GULF SHORES, Ala. — The City of Gulf Shores and Auburn University announced a partnership yesterday that will bring a new satellite campus to the south Alabama beach town. Auburn’s $12 million expansion will include a new college facility featuring the College of Veterinary Medicine, studies on marine fisheries, and studies on organic horticulture.
Gulf Shores will construct the 24,000 square foot property and lease it out to the University. The satellite campus will sit on 26 acres directly northeast of the city’s business district.
“From the education component of our world, it means a lot,” Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft said on Monday. “To have a brand name partner like Auburn to initiate our campus plan as discussed is a significant step forward. It should make the rest of this easier, I would hope.”
The city will pay for the project using funding from revenue bonds to be repaid by Auburn through the lease agreement, and no “cash incentives” were included in the agreement approved by the city council.
University officials noted the desire to establish a coastal presence, and that they viewed an expanding Gulf Shores as an opportunity to do so.
“We looked at what is not just the potential today, but what will be the growth potential for the next five to 10 years,” Auburn Provost Tim Boosinger told Al.com. “The experts tell us this is the fastest growing area in the state and will continue to be. We want to have an opportunity to better serve people in the southern half of the state, especially along the coast. We don’t have that presence.”
Since the year 2000, Baldwin County is second only to Shelby County in overall population growth within the state of Alabama. According to U.S. Census data, from 2000 to 2010, Gulf Shores alone experience a population increase of over 93 percent.
Project construction for the satellite campus will begin in the spring or summer of 2017 and is expected to be finished 18 months from the start date.
