FOLEY, Ala. — A Wednesday afternoon shower failed to rain out plans to break ground on Foley Square.

Instead, city leaders, representatives of Burton Property Group and members of the media descended on the site situated at the intersection of Pride Drive and South McKenzie Street for a ceremony that officially kicked off construction of a 97,000-square foot shopping center that will be anchored by a 62,000-square-foot Academy Sports + Outdoors.

“This will fill a void in the retail market of Foley,” Foley Mayor John Koniar said. “It’s a real plus for us.”

City leaders explained that Foley Economic Development Director Jeff Rouzie had been working on bringing Academy, which has no other Baldwin County location, to the Forward City for several years. To that, BPG spokesman Phillip Burton touted the city of Foley for its efforts in making the endeavor possible.

“It’s been truly a refreshing experience,” he said. “It’s an important partnership for projects like these.”

That partnership includes the city providing $4 million in infrastructure improvements for the project.

Burton explained that Academy will serve as an anchor store to two adjoining retailers.

“They will be announced later this year,” he said.

Once open, the combined retailers are expected to generate approximately 200 new jobs.

Burton said construction of the facility should be completed next spring.

“We have to deliver by March 31,” he said.

But that should just be the first of tree phases planned on the 13-acre site. According to Burton, efforts are underway to add both a second and third phase in the near future.

But in the weeks ahead, BPG’s first Foley project, which is McKenzie Village shopping center, is slated to open. That facility will add both Hobby Lobby and Big Lots to the Foley retail scene.