Gulf Shores & Orange Beach

[Blazer85]

Not to start a flame war, but that's a very funny statement from someone from the Birmingham area...

Exactly... and hence you see the problems. Point proven. Fortunately for metro Birmingham there is an anchor city in Birmingham. The Alabama coast has no central anchor. It's part of the Mobile area in theory, but has more towers than Mobile by far.

[PortofBama]

Exactly... and hence you see the problems. Point proven. Fortunately for metro Birmingham there is an anchor city in Birmingham. The Alabama coast has no central anchor. It's part of the Mobile area in theory, but has more towers than Mobile by far.

the Alabama Gulfcoast region rarely ever get support from B-ham

[elb401]

With our tourist industry starting to work as one and the new proposed ferry systems.....I think the Alabama Gulf Coast is going to become more connected (and the fact that the sprawl is fulling us in). As for B-county.... it is hell and out of control in development. I think the B-county leaders are digging Baldwin County's grave.

Edited October 16, 2006 by elb401

[kayman]

With our tourist industry starting to work as one and the new proposed ferry systems.....I think the Alabama Gulf Coast is going to become more connected (and the fact that the sprawl is fulling us in). As for B-county.... it is hell and out of control in development. I think the B-county leaders are digging Baldwin County's grave.

[DruidCity]

Here's the latest on Envision Gulf Shores:

http://www.al.com/news/mobileregister/inde....xml&coll=3

[PortofBama]

That would be amazing Gulfshores may be one of Alabama's major cities in the next decade or so

[Southron]

Fort Morgan peninsula annexation by Gulf Shores challenged in court

After nearly four years, the court battle over the annexation of the Fort Morgan peninsula may end this year, with a court date set in September. The Fort Morgan Civic Association contends that the city of Gulf Shores illegally used the state right of way to establish a border with roadside tracts to reach the Fort Morgan property owners who wanted to come into the city.

Fort Morgan residents are concerned that Gulf Shores' zoning regulations are too weak and would lead to overdevelopment on the ecologically fragile peninsula. Gulf Shores zoning rules for the peninsula set maximum building heights and density levels to about half of those along the rest of the city's waterfront.

Hopefully, this illegal land grab by Gulf Shores will get struck down by the court. Alabama only has 22 miles of Gulf coastline, and the Fort Morgan peninsula is one of the last, if not the last, remaining sections where one can see what our coast looked like before overdevelopment changed the face of the dunes. There should be a moratorium on all development in the Fort Morgan peninsula.

Mobile Press-Register: Fort Morgan court battle rages on, City tightens annexation procedures

[kayman]

I am very much anti-annexation just for the promotion of the private development of otherwise public beaches. It is getting to a point that you can't even go to the beach anywhere without worrying about being on somebody's private property.

[bayourat15]

Fort Morgan peninsula annexation by Gulf Shores challenged in court

After nearly four years, the court battle over the annexation of the Fort Morgan peninsula may end this year, with a court date set in September. The Fort Morgan Civic Association contends that the city of Gulf Shores illegally used the state right of way to establish a border with roadside tracts to reach the Fort Morgan property owners who wanted to come into the city.

Fort Morgan residents are concerned that Gulf Shores' zoning regulations are too weak and would lead to overdevelopment on the ecologically fragile peninsula. Gulf Shores zoning rules for the peninsula set maximum building heights and density levels to about half of those along the rest of the city's waterfront.

Hopefully, this illegal land grab by Gulf Shores will get struck down by the court. Alabama only has 22 miles of Gulf coastline, and the Fort Morgan peninsula is one of the last, if not the last, remaining sections where one can see what our coast looked like before overdevelopment changed the face of the dunes. There should be a moratorium on all development in the Fort Morgan peninsula.

Mobile Press-Register: Fort Morgan court battle rages on, City tightens annexation procedures

[elb401]

And Dauphin Island.........

[Southron]

^^ True, it's not the last -- south Mobile County has some pretty much undisturbed areas, some which are being preserved by Forever Wild purchases and federal wildlife refuges and whatnot, but I still thing the Fort Morgan peninsula is a special place. Development has ruined to some degree over the past few years, but it can still be saved.

Gulf Shores officials should be more worried about trying to make their city more walkable and building real urban density, rather than making bogus claims on Ft. Morgan.

[convulso]

I still think the Fort Morgan peninsula is a special place.

[DruidCity]

Update in today's Mobile newspaper on the $500-million, 1,000-acre "new urban" project Bon Secour Village on the Intracoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores:

http://www.al.com/news/press-register/bald....xml&coll=3

http://www.bonsecourvillage.com/Explore.aspx

[Southron]

^Bon Secour Village looks great!

---

Gulf Shores is exploring the possibility of expanding Jack Edwards Airport to handle regional commuter flights. The expansion would cost $37 million, but the city would only have to come up with $2 million of that total. Regional service from airports in markets such as Atlanta and Nashville could draw tourists to the beaches and provide convenient flights for locals to get to regional hubs.

Mobile Press-Register: Airport plan calls for commuter terminal

[richyb83]

Fort Morgan Road/peninsula is oasis-like treasure. I hope they plan to limit the smart growth. I had heard last year residents battling/disputing some developers of overcrowding that area bordering the refuge area. I really enjoyed my vacation over there last Summer too.

