The Wharf acquires 86-acre Bama Bayou property

By Guy Busby, Government Editor, guy@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 8/17/22

ORANGE BEACH – The Wharf at Orange Beach is expanding with the acquisition of 86 acres across the Intracoastal Waterway from the shopping and entertainment venue.

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The Wharf acquires 86-acre Bama Bayou property

Posted

ORANGE BEACH – The Wharf at Orange Beach is expanding with the acquisition of 86 acres across the Intracoastal Waterway from the shopping and entertainment venue.

The property is part of what was the Bama Bayou development on the north shore of the waterway. The site will be known as “The Wharf Landing.

Combined with The Wharf, the new acquisition will result in common ownership of about 4,000 feet of navigable water frontage on more than 300 acres. The land planning process will begin immediately, according to a statement by The Wharf ownership.

The Wharf was established 16 years ago. For the last 10, the 222-acre facility has been owned by Art Favre. The purchase is the second large-scale acquisition of property in Orange Beach, the statement said. Almost all tenants at The Wharf are owned by area residents, making The Wharf one of the highest concentrations on the Gulf Coast of locally-owned businesses.

Orange Beach Mayor Tony Kennon said the purchase will be good for the community.

“For us, we're very excited. We know that Art Favre for The Wharf will do a great job and create something really nice. And we hope to work with them on the wetlands part of the acreage to create something for the public, create public access. And I think we'll be able to do that and so I think it's a great purchase.”

He said the city will work with The Wharf on plans to develop the property.

“I think they've already bought the property,” Kennon said. “So I think it'll take a little time for them and us to work together on a master plan and what they feel that works for them.”

The 86 acres acquired by The Wharf are undeveloped property. Kennon said about five acres that have been the subject of a lawsuit involving developers of the site.

“The only fly in the ointment is there’re five acres that they are not able to buy where all of the structures are still sitting,” Kennon said. “I’m pretty aggravated, we are all aggravated in Orange Beach that we have a blight eyesore, third-world country look as you come into our town, as you come into Alabama’s beaches and that should have been dealt with years ago we've been in the court system for 13 years, lawyers getting rich off of it.”

Kristen Hammack of The Wharf ownership team said the new acquisition fits the company’s goals of providing quality experiences for visitors and residents.

“The vision of The Wharf has always been to develop unique experiences with creative improvements to engage the community,” Hammack said. “We’re always looking at ways we can enhance our goal of creating memories for those living in and visiting Orange Beach while also providing employment and educational opportunities, so this expansion is the perfect opportunity for growth.”

Improvements at The Wharf under Favre’s ownership include the SPECTRA Laser Light Experience, expansions at the full-service The Wharf Marina and the 10,000-seat The Wharf Amphitheater.

The Wharf, Bama Bayou, Orange Beach