Fairhope, Alabama
NO DEAL REACHED
The site plan for a 3 story hotel on the northeast corner of Fairhope Avenue and Section Street is back for final approval during Monday's city council meeting.
TABLED FROM MAY MEETING
It had been tabled from a council meeting last May to allow time for the property owner/developer Matt Bowers to address objections voiced by councilors: mostly concerning the requested re-location of the city-owned courtyard to the clock corner to allow for traditional community events to continue there.
Attorneys for the city and Bowers have been negotiating since; but according to Council President Burrell no solution has been reached -- so Bowers asked for the matter to be placed back on the council's agenda Monday for final consideration, the same as before.
In a June 'Lagniappe' newspaper report (click), Bowers said he felt "blackmailed": “This is f**king crazy,” he said. “I got blackmailed effectively and extorted. I went through all the emotions, then thought, ‘What am I going to do?’”
He has the option of appealing the council's decision to civil court as well.
NO DEAL REACHED
The site plan for a 3 story hotel on the northeast corner of Fairhope Avenue and Section Street is back for final approval during Monday's city council meeting.
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Site Plan Review and Approval - Request of Larry Smith, PE with S.E. Civil Engineering,
on behalf of 10 N. Section, LLC (Matt Bowers), for approval of 10 N. Section Street
Boutique Hotel, a Multiple Occupancy Project (MOP) with 13 units – located at the northeast
corner of the intersection of Fairhope Avenue and Section Street in the Central Business
District of downtown Fairhope, consisting of 0.07 acres; and approved contingent upon
conditions recommended by the Planning Commission and Staff.
TABLED FROM MAY MEETING
It had been tabled from a council meeting last May to allow time for the property owner/developer Matt Bowers to address objections voiced by councilors: mostly concerning the requested re-location of the city-owned courtyard to the clock corner to allow for traditional community events to continue there.
Attorneys for the city and Bowers have been negotiating since; but according to Council President Burrell no solution has been reached -- so Bowers asked for the matter to be placed back on the council's agenda Monday for final consideration, the same as before.
In a June 'Lagniappe' newspaper report (click), Bowers said he felt "blackmailed": “This is f**king crazy,” he said. “I got blackmailed effectively and extorted. I went through all the emotions, then thought, ‘What am I going to do?’”
He has the option of appealing the council's decision to civil court as well.
Comments
She is the president of the downtown business association and they're against it.
Because...
1. Competition benefits the consumer;
2. B&Bs are romantic, but romance can't cover the high costs of land, development, and personnel/operations. If I'm wrong, everyone is invited to pay a premium to the current owner of the lot, build a cute little B&B, and enjoy their ROI.
3. "Massive" is hysterical language, which makes a reasonable debate more difficult. A three-story hotel will have an elevation similar to some of the homes on Mobile Bay.
We should be grateful that someone wishes to invest in Fairhope, to grow and diversify our tax base.