FOLEY – A Foley master plan will guide municipal downtown expansion to meet the needs of a growing community.

The City Council approved a proposal from Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood to prepare a municipal campus master plan. The plan will help the city continue efforts to improve services and enhance Foley's historic downtown area.

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the plan will allow the city to coordinate the construction of facilities and infrastructure in Foley.

"This gives us a framework for how future buildings, sidewalks, lighting, streetscapes and other improvements can work together,” Hellmich said. “It is not intended to lock the city into one plan, but to give us guidance as needs and opportunities change. Coordinating these investments ahead of time can help us avoid unnecessary costs and make better use of taxpayer dollars. Good planning now can save the city significant money in the future.”  

The plan covers the development of city facilities from Alabama 59 east to Juniper Street and from Section Avenue south to Myrtle Avenue, Cian Harrison, Foley executive director for general government/administration, said.

"This will establish a shared vision for the campus, and that framework will guide future decisions related to building placement, campus expansion, public spaces, streetscapes, pedestrian connections, wayfinding and potential property needs, while also supporting long-term capital planning and budgeting," she said. 

The city opened several municipal facilities in the planning area this summer.

The Public Works Campus, which includes the Engineering Department, city garages and other facilities, opened on a 14-acre site at the intersection North Poplar Street and East Section Avenue in July.

The Foley Community Library opened on East Orange Avenue in August. The two-story center has about twice the space of the structure that it replaced.

The Foley Activity Center, which includes offices for Leisure Services, Parks and Recreation and the Communications Departments, is located in the former National Guard armory on East Jessamine Avenue. 

The city is also developing plans for additional services in the area.

The former library building next to City Hall will be renovated and used for administrative offices.

The site used by Public Works since the 1990s, located between East Orchid Avenue and East Marigold Avenue, will be adapted for use by the Parks Department.

The city plans to build a new Senior Center behind City Hall near the Activity Center.

City officials are also developing plans for a new Civic Center. The current center opened in the 1970s at a time when Foley's population was less than 4,000. Today Foley has about 32,000 residents. A larger center is needed to meet the needs of a growing population.

Current plans call for the center to be constructed on property north of Heritage Park.

Another project planned for the same area as the new Civic Center is a museum that will focus on Foley's role as a center of Navy aviation training during and after World War II. 

The National Park Service designated Foley as an American World War II Heritage City. Only one community in each state or territory can receive the designation. 

The museum will focus on Foley's contribution to the war effort and Barin Field, the Navy aviation training center that opened in 1942.