FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You Asked, We Answered
WHAT IS ALOE BAY?
This harbor, located in the heart of Dauphin Island, has been an important location for the commercial fishing and tourism industries of the community. It has been home to the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo and numerous other maritime businesses that are the historical and cultural core of the island. Roughly bordered by Lemoyne Drive and DeSoto Avenue, this area is being planned as the town center for Dauphin Island.
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.
HOW DID THIS GET STARTED?
In the Dauphin Island Strategic Plan, adopted in 2007, 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. 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 which resulted in the Town being awarded over $16.5 million to make this vision a reality.
HOW FAR ALONG IS ALOE BAY AND HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT?
The Aloe Bay project, comprised of several components, will be implemented in three phases covering a span of several years It is currently in Phase I, which includes planning, design and engineering, and acquisition. This phase will gather information from the community, define issues, identify potential solutions and alternatives, as well as develop a timeline for implementation. It is anticipated that Phase I will conclude by mid-2021 with Phase II (environmental permitting and construction documents) and Phase III (implementation and construction) to follow through 2022.
ARE THERE ANY COMMUNITY MEETINGS FOR THIS PROJECT?
Yes, over the course of the planning process, the project team will hold several community events. To stay informed, please sign-up using our contact form (link below), as the project team will use this email list to provide regular updates on the time and location of community events. http://gmcplanning.com/AloeBayContactList
WHAT WILL THE PLAN LOOK LIKE?
We are still working with the community to determine how Aloe Bay will look in the future. Over the next several months, the project team will hold community events and asking residents about their vision for Aloe Bay.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE ALABAMA DEEP SEA FISHING RODEO (ADSFR) SITE?
The ADSFR site is privately-owned property along Aloe Bay, and the Mobile Jaycees will retain use of their property consistent with Town ordinances and regulations. During the Aloe Bay planning process, the project team will engage the Mobile Jaycees just as any other stakeholder to discuss potential opportunities.
WHAT IS A PUBLIC DESIGN CHARRETTE?
A charrette is an intensive planning session where citizens, designers, community leaders, and technical experts collaborate on a vision for future growth and development. It provides a forum for creative ideas and provides both immediate and ongoing feedback loops between designers, stakeholders, and the community. More importantly, it allows everyone who participates to be a mutual author of the plan.
The charrette focuses on community input over a short period of time, through various means such as in-person or online meetings and exercises representing a full spectrum of interests in Aloe Bay. The consultant team uses the results of this effort to evolve the vision over the subsequent days at the planning studio. Throughout the week, the community’s goals for each focus area of the plan are pursued while ideas and scenarios are tested.
This community design method has worked successfully in Aloe Bay with past initiatives and you are invited to participate in the Aloe Bay project by engaging in the Virtual Charrette. This is your opportunity to offer your feedback on the work as it is being produced by expressing your vision for the future of the Aloe Bay area. Your participation will make the difference between a good plan and a great plan. Please join us!
The unprecedented COVID-19 global emergency has pushed us to move this public process entirely online. The following videos explain how the public process typically works, and how we’re adapting to our present reality.
WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE?
EVERYONE! We encourage you to participate in all the virtual meetings, and complete each of the surveys, and to share them with your friends, family, and community to spread the word about the plan.
WHY SHOULD YOU PARTICIPATE?
During these public events, the planning team will be asking questions to help understand why Aloe Bay is important for the community and what the vision is for the future. Participating in the Charrette will give you a chance to share your vision for the Aloe Bay plan. Your participation will make the difference between a good plan and a great plan!
HOW SHOULD YOU PARTICIPATE?
We encourage you to participate in all of the virtual meetings and to invite your friends, family, and community to spread the word about the plan. In response to COVID-19, the charrette will be held in a Hybrid In-Person & Virtual format, allowing community members the opportunity to participate providing input from home or in-person, In compliance with CDC and ADPH recommended guidelines, we ask that participants attending in-person meetings please wear masks and practice social distancing.
Outside scheduled events, you can continue to provide your feedback through online polls and surveys on the project website www.aloebay.org. Your feedback helps us make better decisions, and so we want to make that easy. Contribute your ideas and ask questions about featured projects at times that work best for you. We’re excited to hear from you!
HOW TO JOIN A ZOOM MEETING?
If you are having trouble joining an online meeting, please watch this video:
WHY SHOULD I ENGAGE ONLINE?
The Aloe Bay project website allows you to have your say on issues that are important to you, at a time and place that works for you.
It’s a quick, convenient, and accessible way to have your say on a range of issues and topics.
It’s a great way to keep up-to-date and contribute your views on issues and projects affecting your community.
You can see what others think about an issue or topic, respond with your own views, and engage in a discussion.
You don't have to attend community meetings at a set place and time, or if you missed or were unable to attend a meeting, you can still feedback after.
It allows for a range of people with different views to discuss matters that affect our community.
It enables the Town of Dauphin Island to reach out to a wider array of people to gather comments and improve our plans and projects.
WHY IS THE ALOE BAY PROJECT ONLINE?
Traditional public consultation usually involves attending a public meeting or providing written submissions to the City Council, and this can often be time-consuming and inconvenient. These traditional forums can also be intimidating, especially for underrepresented folks. We, as a community, work better when we have lots of voices at the table. When we have a variety of perspectives represented in discussions about Town plans and projects, we know we end up with better decisions.
We are committed to being open, transparent, and accountable and to engaging and empowering residents to participate in meaningful discussions and innovative solutions. And we are committed to making it easy and fun! By using an online engagement site, we are able to hear from you, fold your feedback into projects and plans, and make Dauphin Island a better place.
WHY DO I HAVE TO REGISTER TO BE ABLE TO MAKE COMMENTS?
While registration is not required to access, it is necessary for many of the more interactive engagement opportunities. We ask you to register on the website for a few reasons. First, it helps ensure that a broader set of perspectives have an opportunity to be represented by attributing feedback and frequency of feedback to individuals. It also promotes accountability and encourages people to provide more thoughtful responses. And finally, it allows us to follow up with you to give you more information about the projects you are interested in and let you know how we used your ideas.
WHAT HAPPENS TO MY COMMENTS?
Project teams collect and compile all comments, ideas, and suggestions and use them to inform the development of strategies, programs, and activities or to gain an insight into community views and opinions. Often, comments provided online help augment face-to-face consultations such as meetings, open houses, or surveys. When each project consultation closes, all contributions are compiled into a report, which will be presented to the Town Council when considering the issue.
All ideas and opinions provided during the consultation will be considered; however, this does not mean that every suggestion will affect the project or be adopted as proposed. NOTE: All comments you make through this website will become public records for anyone to read. You can find more information about how we use data in our privacy policy.
DO YOU HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION ABOUT ALOE BAY?
For other questions, please visit the Questions section of the Aloe Bay website.