Looking 10 years ahead

Huntsville's taking a similar stance as it did 10 years ago in prepping for growth and industry.

Zoom in: Battle sees a 2036 look back focusing on things like land the city annexed in Limestone County, setting up more corridors for growth.

• By 2036, he sees that area growing into a community with schools and parks and jobs from new businesses like Eli Lilly.
• Alongside HudsonAlpha and Glaukos, it should "add to the diversity of what we have here," Battle said. "We've got to make sure that we continue to grow."

Case in point: Infrastructure is a concern just as it was in 2016, when the first round of Restore Our Roads was in full swing and work on Highway 72 had just wrapped up.

• Today, work is underway on the Northern Bypass and other road projects, a focus of Battle's State of the City address in November, including plans to reconstruct the I-565/Memorial Parkway interchange.

"I believe a city has to grow or die," Battle said. "But you don't want to grow so fast you outshoot your infrastructure."