Inclined Elevator And More In Store For Fairhope

FAIRHOPE, Ala. — In April, Fairhope city leaders plan to vote on waterfront improvement plans that include an inclined elevator, Gulf Coast Media reports. Fairhope’s Working Waterfront plan consists of improvements—including accessibility upgrades—to South Beach and Municipal Pier, and will be funded by a $6.2 million RESTORE Act grant. An earlier plan to make the South Beach bluffs more accessible with a ramp has been scrapped in favor of the inclined elevator. Scott Hutchinson of Goodwyn Mills Cawood, which prepared the master plan, described the elevator as “kind of an open-air gondola-looking thing [that] sits on a rail and goes up and down.” Also on the drawing board are a redesigned Fairhope Pier entrance; a new, slightly smaller fountain; a seawall to replace the bulkhead south of the pier; and improved traffic and pedestrian flow near the pier that include modifications to Fairhope Avenue leading to the pier.