Gulf Shores is studying two plans that are aimed at enhancing the area along the Intracoastal Waterway.

The area currently has the huge LuLu’s complex on the north side and the newest addition to the Tacky Jack’s chain on the south side. City officials want to see even more growth along the waterway.

“We’re actively engaged in creating a plan to do something positive with our waterway area,” Mayor Robert Craft said.

One group, Working Waterfront, recently received a $25,000 Alabama-Mississippi Sea grant and chose Gulf Shores as a prime area to study. The money will pay for a legal student to perform research on issues related to a fish market, pedestrian pathways and pocket parks.

Happening almost at the same time, the city began studying an Intracoastal Waterway Overlay District that straddles the canal. A firm was hired for $8,800 to study the area and come up with ideas about adjusting the zoning regulations in the area to encourage growth.

“They are separate issues, but they kind of go hand in hand,” city Director of Planning and Zoning Andy Bauer said. “It’s worked out good we started working on both of them at the same time.  It’s more design related than it is user related. Typical zoning regulations focus on uses, this is focused on design. “

Bauer sees “an entertainment type district along the waterway on each side and then enhancing and improving upon some of the local flavor that you already have there, some of the local history. That used to be old downtown Gulf Shores.”

The seafood market could be a starting point or a center piece for the area’s future plans. Three representatives of Working Waterfronts recently met with the council to discuss their research here.

“What we’ve explored, if you wanted to do that, how would state agencies regulate you or how would they regulate the fishermen who wanted to sell the seafood,” Niki Pace with the Alabama-Mississippi Sea Grant Legal Program said. “So we’re just trying to flesh out the nuts and bolts of how it would happen so that the city has more information to make an informed decision about what they want to pursue.”

Marie Dyson, a representative of the Auburn University Extension and the Alabama-Mississippi Sea Grant, said city ordinances may also be required to get the waterfronts working.

“That is something that you need to work out and it needs to go into you zoning and into your ordinances,” Dyson said. “There’s nothing per se that says working waterfront. So the protection is kind of not there. That’s what we’re looking and at why we thought it would be a good idea to work with y’all on this project.”

Craft believes the seafood market could provide an entertainment aspect.

“We talked about was having a fresh seafood market on the waterway that could actually have fresh seafood delivered and resold and the public would have the opportunity to observe the fishermen unloading the fish and shrimpers dumping their nets and it becomes part of an entertainment as well as” Craft said. “It’s a great opportunity for people to see how our seafood industry works that we really don’t have access for them now.”

Bauer said the two-tiered plan is aimed at “giving the tourists something else to do besides right on the beach if there were some issues with the beach like we have seen in the past with hurricanes and the oil spill. Our whole tourist economy would be completely shut down. We could offer then something else to do.

“Trying to rejuvenate what was once there, a little quaint, pedestrian oriented downtown district with restaurants, shops and that type of thing. You already have some of that in there, but hopefully to encourage more of that type of development.

“It would be a great location to live because you have the schools here, shopping centers nearby.”