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Featuring:
The Waterway is a
promotional partner with Sunsetbay/The Bryan Company and is in no way
owned, operated or libel of each other.
THE VILLAS IN THE NEWS- Sunset Bay - KATHY JUMPER Real Estate Editor, Mobile Register, When Sunset Bay's developers decided not to compete with the beach, the result was something unique - 48 upscale homes at Bon Secour River off Baldwin County 6. "We studied the whole coast and there wasn't anything like this," said developer Rebecca Bryan of The Bryan Co., which is based in Ridgeland, Miss... [MORE] - Baldwin beaches get national attention - GUY BUSBY Staff Reporter, Mobile Register, Efforts to maintain Alabama beaches are again getting national attention at a time when increased development and tourism are causing more problems in many coastal communities, according to the Clean Beaches Council in Washington, D.C... [MORE] - 126 SOUTHERN LIVING - March 2004 - BY ALICE WELSH DOYLE PHOTOGRAPHY JEAN ALLSOPP, A second home is usually about getting away from it all, so what better location for such a place than beside a river whose name means "safe haven." The Bon Secour flows through the land minutes from the hustle and bustle of Alabama's Gulf Shores, but it feels a world away. That's what attracted Rebecca "Bec" Runyon Bryan. "The Bon Secour is a hidden treasure," says Bec, a Mississippi native. "You can't see it from any county highways. You have to be in someone's yard or at one of the restaurants for a view. That and the beauty of the river fascinated me." Property like this on the Bon Secour rarely comes up for sale, but Bec's tenacity paid off. While there was no house, the lot was beautifully landscaped with more than 180 azaleas scattered among live oaks... [MORE] Sunset Bay
The real estate development firm bought 65 acres tucked off Baldwin County 6 and bordered by Oyster Bay, Bon Secour River and the Intracoastal Waterway about four years ago. The land is just outside Gulf Shores city limits. The original plan was to build Baytowne, a 194-unit condo and marina complex. The departure to a development of single-family, waterfront homes was based on a number of factors, including talking with other beach developers, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and a sluggish stock market, according to Bryan. 5 model homes nearly completed About 9 1/2 acres is being used for Sunset Bay. Most of the remaining acreage is wetlands surrounding the subdivision. Five model homes are almost finished. The Bryan Co. built the homes and the luxury yacht club before selling lots "to show people the ambiance of what we wanted," Mrs. Bryan said. The developers bought a strip of undeveloped land across from the yacht club on Baldwin County 6 to protect the integrity of the project, Bryan said. The project was designed by architect Brad Patterson of Gulf Shores. Carney Realty in Gulf Shores markets the lots and homes. "People who like condos want to be on the beach," said Jeff McLaurin, a broker at Ono Professional Partners in Gulf Shores. He worked with the Bryan Co. when it started out as a condo project, and helped them research single-family beach developments on the coast. Sunset Bay will appeal to folks on Ono Island who want to get away from the traffic, as well as people from Mobile or Dauphin Island, McLaurin said. 'Diamond in the rough' "I think it's suited for the established business person who wants a second home or hideaway or a target place for retirement versus a condo," he said. "It's really a diamond in the rough." "People have begun to discover the Bon Secour area, and property is starting to sell at much higher prices," said Steve Bryan of the Bryan Co. "It's becoming in demand." The Bryan Co. developed Palm Beach, a 100-unit condo project in Orange Beach, and has multifamily and commercial projects in Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas. The Bryans have been business partners for 26 years. She has owned a home in Orange Beach for 10 years, and recently built a smaller, second home on Bon Secour River. She travels the Southeast to oversee company projects, but considers the Gulf Coast her home base. "This place has fascinated me, not only for its history but because it's a place of isolation," she said of the Bon Secour area. "It's a sleeper." "It's like stepping back in time," said Linda Brokaw of ERA Class.com in Foley. She has listed and sold many of the units in Sailboat Bay, a condominium complex on 40 acres on Plash Island, just down the road from Sunset Bay. "The developer of Sailboat Bay used to have a slogan. 'Once you've outgrown the beach, come to Sailboat Bay,'" Brokaw said. She estimates 45 percent to 50 percent of the units there are year-round homes, and most of the rest are second homes. "There are very few rentals," Brokaw said. Sailboat units start in the low $100,000s up to $250,000s, and include a boat slip. Yacht club membership among Sunset perks Sunset Bay's homeowners get yacht-club memberships. The club overlooks the boat slips and has an activity room, kitchen, a computer and fax room, a fitness room, and a heated pool and hot tub. There is also a golf cart trail around the marina so homeowners can bring supplies from their homes to their boats. The model homes in Sunset Bay have 10-foot ceilings, 8-foot interior and exterior doors, granite countertops in the kitchens, an elevator option, master baths with custom showers, and outdoor decks. "Each home has a different look," Rebecca Bryan said. She plans to build more model homes after these five are sold. "What we're finding," she said, "is that people from Ono who want to have their boats, but not the traffic, and people from Destin who say it's gotten so crowded at the beach, they are looking for something else." CUTLINES: Photos by BILL STARLING/Staff Photographer Top: A tugboat pushes a barge up the Intracoastal Waterway past one of the Sunset Bay homes near Gulf Shores. The 48 single-family home lots on Baldwin County 6 also feature views of Oyster Bay and the Bon Secour River. Middle left: Tony Smith, with Gene's Floor Coverings, lays tile for one of the homes. Five model homes are complete. The developers opted for single-family homes instead of 194 condominium units. Boat slips and the yacht club are finished. Developer Rebecca Bryan of Bryan Co. discusses the Sunset Bay development. "What we're finding," she said, "is that people from Ono who want to have their boats, but not the traffic, and people from Destin who say it's gotten so crowded at the beach, they are looking for something else." The Bon Secour area "has fascinated me, not only for its history but because it's a place of isolation. It's a sleeper."