, I'm like, no, it's this really unique and special town with all these different implants, and it's this melting pot of people and businesses and everybody's still down to earth," said Anna and Kyle Husband, the co-owners of Offbeat.

McLain said it won't choose what shops or restaurants will go in the space, but they expect the restaurants to be top-tier, national chains that aren't in Huntsville.

The developer also told WAAY 31 they plan to start laying concrete in December and hope to have the first beam up at the beginning of the year.

We asked why it took so long to get the dirt moving. The developer said it's an expensive project, costing $1 million, and they had to work out some planning details with the city.