The upcoming Orange Beach City Council meeting might lead to an agreement for a new research center in Terry Cove. The city and Auburn University appear to finally be ready to move forward with the Gulf Coast Engineering Research Station on a city parcel on Terry Cove that currently has the dog park on the northern part of the parcel.

Orange Beach and Auburn began discussing having the center on the city parcel in 2011 when the two “began discussing the concept of creating an Auburn University-led research facility” at the site. The new Coastal Resources building is south of where the research center is on the boat basin of what was once Walker Marina.

At the July 2 council work/regular session will consider agreeing to a land lease for Auburn University for the RESTORE-funded project. The city authorized a ground lease on Nov. 5, 2019, “but project funding and the ground lease were never finalized.”

On July 8 at its monthly meeting, the Orange Beach Planning Commission will hear a request from Auburn for a site plan for the 21,000-square-foot facility with a lab, fieldwork base camp and meeting space for researchers.

“Funding for the construction and operation of the GCERS has now been secured and the city and Auburn University are ready to move forward with the project,” the resolution states.”

Initially, the city asked for $9 million from the RESTORE council for the project’s first phase, Coastal Resources Director Phillip West said in February of 2019.