The city of Gulf Shores is one step closer to breaking ground on a multi-sport facility that it says will increase year-round economic activity and improve the quality of life for its residents.

City council unanimously approved several actions Monday afternoon to allow a project to build a new facility at the pre-existing Gulf Shores Sportsplex. The new facility will be about 40,000 square feet indoors and outdoors and feature spaces for beach volleyball, indoor volleyball, basketball, pickleball, wrestling, cheer, baseball, softball and dance.

The plan allows for the city to enter a 30-year lease agreement with Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Center, who “will develop, support, and promote a wide variety of youth sport and educational opportunities including instructional training, camps and clinics, league play, tournament play and practice opportunities in a wide variety of sports for hundreds of boys and girls throughout the community,” according to the city.

“This is definitely a project that I think is needed for our community and I’ve been doing other things with recreation in our area for 20 years now,” said Shawn Weaver, a principal in the sports center. “Being able to enhance it even more and having that opportunity, I’m very privileged to be able to do.”

According to a summary of the project, the city will transfer ownership of the 6.92-acre land at the Sportsplex to Public Park and Recreation Board of the City of Gulf Shores, which is an entity of the city. The board will develop and construct the multisport facility with the issuance of over $8.2 million in lease revenue bonds.

After it is complete, the board will lease the facility to the Alabama Gulf Coast Sports Center. The board will return the funds to the city as they’re paid through rent from the sports center.

A public hearing preceded the votes, but no member of the public spoke.

“It’s a real focus of this city to provide that kind of environment as we try to drive more families coming to join us to live here,” Mayor Robert Craft said.

The plan first came to light in April 2022 when the sports center proposed the new facility to grow sports tourism during non-peak times of the year and provide a public resource to those who live in Gulf Shores. Monday was the first time it came before the council.

In addition to the new areas for certain sports, the facility will also feature a fitness center, coffee shop and multipurpose event space, where large events like graduations, trade shows, conferences and church retreats could take place, Brown said.

The city is expected to break ground in January 2024 and be fully operational by late December 2024.