600 new homes planned

  (GULF SHORES) 600 new homes planned - Carney Realty and Gooden Homes are set to build on 440 acres in Baldwin County

             A planned 600-lot residential community in Gulf Shores is aimed at reaching what its developers called the affordable-home market.  Some people think the beach is all about condominiums, but it's not, said Shirlee Poulos of Carney Realty in Gulf Shores.

            Carney has joined Pensacola-based Gooden Homes in developing 440 acres on Baldwin County 6, about one-fourth mile off Alabama 59.  The project, as of yet unnamed, will have homes starting in the $150,000s.

            ''What we're seeing are a lot of empty nesters," said Tom Poulos of Carney, who also handles business development for Gooden. ''The empty nesters want all the amenities that the beach and resort area have," but don't necessarily have to live on the beach.

            The goal is to make this new community a mix of families,! retirees and young couples, Shirlee Poulos said. There will be patio homes priced in the $150,000s and averaging 1,700- to 1,800-square-feet with a small yard. The larger homes, on lots typically 90-feet by 150-feet, will start in the $170,000s and range into the mid-$200,000s or more. A portion of the land will be set aside for smaller lots and homes that would attract first-time buyers, according to Tom Poulos.

            Gooden builds an average 300 homes a year, and this venture will give the homebuilder a major presence in Baldwin County, Poulos said.  ''We're trying to reach the affordable market," said Al Carney, who runs Carney Realty, along with his daughter, Shirlee Poulos, and son-in-law, Tom.

            There will be five or six different subdivisions on the property, Carney said. Site work and engineering is under way, and construction on the first homes could start this fall.  Other volume home-builders also are headed south in Baldwin County as the population base continues to grow.

            Mitchell Homes, which is based in Mobile, plans on doubling the size of its residential communities in Baldwin County this year, according to Troy Wilson of Mitchell.  ''I don't question that there's a market in Gulf Shores," Wilson said. ''Our intention is to expand wherever the market takes us, and we are concentrating on the best and most populated locations. We'll eventually get to Gulf Shores."

            Mitchell's current focus in Baldwin County is on the Eastern Shore, he said. The company plans to build 94 homes in the Cottages of Malbis in Daphne, and will break ground on a new subdivision on 200 acres in Spanish Fort later this year. Mitchell's developments in Baldwin County include sites in Foley, Silverhill, Loxley, Daphne, Spanish Fort and Fairhope.

            Gooden builds a quality brick home with all the amenities, Tom Poulos said. The company has homes under construction in eight subdivisions in Baldwin County at prices ranging from the $130,000s to the $190,000s and up. Those subdivisions include Arbor Ridge in Lillian, Bayou Place and Captain's Cove in Orange Beach, and Cambridge and Wynwood in Foley. Register graphic Residential community.