Developers now look to Intracoastal Canal
Mon, May. 24, 2004
Associated Press

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. - A developer wants to turn 200 acres on the Intracoastal Waterway in Orange Beach into a destination with everything from a marina and movie theater to condos and a Ferris wheel.

Birmingham-based AIG Baker plans to build The Wharf, a mixed-use development, on land that stretches for more than 4,000 front feet along the south side of the waterway and includes property on the east and west sides of the Foley Beach Express bridge.

The project, connected by a waterfront boardwalk, would feature condominium units, a marina, retail stores, restaurants, hotels, an amphitheater for outdoor concerts and a Rave movie theater. The theater owners would like to open by June 2005.

"That means everything has got to click," developer Alex Baker said.

He has been meeting with city officials in Orange Beach and will soon seek approvals for a Planned Unit Development. The land is zoned general business.

Baker said AIG Baker plans to purchase the land by the end of the year.

He said the project would be built in phases over five to seven years, with the first phase to include condo units which would be stacked or built above the retail spaces.

About 100,000 square feet has been reserved by small retailers, and the developers expect to sign national, big-box retailers once the project gets under way.

"When we come here to relax as a family, we park our car and go on the waterfront and we don't have to go in our car again," said Baker, who has owned a vacation home in Orange Beach for many years.

He wants owners and visitors to view The Wharf as a one-stop destination. Folks could ski, fish, go to the beach, go to dinner, buy their groceries or shop for a swimsuit, all within the development. Other amenities include a five-story Ferris wheel, a health club, swimming pools, a nightlife plaza and tennis courts.

The Wharf "will have strong appeal to the boating community due to its deep water access," said Herb Malone, president of the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"We have a tremendous amount of yacht traffic that passes through town, and this would be an off-ramp for that traffic to stop," he said.

With most of the beachfront property in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores developed, interest is growing in the other side of the island.

"We've anticipated, as we've watched other beach communities grow that are ahead of us in the development curve, that our off-beach growth would begin to occur," Malone said.

The Wharf project is expected to complement the Orange Beach RiverWalk, a multi-use development planned on 144 city-owned acres at the Foley Beach Express toll bridge's northern landing, according to Malone. The RiverWalk would include a Gulf World marine park, retail space, water park, hotel and a theater. Its site is almost directly across the Intracoastal Waterway from the Baker project.

Baker said he would like to provide boat transportation back and forth between the developments when they are complete.

Information from: The Mobile Register

Source: Miami Herald