Backstreet Boys back in town

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Nov 07, 2001 Source: Huntsville Times Submitted By: Gina Cates 2 group members visit city again to discuss proposed hotel-entertainment site By CHRIS WELCH Times Entertainment Writer Kevin Richardson, a member of the music group Backstreet Boys, looked sleepy as he hopped out of a sport utility vehicle Tuesday afternoon around 3 at the WAHR-FM Star 99 studios off Memorial Parkway. ''Sorry we're running late,'' Richardson, his hair tied back in a ponytail, said apologetically. ''I had to take the red-eye this morning in Los Angeles to get here.'' Richardson and fellow Backstreeter Howie Dorough spent a long, whirlwind day in the Rocket City: They met with financial adviser Rick Baker of Morgan Stanley Dean Witter to discuss a proposed downtown hotel-entertainment complex; lunched at Copeland's; gave interviews and signed autographs at WAHR; stopped by Railroad Bazaar, where Richardson played piano and local musician Eddie ''Spanky'' Alford picked his guitar during a minijam session; signed more autographs, and dined at Villa Fiore. Dorough and his brother, Johnny, left around 8 Tuesday night. Richardson and his brother, Tim, were to fly out today after playing some golf and taking in some of the sights. Before departing, the two Backstreet Boys (band member Nick Carter is also involved) reaffirmed their commitment to build a hotel-entertainment complex downtown. In fact, Richardson said the Backstreet Boys/Belz Burrow Development Group of Memphis has an option to buy the MarketSquare Mall at the Heart of Huntsville off Clinton Avenue. Local developer Scott McLain, who owns the shopping center, confirmed 2 group members visited the city again to discuss a proposed hotel-entertainment complex downtown Tuesday night, but he added it's ''no more a done deal than where you'll take your vacation in 2003.'' ''While the involvement of national entertainers can bring a great deal of financial credibility to a development, the development must still stand the test of economic and logistical feasibility,'' McLain said. ''MarketSquare seems ripe for redevelopment, . . . but at this time, there's not a document or a plan or a defined concept to share.'' Richardson, Baker and Belz Burrow principals held preliminary discussions with city officials about the hotel-entertainment complex in September 2000. Since then, Jim and Susie Hudson have announced plans to build Electric Avenue, a collection of restaurants, shops and condominiums, across from the Von Braun Center, and the city has announced plans for a city-financed riverwalk downtown. ''We've got a lot of plans and drawings being done,'' Richardson said. ''We've done a feasibility study basically for the hotel we're planning on building. We found out . . . Huntsville needs more hotel rooms. So, it's a very good project to put a nice hotel downtown. ''This is the fifth meeting our team has had, so it's slowly but surely coming together," he said. "But there's nothing to announce right now.'' Added Dorough: ''It's a work in progress.'' A source close to the project said an announcement on the hotel-entertainment complex could come by the end of the year. The Backstreet Boys have sold more than 65 million albums. They recently have released their fifth album, performed at fund-raising concerts for the terrorist victims in New York and Washington and, in another week, will travel to Japan for five concerts. So why take time out to talk about building a hotel in Huntsville? ''We've had (investment) opportunities given to us all around the world," Dorough said. ''After searching around, we've constantly been coming back to Huntsville. "Having personal attachments with Rick Baker, Morgan Stanley and Belz Burrow, we just felt this was the right place to do this first venture.'' Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: take a look at it! nlupTT I appreciate you sharing this blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Much obliged. Submitted by: Carol Clark Submitted by: Halz Submitted by: Ann Elisabeth Submitted by: Kevin Submitted by: Kevin Shen Submitted by: Kelly Comment on this item. Next Item: Psychic Claims BSB To Split Prev Item: Soundscan: It's All About The Pop