A decade after its original approval, a 108-unit apartment complex with a revamped design received another green light from the City Council this week.
First approved in 2004, the Wolf Bay Village planned unit development included a commercial shopping center fronting Canal Road, just west of Cosmo’s, and 27 four-plex buildings with 108 units backing up to the West Perdido Avenue neighborhood on its north side.
While the commercial part moved ahead with two strip malls that now include Snapper Lounge, China King, a gym, a liquor store and a Mexican restaurant, among other businesses, the apartment complex fell victim to the real estate market collapse during the Great Recession.
Back before the council on Tuesday night, developer Jeff Lowe of The Fortis Company out of Shreveport, La., and Gulf Shores architect Sted McCollough was seeking master plan modifications, some of which were requested by the city’s community development department.
The adjustments:
decreased the complex from 27 buildings to 10 buildings at two stories apiece.
increased the total number of parking spaces from 196 to 235.
added more pervious area and green space.
decreased the total building footprint coverage and added a staff-requested driveway for traffic and emergency vehicle access through the Wolf Bay Plaza shopping center in addition to an existing access point into the residential area on West Perdido Avenue.
“We are especially pleased with the access through the commercial property,” Community Development Director Kit Alexander said to the council prior to its vote. “We received a number of concerns voiced by the houses on Perdido stating that they were not happy about accessing West Perdido Avenue. So this is a concession that the developer has made.”
In a rare instance at a well-attended meeting, no one spoke during the public hearing on the project and the council was satisfied with the changes.
“You know it’s a successful change when there’s nobody here arguing the case,” Councilman Jeff Boyd said prior to the council’s unanimous vote supporting the project.
Following the meeting, Lowe of Fortis said the complex will be high-end apartments but with affordable prices. The project will be made up of 24 three-bedroom units at about 1,450 square feet and 84 two-bedroom units at roughly 1,250 square feet and will include a pool.
“We hope to target full-time residents, good contributing citizens for the community,” Lowe said.
Fortis said he hopes to begin the project by February and start leasing apartments sometime during the summer.
