Margaritaville plans to add 142 residential lots
Margaritaville plans to add 142 residential lots
Dolly Parton Dinner Theater could be on tap for Hwy. 161
By John Mullen
Work on the next phase of the coming Margaritaville resort in Orange Beach will include changes in the planned unit development to accommodate a housing development.
The new complex, dubbed The Wharf Landing, is across the Intracoastal Waterway from The Wharf retail, dining, and entertainment district.
Developers were scheduled to appear before the Orange Beach Planning Commission during its regular session on April 13 in the council chambers at City Hall.
The latest phase calls for rezoning 28 acres in the complex to create 142 residential lots with houses ranging from two to five bedrooms. Another item on Margaritaville for the commission to consider deals with reconfiguring a lot line between lots one and two of the PUD.
Rezonings must be approved by the city council, and the planning commission will hear the proposal and offer a recommendation to the council.
A first phase featuring a condo complex and bungalows is already under construction across from The Wharf.
The $350 project spans more than 80 acres along the Intracoastal Waterway and will start with the waterfront district and marina that will include restaurants and an amenity deck. Opening is expected by the end of 2027 and include around 300 units and 650 bedrooms across condominiums, resort cottages, and waterfront villas.
“This project represents a new chapter for Orange Beach. By bringing together a Margaritaville resort and The Wharf, we are creating a destination that amplifies the appeal of both properties and elevates the entire Orange Beach experience,” said Art Favre, owner of The Wharf and a major Margaritaville investor.
The seven-acre amenity deck will include lazy rivers, water slides, multiple pools, a kids’ splash zone themed like a fishing boat, a serenity pool and a swim-up bar. Two of the seven planned restaurants are the high-end Nautical Wheeler and Frankie & Lola’s Pizza.
Another Bufffett themed bistro, Jimmy Buffett’s Last Mango Bar & Chill, is scheduled to open in Marlin Circle at The Wharf this June. The perfect sales vehicle for the resosrt, it will feature an outdoor bar, a full-service indoor restaurant and a dedicated entertainment corner with an arcade and jukebox.
A ferry will connect Margaritaville to the Wharf and its 43-slip transient marina weill be perfect for boaters who want private seating at the 5 O’Clock Somewhere waterfront bar.
Also Discussed April 13:
• Approving a conditional use permit for the development of a second building at Bayside Orange Beach Garages located at 24701 Pelican Place, east of Lauder Place. Conditional use permits must be approved by the city council upon review of the commission’s recommendation.
• Approval of a site plan for an open-air pavilion at the Orange Beach Church, doing business as Orange Beach Methodist Church, at 28751 Canal Road.
Dolly Parton Theater
An item not meeting the second deadline for consideration is a new featured attraction connected to Dolly Parton looking to come to the heart of Orange Beach.
Orange Beach citizens have raised concerns about the complex and the traffic it might generate on Orange Beach Blvd. in several social media posts.
A town hall meeting is set for Wednesday, May 6, at the performing arts center, and officials said residents can ask questions on the project then. The item will then be taken up in the May planning commission meeting.
Kadre Engineering will request to rezone 24 acres on behalf of Beech’s Camper and Mobile Home Park to a planned unit development with the initial phase of the PUD using 13 acres for a 59,000-square-foot building to house the Pirate Voyage Dinner Theater. There are currently pirate theaters in Panama City, Pigeon Forge, and Myrtle Beach.
The group seeking to develop the dinner theater is owned and managed by World Choice Investments, which also has ties to Parton’s Stampede Dinner, Hatfield & McCoy Dinner Feud, and the Titanic Museum, all in Pigeon Forge.
These items also did not meet the second deadline for the April 13 meeting:
• Repurposing an existing parking lot at Wind Drift condominiums for additional overflow parking. The condo is located at 28735-28783 Perdido Beach Blvd.
• A site plan review for the Terrell Office Building, where developers hope to build a 7,500-square-foot multi-tenant commercial building in the southwest corner of the intersection of Canal Road and Lindsey Lane.