ABOUT ALOE BAY
The purpose of this project is to provide a “town center” master plan and design direction which will inform future physical development of the Aloe Bay area. This project will be paid for with federal funds from the Department of the Treasury under the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act). The development of Aloe Bay will be a multiple year process for the Town and the master plan represents the first step.
The Aloe Bay project includes the planning and implementation of a mixed-use district with public facilities to enhance economic, tourism, and resident opportunities for the Town of Dauphin Island. The project will be implemented in three phases. Phase I includes planning and conceptual design of Aloe Bay along with a Meeting Space Study for the entire Island. Phase II will include design and engineering, permitting, development of project costs and preparation of construction plans and documents. Finally, Phase III is the construction period of the project.
WHY IS THE FUTURE OF ALOE BAY SO IMPORTANT TO THE TOWN?
The answer is directly linked to ensuring Dauphin Island has both physical and fiscal resiliency into the future. Over the years, the island has been impacted by a good number of events or disasters. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is one example that placed a tremendous strain on the Town's budgets. As a more recent example, the Town spent nearly $2 million in 2019/2020 in excess of disaster assistance funds on infrastructure, clean-up, and recovery from multiple storms. Considering the Town's annual budget is only $4 million, that 50%+ expenditure for recovery represents a significant impact to the Town.
Looking back, Town Leadership began to recognize these vulnerabilities and the need for physical and fiscal sustainability many years ago; Hurricane Katrina being the "final trigger" leading to the Dauphin Island Strategic Plan, adopted in 2007. As part of that plan, a town center was envisioned along Aloe Bay that included revitalizing a true working waterfront which builds upon the past and creates a small mixed-use area with commercial fishing, eco-tourism activities, housing and retail space. This represented a significant consideration by the community to recognize Aloe Bay as a point of economic sustainability for the Town in the future. The vision was carried forward in the Town’s Comprehensive Plan 2030 by including ideas like a network of boardwalks, observation points, and a marina. Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, the Town decided to leverage these ideas as part of a funding request to the Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council, resulting in the Town being awarded over $16.5 million for physical improvements to make this vision a reality through the Aloe Bay Town Center Master Plan.
MASTER PLAN
September, 2021
To review the adopted plan, please click here or the adjacent cover image.
In essence, the Aloe Bay Town Center Master Plan document is a written catalogue which presents the vision, objectives, tools, and recommendations for the Dauphin Island community and town leaders to create an attractive and vibrant Town Center. For the purposes of Aloe Bay Town Center, the ‘Master Plan’ is intended to provide; vision, concept, analysis, framework, illustrations, even implementation strategies. All of these are oriented toward providing enough information within the document from which Town Leadership can use to make informed decisions to develop a Town Center.
PLAN PRESENTATION
August, 2021
The project team presented a draft of the Aloe Bay Town Center Master Plan during on virtual meeting on the evening of September 16th. Thank you to those who participated in the meeting.
To view the video recording of the virtual meeting or to download the presentation, please click the appropriate link below.
WATCH THE RECORDING
DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATION
Also, if you are not receiving updates from the Aloe Bay project team, please visit the KEEP IN TOUCH section the website. Recently, a series of updates began which elaborates on the 5 main principles - or BIG IDEAS - that are the backbone of the plan as developed in the public charrette and Town residents. For more information on the charrette, please click the Engagement Hub link above.
KEEP IN TOUCH
Do you want to get future project updates? Please provide your contact information if you wish to stay informed on the progress of the Aloe Bay project. As the project moves forward, the project team will provide periodic updates regarding community meetings, engagement opportunities, etc.
PROJECT TEAM
Selected through a competitive process, the Dauphin Island Town Council chose the following team to lead the community through Aloe Bay design process. Over the next few months, each of these groups will be involved and assisting to determine the the feasibility and future vision of Aloe Bay.
Goodwyn Mills Cawood
Dover Kohl and Partners
Randall Gross Development Economics
Ephriam Environmental, LLC
South Coast Engineers
Hargrove Engineers + Constructors
William H. Phillips, Jr., AIA, PC, Architect
STEERING COMMITTEE
Participants on the Steering Committee are leaders in and around the community, who serve as ambassadors to the process. Their role is to ensure residents, property and business owners, tourists, and others related to Dauphin Island all have a voice in the process.
Eric Bay
Renee Collini
Earle Connell
Robert Dixon
Pat Edwards
David Felton
Gene Fox
Craig Greene
Trish Kerr
Beth Lyons
Eliska Morgan
Tina Sanchez
Michael Hardy (Former Member)
Joan Smith (Former Member)
Material from previous Steering Committee meetings will be posted below.
DOCUMENT CATALOG
Through the course of the Aloe Bay process, important documents will be posted. These documents have information which is important to the current overall project process and previous steps which the community has taken to arrive at this opportunity.
In 2018 the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) released a documentary entitled "The Flight of the Frigate Bird" which presents the rich history of Dauphin Island. This includes financial implications of the current evolution of development to the present time and opportunities which the community could consider into the future. For more information on "The Flight of the Frigate Bird" visit the MBNEP's website or video the video on YouTube from the link below.
Previous communications on the Aloe Bay process are included below. If you wish to receive updated, please visit the Keep in Touch section of the site.
QUESTIONS
Do you have a question about Aloe Bay? Feel free to reach out and we will do our best to respond in a timely manner.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN RECEIVING PROJECT UPDATES, PLEASE VISIT THE KEEP IN TOUCH SECTION OF THIS SITE AND PROVIDE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION THERE.