GULF SHORES, AL – March 7’s council work session in Gulf Shores gave a hopeful glimpse into what city officials hope is a changing city in the future.

Mayor Robert Craft detailed a series of roadway improvements, a land purchase possibility, a redesigned beachfront for Gulf Shores and a city-private hotel venture on city property on beach road behind Alvin’s Island.

“Each one of these components are major components of our Vision 2025 plan and things that can really launch that plan forward,” Councilman Phillip Harris said. “Our education campus, our Gulf Place Beach Front and the extension of that road through the Aviation and Business Park which will also include the property to extend our Waterway District.”

One of the projects is extending a roadway from County Road 8 to a connection in the Business and Aviation Park that was first announced as the lead up to a new Intracoastal Waterway bridge.

While the bridge appears to no longer be in play, plans for the road continue to move forward.

“If we can get some of the traffic off of 59 in Foley that would be a benefit,” Southwest Region Engineer Vince Calametti said. “Bridge or no bridge it’ll be beneficial.”

On Monday the council voted to spend money for preliminary studies of the route.

“This roadway is proposed to be built by the City of Gulf Shores and funded by ALDOT,” Craft said. “We will be talking about authorizing funds for a corridor study and an environmental study of that corridor.

“ALDOT has already been out there and they’ve got a recommended path for us to go through. That connects to what we applied for last year with our TIGER grant.”

Volkert Associates will perform the study for just more than $230,000, but ALDOT will reimburse the city for the cost. The study area, Public Works Director Mark Acreman said, would be all the way through the Business and Aviation Park to a new extension of Waterway Boulevard East to Alabama 59 at The Track.

That TIGER grant is one Gulf Shores applied for, and the application was turned down last year. The city intends to reapply again this year.

Among the improvements in the ambitious plan include enhancements in the northern part of the Waterway Village District with roadways and sidewalks and a new roadway along a private parcel.

Perhaps the most ambitious part of the plan is a proposal to build a cantilevered walking and bicycle bridge on the east side of the Alabama 59 bridge. The entire project, if approved, is expected to cost about $13.5 million with the city contributing $4.2 million of that.

Craft said it is a 50-50 matching federal grant, but that on some portions the state would help with the city’s part. And on the extension of Waterway East Boulevard the private landowner would provide the matching funds.

The application is for a TIGER grant or Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program. Since 2009, Congress has dedicated more than $4.1 billion for six rounds to fund projects that have a significant impact on the nation, a region or a metropolitan area.

The cantilevered walkway would allow at third lane over the bridge southbound and improving safety on the span, Mayor Robert Craft said.

HOTEL PARTNERSHIP

In June of last year the city asked for proposals to develop two acres it owns on the north side of beach road behind Alvin’s Island.

“We had five proposals that came back and we narrowed that down to two that were legitimately important to the City of Gulf Shores,” Craft said. “After comparing all the different elements of those two we decided that Periwinkle LLC is the developer we selected to move forward with. They are building a hotel complex with some conference space in it.”

Perwinkle will be applying as a significant franchisee to build and run and manage the facility, Craft said.

“It’s something we think will be a big difference in that area at the end of Highway 59 and Gulf Place,” Craft said.

LAND PURCHASE

The city has an option to buy 26 acres on the north side of County Road 8 at the Foley Beach Express. Gulf Shores already owns land on the south side of the road and is pursuing a plan to locate a new high school there along with some space for colleges to conduct classes.

“It’s an option so if they don’t come forward with an agreement to go forward then we get our money back if we can’t come to a conclusion with this institutional prospect that we’ve got,” Craft said.

The preliminary purchase price is $2.1 million.

GULF PLACE

Gulf Shores recently hired TSW engineers for $155,500 and Volkert for $32,000 to develop schematic design plans, pricing estimates, surveys, geotechnical investigations and permitting for the Gulf Place Project, including the redevelopment of the public beachfront area at the end of Alabama 59, and the streetscape of Beach Boulevard from East Third Street to West. Fourth Street.

”We are working on that program to get that design again on another opportunity for a grant proposal,” Craft said.

Economic Development Director Blake Phelps said this project would include beachfront property the city owns east of Phoenix Hotel Suites. That parcel is currently undeveloped.