Ain’t it grand that The Grand Hotel is totally back on line? Sure is for the workers, supervisors and managers who make this Point Clear resort a truly grand experience. They’re back at work. And it’s grand for the local merchants, especially those in Fairhope.
The business environment was a bit bleak, post-Katrina, with the hotel shuttered, then partially open. Sure, motels and rentals all along the Eastern Shore, even mid-county, were full of Mississippi and Louisiana refugees, insurance adjusters, construction workers and volunteers. But finding shelter in Fairhope or Daphne and working 24/7 was not quite like being on a vacation or attending a lavish business meeting at The Grand Hotel.
The name just seems to set the mood for living (and spending) big. If you’re going economy class, you’re not going to The Grand. So even though the Eastern Shore was full, these visitors had neither the urge to buy nor the time to spend in the manner of The Grand’s guests. And it hurt.
The recent re-opening of the meeting rooms and the Grand Dining Room, both critical to capturing lucrative business meetings and special events, is critical to restoring fully the business health of the nearby communities.
The restoration of this premier Eastern Shore resort has been done in a grand manner. Having made a quick visit there – leaving in-depth reviews to my colleagues who specialize in food and society affairs – I can report that the renovated, rebuilt and completely re-opened resort appears to be living up to the hype on The Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club and Spa Web site: “The tranquility of the Queen of Southern Resorts is very much alive and well in Point Clear, Alabama.”
And for the Fairhope merchants, especially those in the historic town center, this is none too soon. They really appreciate the sight of Grand Hotel vans and SUVs in town again. They carry both out-of-town big spenders and the hope this will be a great holiday selling season.
End of Topic 1, but keep reading, there’s even more grand news.
And ain’t it grand that the Fairhope City Council voted to approved the Fly Creek development? It’s a perfect north side complement to The Grand and its Point Clear neighbors south of the city. This new Planned Unit Development (PUD), unlike several of those surrounding it, actually is what a PUD is supposed to be. Look at this description of a PUD, quoted verbatim from Wikipedia:
“A mixture of both land uses and dwelling types with at least one of the nonresidential land uses being regional in nature. The clustering of residential land uses providing public and common open space. Increased administrative discretion to a local professional planning staff while setting aside present land use regulations and rigid plat approval processes…..
”.... PUDs take on a variety of forms ranging from small cluster of houses combined with open spaces to new and developing towns with thousands of residents and various land uses.” That’s a PUD (and I hope this convinces you Lagniappe really does give its readers something extra) and that’s Fly Creek.
Fly Creek’s going to be a real neighborhood. It will be a place that provides varied types of housing, responding to the varied needs of residents. It will have a commercial center and recreational and entertainment areas. It will have parks and green space and the wetlands of the Fly Creek for all to enjoy. It will be a highly coveted community – like Celebration or WaterColor. Unlike the existing, traditional (maybe even passé) isolated residential communities that border the Fly Creek development, everything will be close, convenient and oriented toward foot or bike travel – not automobiles.
The council meeting went pretty much as I expected. Council President Bob Gentle and members Mike Ford and Cecil Christenberry voted for approval. Debbie Quinn, always very sensitive to citizens’ concerns (in this case outright opposition from the residents of adjacent planned communities) voted against.
But I didn’t anticipate council member Dan Stankoski’s abstention – had him down as a “Nay.” His explanation: He lives on Fly Creek, downstream of the development. He asked for a ruling on the ethics of his voting on an issue that would affect his property. The ethics folks came down on the side of abstaining, kinda, sorta, leaving the decision up to him. In deciding, Stankoski, a former FBI agent, recalled the guidance of his old boss, the Director – J. Edgar Hoover.
Director Hoover said you should, “not only avoid wrongdoing, but should also avoid the appearance of wrongdoing.” Good advice and a great quote, but it caught me by surprise. I was expecting something like, “Don’t wear white after Labor Day.” Not on point, I suppose, but still a useful, albeit somewhat dated, fashion tip.
Anyhow, the first round was over and by my assessment the good guys won. The Brothers Corte (Arthur and Frank) will be able to proceed with going through the many additional steps needed to get the new PUD approved in detail. And if all goes as planned Fairhope will get the first development that responds to the direction laid out in the Master Plan.
This success came despite the machinations and maneuvering against the whole project by the property owners’ association presidents of Rock Creek, Sandy Ford and The Woodlands. The good men of the council and the city attorney did the right thing. Good judgment and a sense of fair play prevailed. (Cue patriotic music) Truth, justice and the American way… oops – carried away.
Let me finish by (Lose the music) just saying that things really are looking pretty grand around here.
Contact Pete Gleszer at jubilee@lagniappemobile.com.
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