- Rebecca Bryan, developer Copyright 2003, Mobile Register. All Rights Reserved. Used by NewsBank with Permission. Baldwin beaches get national attention March 18, 2004 GUY BUSBY Staff Reporter, Mobile Register Efforts to maintain Alabama beaches are again getting national attention at a time when increased development and tourism are causing more problems in many coastal communities, according to the Clean Beaches Council in Washington, D.C. The eight-mile public beach area in Gulf Shores is one of about 100 coastal areas in the United States being considered for inclusion in the national organization's 2004 Blue Wave list. While the list will not be officially announced until May, city and council officials said the Gulf Shores beaches have again met with judges' approval. Lisa Kennedy, Gulf Shores city spokeswoman, said Wednesday that she was told that the city passed the criteria for the best beaches list for the third year in a row. "We haven't gotten anything in writing, but when I called to ask them when they'd be down to look at us, because I wanted to talk to them while they were down here, they said they'd already been down and that 'y'all did just fine,'" Kennedy said. The campaign studies beaches around the country to determine the best-maintained coastal stretches in the United States, said Walter McLeod, council president. Gulf Shores was named to the list for the last two years. McLeod said that while the list will not be officially announced until May 21, he could say that Gulf Shores is consistently one of the best beaches in the judging - with the area doing well in all seven general categories. "Each beach that we look at is a little different, but in Gulf Shores, they have had a commitment to total beach management," McLeod said. "A lot of beaches will excel in one area or another, but they really try to excel in all seven areas." Judges grade beach maintenance efforts on seven general criteria: water quality, beach and inter-tidal conditions, safety, services, habitat conservation, education, and erosion management. McLeod said council members have also talked to Orange Beach officials about taking part in the Blue Wave campaign. He said city representatives want to complete other efforts, such as a beach nourishment project, before starting work on a Blue Wave project. Gulf Shores officials do not make a special effort to win the award, but have relied on the routine cleaning and grading of the beach, said Kennedy. She said workers go out each morning to remove litter before most beach visitors arrive. "We just do what we always do, daily maintenance and upkeep, and it paid off again," she said. She said keeping the beach clean discourages many visitors from leaving litter, although the next several weeks will be a challenge due to spring break. "It's usually not too bad," she said. "There are times, like spring break coming up, when we have to do a little more." Kennedy said that when crowds of spring-break visitors hit the Gulf Shores beaches, city crews will be sent out to clean more often. City employees will also hand out plastic trash bags and portable ash trays to encourage keeping the beach clean. Beaches along the Atlantic, Gulf, Pacific and Great Lakes are evaluated each year by council representatives. Beaches are evaluated based on safety, environmental management, responsible use, appearance and cleanliness, according to the council. In neighboring Orange Beach, officials would like to work toward such recognition in the future, but other issues currently have priority, said City Administrator Jeff Moon. "It's on our list of things we'd like to do, but we just have other things going on right now," Moon said. "Beach renourishment is our priority coming up and we haven't had time to look at other things." Unlike Gulf Shores, Orange Beach does not have municipal public beaches, Moon said. With most of the coastline in private hands, the city has less influence over how the beaches are maintained, he said. Moon said Orange Beach officials are working to acquire waterfront property in the future, which would increase the city's chances of being added to the list. Orange Beach already has many of the projects in place needed for Blue Wave certification, such as water-quality monitoring, said Philip West, city environmental planner. He said the nourishment project, which will increase the depth of the Baldwin beaches by adding dredged sand to the coastline, will also help Orange Beach gain recognition by enhancing the dune system and increasing habitats for shore birds. "We're almost there, but we've got a few things to take care of first," West said. McLeod said Clean Beaches Council members have looked at Orange Beach efforts and would like to discuss possible inclusion of the community in future Blue Wave lists. "We're just in the beginning of the process of talking to Orange Beach," he said. The Blue Wave program is intended to encourage communities to keep beaches clean as demands on coastal areas increase, according to a statement from the Clean Beaches Council. As many as 180 million people visit the more than 95,000 miles of U.S. coast each year, with beaches being the top visitor destination in the U.S. McLeod said that in order to protect local beaches, council members want to try to develop local organizations to work on conservation efforts. "We're working on a grass-roots program, a Coastal Corps," he said. Agencies, such as cities, included in the Blue Wave program could be asked to help organize local residents into chapters to promote beach preservation at a community level, he said. CUTLINES: Photos by GUY BUSBY/Register Early morning strollers walk the Gulf Shores Public Beach. As thousands of spring-break visitors prepare to come to the Alabama Gulf Coast, cleanup workers will be busy maintaining the beaches. Gulf Shores maintenance efforts have won the praise of the Clean Beaches Council of Washington, D.C., which is again considering the site for inclusion on the national Blue Wave Campaign list of clean beaches. The Blue Wave award banner flies below the United States and Alabama flags at the Gulf Shores Public Beach. The city has been placed on the national list, compiled annually by the Clean Beaches Council of Washington, D.C., for two years in a row and is under consideration again in 2004, according to council and city officials. The listing recognizes the cleanest beaches in the United States. Copyright 2004, Mobile Register. All Rights Reserved. Used by NewsBank with Permission.
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