O
range Beach’s City Council has approved a 100‑room, six‑story hotel on 1.8 acres of beachfront along Perdido Beach Blvd. The development will occupy the long‑vacant former Romar Beach Baptist Church, right next to The Oasis condominiums (formerly Phoenix West II). Across coastal Alabama, the city of Semmes purchased nearly 6.09 acres at 3201 Schillinger Rd N, Mobile, for $425,000. White‑Spunner Realty and Ty Irby Realty facilitated the Semmes transaction, while Merrill P. Thomas Co. handled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ 1,200‑sq‑ft office lease at University Square Shopping Center, 5821 Old Shell Rd, Mobile. In retail, BoxDrop Mobile opened a 30,000‑sq‑ft discount furniture outlet at 4130 Government Blvd, Mobile; BoxDrop was represented by White‑Spunner Realty, and the landlord by CRE Mobile. Meanwhile, Half Shell Oyster House has leased 5,000 sq ft at 118 W Laurel Ave, downtown Foley, and plans to open early next year with a Southern and New Orleans‑style menu; the building previously housed Colt Grill BBQ & Spirits, and the restaurant was represented by White‑Spunner Realty.