Bon Secure Village sure is impressive looking.

I was impressed with Bama Bayou and another large development (can't remember name)that had just started closer the Intracoastal near Orange Beach.

[TideJoe]

Fort Morgan Road/peninsula is oasis-like treasure. I hope they plan to limit the smart growth. I had heard last year residents battling/disputing some developers of overcrowding that area bordering the refuge area. I really enjoyed my vacation over there last Summer too.

Bon Secure Village sure is impressive looking.

I was impressed with Bama Bayou and another large development (can't remember name)that had just started closer the Intracoastal near Orange Beach.

[Alabadrock]

^^Bon Secour Village looks great!

---

Gulf Shores is exploring the possibility of expanding Jack Edwards Airport to handle regional commuter flights. The expansion would cost $37 million, but the city would only have to come up with $2 million of that total. Regional service from airports in markets such as Atlanta and Nashville could draw tourists to the beaches and provide convenient flights for locals to get to regional hubs.

Mobile Press-Register: Airport plan calls for commuter terminal

[richyb83]

Thanks Tide Joe, That's it ! I got a case of brain drain this week.

Alot of us in Baton Rouge really like that area, it's a nice little drive and a great get-away!

[Southron]

Foley downtown merchants want city officials to come up with a redevelopment plan for the downtown area. City officials may ask downtown property owners to support redevelopment efforts with an assessment fee.

Mobile Press-Register: Merchants call for downtown redevelopment

[Southron]

Developer calls modular building 'the wave of the future' in coastal Alabama

Georgia-based Samaritan Development has approval for two system-built (modular) subdivisions -- Fulton Place on Baldwin County 12, just east of Alabama 59 in Foley, and SweetBay, a 2,157-unit complex near Magnolia Springs. Another modular subdivision is planned for Orange Beach.

A 1993 FEMA report found that modular homes faired better during Hurricane Andrew than did conventional homes. However, a 2004 FEMA report found that both conventional and modular homes fared well in hurricanes if they were built to more stringent post-Andrew building codes.

MobilePress-Register: Modular building popularity growing

[Southron]

The Gulf Coast city council is considering whether to set a date for developers of several nonconforming condo towers to either start construction or redesign the projects to fit new zoning rules. Several condo projects, approved prior to a 2005 adoption of new zoning guidelines that limit density and building heights along the beach, have run out of time extensions to begin construction.

Mobile Press-Register: Council renews condo debate

Edit: The city council voted to extend the deadlines for the 10 condo projects to October 2008.

[Southron]

Gulf Shores joins Orange Beach in banning smoking

The Gulf Shores city council voted Monday to ban smoking in most public spaces and places of business, including bars, restaurants and work places except private clubs. Orange Beach had enacted a similar ban on May 1st. Foley, Fairhope and Robertsdale have also approved no-smoking ordinances.

Mobile Press-Register: Gulf Shores approves smoking ban

[Southron]

Gulf Shores joins Orange Beach in adopting impact fees for development

The Gulf Shores city council voted to allow impact fees on new development, joining Orange Beach as one of the first two Baldwin County municpalities to do so. State legislators passed a law early last year allowing Baldwin County and its 13 municipalities to collect impact fees of up to 1 percent of the fair market value of new construction. Orange Beach adopted impact fees in September 2006.

Under the law, governments must justify the fee charged to each type of development within that 1 percent cap based on a formula that gauges its impact on transit systems, parks and police and fire protection. Based on growth projections, Gulf Shores could reap up to $21.2 million over five years.

I'm really surprised (pleasantly) to see impact fees being imposed in Alabama. I had no idea that the legislature had approved them. Does anyone know if impact fees are approved in any other counties besides Baldwin?

Mobile Press-Register: Impact fees get approval

[Southron]

A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction to halt construction of the 40-acre Beach Club West condominium development because of the development's potential impact on the endangered Alabama beach mouse. Project construction would destroy 18 percent of the 128 acres left on Fort Morgan peninsula that are high enough to protect the endangered beach mice during severe hurricane storm surges.

Too bad it took an endangered mouse to stop this development that doesn't belong on the Ft. Morgan peninsula. It never should have been approved to begin with. IMHO the state needs to step in and ban all development on the peninsula before it's too late.

Mobile Press-Register: Mouse stops condos

[richyb83]

Thanks for posting that interesting news ExpatBaman Crazy that the mouse stopped te development; hey anything that works! You are right, the Fort Morgan peninsula must be preserved. The oasis is the crown jewel of the Alabama gulf coast!

Last Summer I stayed at the Gulf Shores Plantation resort about 12-13 miles west of Gulf Shores. It was as nice as any beach in Florida IMO. But very secluded, only a couple high-rise condo's nearby. Most of the land was undeveloped. It was cool from the 4th floor hallway you could see the Mobile Bay on one side, the Gulf on the other side.

How many acres is the Bon Secour NWR?? They need to acquire more land to preserve the peninsula. I love the Ft. Morgan peninsula.

Edited June 8, 2007 by richyb83