This plan was funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Assessment Grant Program.

Alchemy Community Transformations (formerly known as McClure Placemaking) would like to thank the following individuals and organizations for their participation in the strategic planning process:

Mayor Robert A. “Bob” Wills
Anne Corbett, City Council – District 1
Mike Phillips, City Council – District 2
John W. Biggs, City Council – District 3
William Taylor, City Council – District 4
Shannon Clemmons, City Council – District 5

McClure was founded in 1956 as McClure Engineering Company. McClure added Alchemy Community Transformations, their creative placemaking division, in 2017 after years of working in small towns across the Midwest with declining populations and aging infrastructure. With a vision of “making lives better,” McClure’s mission is to build relationships to help its clients be successful. We pride ourselves on providing people-driven solutions, redefining boundaries, and being trusted advisors to our clients.

PPM is an environmental and engineering consulting firm providing services to industrial, commercial, and governmental clients. PPM has achieved steady growth and success by providing common sense and cost-effective solutions to our clients’ environmental issues. Founded in 1994, PPM now operates eight offices and eight service centers in the United States. PPM began as a firm specializing in soil and groundwater assessment and remediation to the petroleum marketing industry, but their services have expanded over the years to include a full range of air, water, and waste compliance consulting; due diligence, and other related environmental services. PPM provides these services to the petroleum marketing, industrial, commercial real estate, legal, and oil and gas/mining sectors, as well as local, state and federal government.

Program Activities

Visioning

The Action Plan

Overview

Housing Challenges

Housing Recommendations

Action Steps

Intro to Concept

Operations

Action Steps

Intro to Concept

Rebranding

Menu Offerings

Programming

Partnerships

Action Steps

Intro to Concept

Partnerships, Projects, and Investment Opportunities

Brownfields Redevelopment

Action Steps

Intro to Concept

Bay Minette Forward

Stay in the Bay Incentive

Budget Snapshot

In 2017, the City of Bay Minette was awarded a $300,000 Community-wide Petroleum and Hazardous Substances Assessment Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The purpose of the program is to help redevelop abandoned, idle, or underutilized properties where expansion or redevelopment is hindered by actual or perceived environmental conditions. Examples include abandoned gas stations, industrial plants, former dry cleaners, and other private and commercial properties.

The goals of EPA’s Brownfields Program include:

Addressing brownfields to promote the health and wellbeing of America’s people and environment

Enhancing collaboration and communication essential to facilitate brownfields cleanup and reuse

Providing financial and technical assistance to bolster the private market

Redeveloping brownfields to enhance a community’s long-term quality of life

EPA provides funding to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct planning and community involvement related to brownfields. An eligible entity may apply for up to $200,000 to assess a site contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants, or other contaminants and up to $200,000 to address a site contaminated by petroleum. Three or more eligible entities may apply together as a coalition for up to $1 million to assess a minimum of five sites.

Phase I – Environmental Site Assessments (ESA)

Includes a site inspection, interviews with persons knowledgeable about the history of the property, and a review of environmental records to determine if potential environmental conditions exist. Like title searches, surveys and appraisals, such assessments are now routine on commercial real estate transactions.

Phase II – Environmental Site Assessments (ESA)

If the Phase I ESA identifies potential environmental conditions, additional investigation may be needed to determine if adverse environmental conditions actually exist. Phase II ESAs can include soil, surface water, and groundwater testing; asbestos surveys; lead-based paint surveys, endangered species studies, etc.

EPA provides funding to carry out cleanup activities for brownfields sites. An eligible entity may apply for up to $200,000 per site, which may be used to address sites contaminated by petroleum and hazardous substances, pollutants, or other contaminants. For impacted sites, EPA will provide funding for certain engineering and consulting services to plan for redevelopment. This can include remedial alternatives analysis and meeting with regulatory agencies.

Through the Brownfields Program, EPA also provides funding for the creation of revolving loan funds, job training, technical assistance, state and tribal response programs, and target brownfields assessments. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/brownfields.

