Alys Beach recently marked an important milestone with the release of our very first Gulf-front home lots. Only three beachfront lots were made available, and the first two lots sold almost immediately. Plus, those sales also included agreements to build Alys Beach’s very first custom Gulf-front homes!
“Most of our development to-date has taken place on the north side of (Scenic Highway) 30A, but people have been eagerly awaiting these first Gulf-front opportunities,” said Karen Terrell, our Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “There’s obviously only so much beachfront, so interest and anticipation has been very high.”
In fact, Terrell’s team successfully sold six new homes and lots in the last 14 days alone.
"June was our best month ever," said Terrell. "This is a very exciting time for us."
In order to make the new Gulf-front lots available, it was first necessary to add additional infrastructure south of 30A. For example, we recently began a $6 million dollar project to complete the streets south of 30A. The cobblestone roads are expected to be complete later this year. A new architecturally inspiring beach-front plaza was also recently completed. The new 'Gulf Green' was designed by Town Architects Erik Vogt & Marieanne Khoury-Vogt (who also designed Caliza and Fonville Press, by the way).
Numerous other community projects have also been recently completed, including a network of boardwalks through our 21-acre nature preserve, a new tennis court complex, an expanded playground, a pedestrian plaza with a Florida caprock-lined fire pit, the new 33,500-square-foot community amphitheater and several new businesses, including The Alys Shoppe and Charlie's Donut Truck.
"Our family's been here since the 1940s, and we purchased this particular land over 30 years ago, so we've certainly seen economic conditions come and go," said Town Founder Jason Comer, grandson of Alys Stephens, for whom our town is named. "But one thing has always been constant: People love these beaches."
FYI, Alys Beach is being developed by EBSCO Industries. Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, EBSCO was founded in 1943 by Elton B. Stephens and his wife, Alys. Today, the company employs over 6,000 people worldwide and EBSCO is one of the "Top 200" largest privately held companies in the U.S. according to Forbes magazine. EBSCO's also earned Dun & Bradstreet's highest "5A1" financial rating. The company is diversified into more than forty businesses, including manufacturing, publishing and subscription services, and real estate development. (Did you know, for example, that EBSCO is the world's largest manufacturer of fishing lures??)
"All of our recent sales activity hopefully indicates that confidence is returning among some affluent buyers," said Comer. "Our new owners are very savvy and well-positioned investors that are seeking a special quality of life, and they certainly seem to appreciate the long-term vision of Alys Beach. We'll continue to grow our town with the same patience, prudence and optimism for this region's long-term potential."
Congrats to our hard-working sales team and WELCOME to our many new proud homeowners!