FOLEY — The Forward City is one step closer to having a dedicated Farmer’s Market.

During Monday’s regular meeting, the Foley City Council accepted a proposal that will not exceed $18,000 from Watkins Acy Strunk Designs Inc. to design the market.

The action comes after the December announcement of the project, which will be situated on County Road 20 and is anticipated to open this fall.

As previously reported, the idea for the venture is made possible by a $317,500 Gulf Tourism and Seafood Promotional Fund grant from BP as part of the Deepwater Horizon settlement. The city applied for the funding in October and received it two months later.

That application included the addition of a farmer’s market on city property located near Wolf Bay Lodge on County Road 20.

“The building that sits north of Wolf Bay Lodge,” Foley Economic Development Director Jeff Rouzie said in an interview after the meeting. “It’s 7,500 square feet.”

He explained that plans are to house a facility that will allow consumers to interact with local farmers and fishermen.

“Right now, we’ve got 50 or 60 interested groups,” Rouzie said.

But the vision goes far beyond the concept of a farmer’s market the city holds in downtown Foley during the spring.

“The plans are to continue to grow it,” Rouzie said. “It’ll be more than just a farmer’s market.”

That vision includes bringing in a garden center, facility for outdoor-cooking demonstrations, and of course, space for vendors offering such wares as local honey, bread, jelly and seafood.

It’s not a far-off vision, either.

“We really foresee this opening this fall, around mid-September,” Rouzie said.

To do that, the city plans to bring in a manager to oversee the facility. But before any of that can happen, the current building on the property needs to be transformed into an appropriate facility. Thus came Monday’s City Council action on the design portion of the project.