1. Can make property more attractive by removing potential concerns regarding the environmental condition of the site

2. Will cover the costs of environmental studies, thus reducing capital expenditures associated with due diligence prior to sell or purchase

3. No contractual obligation required with the city or firm(s) conducting the studies

A crucial component of Bay Minette’s work plan through the $300,000 Assessment Grant included a strategic planning process in partnership with Alchemy Community Transformations, A McClure Team. The following details the planning process, project priorities, and implementation strategies to achieve the desired results including economic development, talent attraction/retention, and community revitalization.

The foundation of this plan stems from the needs and desires of the people residing in the City of Bay Minette. To ensure Bay Minette’s Placemaking Action Plan resonated with the community and has the necessary support and momentum to be implemented, Alchemy engaged local stakeholders in a variety of ways. These included:

To begin the strategic planning process, Alchemy conducted its first 90-minute visioning session with the Steering Committee followed by two public visioning sessions with a diverse group of local residents in May 2019. The Steering Committee consisted of a group of 27 community leaders representing public, private, and non-profit organizations. The two public visioning sessions were attended by more than 75 residents who provided their input and feedback about the opportunities and challenges facing their community. Additionally, Alchemy visited with more than 25 individuals representing the largest employers in Bay Minette and the surrounding area.

The key topics discussed during the visioning sessions and targeted outreach meetings included:

• Arts and Culture

• Housing

• Parks and Recreation

• Workforce and Education

• Available/Underutilized Buildings and Land

For each of these topics, Alchemy and local residents identified existing assets, opportunities for growth, as well as barriers and challenges preventing new and improved development in Bay Minette.

A complete record of visioning session results is available for review in Appendix A.

In addition to the public visioning sessions, Alchemy published two online surveys to collect anonymous feedback from local residents. The first survey was based on similar questions posed at the public visioning sessions, and the second survey was designed to solicit targeted feedback about housing and cultural amenities in Bay Minette. Both surveys included quantitative and qualitative questions. In total, 363 individuals participated in the online survey assessments.

A complete record of online survey results is available for review in Appendix B.

Alchemy facilitated discussions with the Steering Committee, public officials, large employers, and college students to learn more about the region and help clarify and confirm input received from the visioning sessions, online survey assessments, and other stakeholder outreach.

More than 25 one-on-one interviews were held in person or over the phone during the strategic planning process. These interviews with community leaders, entrepreneurs, and potential project partners were designed to provide Alchemy with diverse perspectives on the opportunities and challenges faced by Bay Minette, but also helped confirm and hone the project priorities and strategies in the action plan.

The City of Bay Minette has a comprehensive plan adopted in 2013, through 2030; Alchemy reviewed South Alabama Regional Planning Commission’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Annual Report published in September 2019 and the North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce’s Regional Trade Area Report (as of July 2019) to ensure Bay Minette’s Placemaking Action Plan pursued and achieved goals, strategies, and catalytic projects consistent with local and regional partners.

The entirety of the stakeholder input along with a review of previous and ongoing planning and development efforts helped inform the projects and strategies that emerged as priorities for Bay Minette’s Placemaking Action Plan.

As a result of the full breadth of stakeholder engagement, Steering Committee feedback, and quantitative assessment conducted for the City of Bay Minette, Alchemy Community Transformations discovered numerous opportunities to enhance the region’s competitiveness through catalytic projects. These priority projects are designed to incentivize redevelopment and capital investment, attract and retain talent, and make north Baldwin County a better place for industry to grow and thrive.

The priority projects included in the action plan are the following:

• Housing Needs Assessment & Workforce Housing

• Restaurant: The Royal Tiger Sports Grill

• Strike City Lanes 2.0

• Opportunity Zones & Brownfields

• Workforce Development & Talent Incentives

Additionally, the action plan includes information about funding opportunities, capital and operating costs, and implementation timeline to guide the development of the priority projects in Bay Minette.