The Real Deal

By Sharman Egan Lagniappe columnist

When my editor suggested I do a column on development along the Causeway, the first thing I did was take a little road trip to see what was going on between the lovely Austal boat shed to the west and Alligator Alley to the east.

Oh my, what an eye opener. It’s not as if I don’t cross the Bay on a regular basis. But it helps when you’re doing 75 on the Bayway, a few dozen feet above sea level, and Donna Summer is working hard for the money on the XM radio. Once you turn down the volume and start paying attention, things get ugly pretty fast. “Enough is Enough” and “Wasted” come to mind.

Next, I surfed the ‘Net for background. It didn’t take long to find a report from the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Coastal Policy Center entitled “The Mobile Bay Causeway: Existing Conditions & Enhancement Opportunities.” The report, published in 2002, presents a vision for the Causeway from a group called the Scenic Causeway Coalition. It makes a number of specific recommendations to improve the Causeway, and even includes “before” photos, accompanied by watercolors showing what the “after” view might look like. This report (http://www.disl.org/coastal/coastal/Part2.pdf) is a must read for anyone concerned about future development along the Causeway.

So what has happened to the coalition’s vision in the five years since the report was published? And why does much of the Causeway still resemble the aftermath of a shelling in Baghdad?

A number of factors have come together, causing the coalition’s effort to lose steam and the coalition itself to disband. Let’s face it – between Katrina, the battle between the cities of Daphne and Spanish Fort over who would ultimately control the Baldwin County portion of the Causeway and the whole Bass Pro development mess – the Mobile Bay area in general and the city of Spanish Fort specifically has had a lot to say grace over.

Mary Brabner, Spanish Fort city council representative for the district that includes the eastern portion of the Causeway, points to another issue that has stalled development: lack of guidelines from the city. The city has been discussing various limits for two years. Meanwhile developers have been throwing out ideas, trying to see what might stick to the walls of city hall. One proposed condominium project started out as one 26-story building, was later scaled back to several 7- to 15-story buildings and has been on hold since late 2005. “Developers have been waiting patiently for us to make a decision on what can be built,” Brabner said. “Until we made a decision, they could not even go to the drawing board with their plans.”

That issue was resolved on April 2 when the Spanish Fort City Council voted to limit the height of structures on the Causeway to 40 feet and residential density to 20 units per acre. Brabner said she believes the problem of derelict buildings along the Causeway will take care of itself in the wake of the new development ordinance, citing the old Woody’s hotel and the former Argiro’s as sites she expects to see re-developed.

A few brave developers have moved forward with their plans, in the absence of guidelines. Shellbank Landing (www.shellbanklanding.com), a 57-unit condo development, appears to be consistent with the new ordinance. Four three-story buildings will be tucked into the bluffs on the eastern end of the Causeway. Seven acres of the 12-acre site will be set aside as a conservation easement that will not be developed.

But the really big news on the Causeway is the opening of 5 Rivers – Alabama’s Delta Center. Several people I spoke to mentioned the center as a possible catalyst for future development. Hank Burch, manager of 5 Rivers, is careful to point out that the center does not have a vested stake in the development of the privately owned property along the Causeway. But the state is the largest owner of Causeway property – estimates are around 60 percent – and the center does want to be a model. “At 5 Rivers we’re showing our vision of what the Causeway can be,” said Burch. And that vision does resemble that of the now-defunct Scenic Causeway Coalition.

Development of the 80-acre state-owned park has been low profile. When I visited April 4, there wasn’t even a sign out front yet (the entrance is across from Meaher State Park). But that will all change soon. The Center’s ribbon cutting is scheduled for April 13, just before its first public event, the Alabama Delta Blues Festival on April 14 and 15.

The following weekend on April 21, 5 Rivers will be the site of Earth Fest 2007 (www.5riversearthfest.org). The event, held in the past at the Fairhope Municipal Pier, has been moved to 5 Rivers to showcase the new center. It will feature everything from raptors to music from Kung Fu Mama and the paintings of blind artist Ricky Trione.

These two events will be followed by a regular schedule of activities for the public. While the focus will be on nature-based tourism, conservation and education, there will be a variety of activities designed to appeal to a broad range of visitors. “We want to pull in as many people as possible, to highlight 5 Rivers as the gateway for the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta,” said Burch. For more information on the 5 Rivers Delta Center, go to www.alabama5rivers.com.

Sharman Egan is Lagniappe lagniappe columnist. Contact her at Sharman@SharmanEgan.com.

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