DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. — Isle Dauphine has occupied its stretch of sand on Dauphin Island for decades. At the moment, it sits empty.
The old country club has housed a long list of tenants over the years. Most recently Pirates Pizza operated there, before moving to a different location in March.
“There’s nothing running in or out of it right now,” said Will Donaldson, treasurer of the Dauphin Island Property Owners Association.
A property Donaldson describes in one word
Walking the grounds, Donaldson returned repeatedly to a single word: potential.
“The property is really unmatched,” he said. “It’s three stories. There’s a pool, 140 acres, a beautiful deep-water bay and a couple thousand feet of beachfront. So it’s really a unique opportunity for somebody.”
The property is owned collectively by the members of the Dauphin Island Property Owners Association, but no one currently operates it. Finding a tenant to lease the buildings is the association’s next step.
Four decades without a renovation
The condition of the buildings is a central part of the equation. “It hasn’t been renovated in 40 years,” Donaldson said. “What we’ve been doing for the last three or four months is really getting everything cleaned up, and then making it basically ready for the next step.”
What that next step looks like remains genuinely open. Donaldson said roughly a dozen entrepreneurs have toured the property and pitched ideas, and the range has surprised him.
“They all have an interesting vision. It’s been things I didn’t even expect,” he said.
Proposals close Sept. 15.
The community has to want it
Donaldson was clear that a compelling business plan alone will not carry the day. Someone could arrive with the best idea in the world, he said, but if the community is not interested, the venture has no foundation. For Isle Dauphine to return to anything resembling its former standing, it has to be a place island residents actually want to visit.
“The reason we’re doing this is to have a wonderful place for the members to enjoy and our friends from further afield,” he said. “It’s an amazing property, and so we want everybody to have access to it. Because of the historical character, it’s also important to get it right.”
A plan and a survey arrive Monday
Getting it right, in Donaldson’s telling, requires a great deal of communication. The POA board has assembled a comprehensive plan intended to guide prospective operators on how the various components of the property can be used. That plan will be released Monday, Aug. 24.
At the end of the document is a survey for POA members.
“That tries to keep the feedback focused on what the options are so we can really gauge membership interest on the feasibility of the options and then figure out what everybody really does want,” Donaldson said.
With proposals due Sept. 15 and member feedback arriving in parallel, the coming month should determine what the next chapter looks like for one of Dauphin Island’s most recognizable properties.