Big plans for Frith’s Bait shop site, Gateway Blvd. parcel
Big plans for Frith’s Bait shop site, Gateway Blvd. parcel
By John Mullen
Gulf Shores discussed plans to develop a park on land it owns on Coastal Gateway Blvd. (the former County Road 8) and a planned mixed-use development at the former site of Frith’s Bait Shop in the Waterway District during its Oct. 17 work session.
The Waterway District parcel at the corner of Canal Rd. and East 2nd St. will include two short-term rentals, retail space and mobile vendor court able to have five food or retail vendors. The plan was approved 9-0 by the planning commission.
Frith’s was originally built in 1965, seven years before the current W.C. Holmes was built over the Intracoastal Waterway on Hwy. 59. Visitors to the island crossed a drawbridge at East Second Street and the first thing they saw was Frith’s.
During the years since, the business closed and the property deteriorated. Recently, it’s been refreshed with new paint and cosmetic repairs done to the main three-story building that served as a business and resident for the Friths and the two-bedroom cottage on the southeast corner of the property.
Owners of Swiger and Company Realtors, Angie and David Swiger, have bought the property and are asking the city to approve the main building for retail spaces on the ground floor and a five-bedroom vacation rental on the upper floors. The cottage would also be used for a vacation rental.
Additionally, the Swigers want to add five food trucks or retail vendors stationed on a concrete pad around a grassed courtyard with tables and umbrellas for those dining at the food trucks. Plans call for a nautical theme with pilings, nautical rope, natural wood and water features in the courtyard.
“The site has been an eyesore for our city for a long, long time and we’re very excited about creating something there that creates some synergy,” Angie Swiger told the Gulf Shores Planning Commission at its Sept. 27 meeting. “We think the mobile vendor court is going to be something that we don’t have anywhere else and it will attract people from all over the county. We’re very excited about the site. We think it could really be a gem for the Waterway District.
“Especially with the pedestrian bridge coming in, we want it to be a real hub of activity,” Angie Swiger added. “That’s why we are putting so much on the site. When the bridge comes in it’s a perfect fit for the park and the short-term rentals.”
Three decks or porches will be added on the south, north and east sides of the existing larger building. The deck on the east side will have space for parking underneath.
Gateway Blvd. Park
City council considered approving a bid for the design of three $10.9 million for design of three projects involving the 127 acre parcel in the coming years. The parcel was pieced together when the city accepted a donation of 46 acres along the improved roadway in 2016 and then bought 81 acres adjacent to the first parcel in 2021.
“Because of the additional land now available and the desire to master-plan the entire parcel, the city released a (request for quote) for master planning services to incorporate all public needs related to this property,” a staff memo attached to the meeting agenda states.
Eight firms submitted proposals and its recommendation was to hire Dix.Hite Partners to handle the design of three projects for a total of $1.7 million. If the council votes to proceed with the plan at a future regular session the overall master plan will cost $175,000, design of phase one will cost about $1 million and design of the north-south connector will cost $518,200. The 2022 budget calls for $300,000 for community park development and $10.6 million will be budgeted during the budget years 2023-25 a staff memo states. A separate budget item calls for $6.9 million for the connector road.
During the work session, the council will also discussed:
• Surplus and sale of unneeded items on govdeals.com from Oct. 24 through Nov. 8. The fall list includes eight SUVs or pickups and one wave runner.
• An assembly permit for the Winter Concert Series at Erie Meyer Civic Center with events scheduled for Jan. 30-31, Feb. 6-7, Feb. 16 and March 2. Entertainment includes a tribute to the Piano Men Billy Joel and Elton John, legendary cowboy trio Riders in the Sky, Marc Broussard and Paul Thorn.
• An annexation request from Alicia King for a single-family residence located at 6981 Grund Lane north of County Road 8 west.
• A rezoning request of a .74-acre parcel in the 18400 block of State Route 180 or Fort Morgan Road to change from single-family residential to a duplex district on the vacant lot. The changed received a 9-0 favorable recommendation at the September planning commission meeting with conditions that three detached single-family dwellings be built on the parcel.