The City of Spanish Fort, Alabama will soon welcome Valor Park to the bay area, featuring open green space, a scenic overlook, walking trails and more for the community to enjoy.
Seen as a gateway into Spanish Fort and Baldwin County, the two-acre park, designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood (GMC), will grant public access to Mobile Bay near the Tensaw River Bridge, giving residents an outdoor recreation destination along the causeway.
The park officially kicked off construction with a groundbreaking ceremony in mid-February, and is expected to open by the end of the summer, weather permitting.
This project was made possible by strategic planning between the City of Spanish Fort and numerous other local and state authorities whose dedication pushed for GOMESA funding and matching support – an effort allowing for coastal restoration, protection and conservation to numerous areas along the coastline.
“As a community planner, it is humbling to see the evolution of a project from the conceptual idea of Valor Park we identified in the Spanish Fort Causeway Master Plan,” GMC Vice President of Planning Brandon Bias explains. “From that idea, the momentum came for the city to request and receive GOMESA funds to work towards reclaiming the site for the public. Once Valor Park is finished, it will be an important asset along the Causeway to take in the beauty of Mobile Bay.”
Valor Park was identified as a key element of the Spanish Fort Causeway Master Plan, adopted in 2018 and facilitated by GMC. Leveraging GOMESA funds was critical to the city’s ability to acquire the property, plan the public space and define an enhanced gateway entrance to the city.
GMC is providing civil engineering, landscape architecture and surveying services on the project, with APAC-Alabama as the general contractor.
“Working to transform an abandoned site into a beautiful waterside park is a unique experience and it has been a rewarding endeavor for our design team,” GMC Senior Project Manager Craig Sanford explains. “The development and design of this project have truly been a group effort involving several different disciplines within GMC and our coastal engineering partner, Anchor QEA.”
