Fairhope, Alabama
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| Skyline Village town homes. |
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| Fairhope planning commission. |
OUTSIDE CITY LIMITS
By a 5-0 vote, the city's Planning Commission denied a multiple occupancy project request for Skyline Village, a 114 unit town home project proposed on 16.5 acres at the corner of Dyer and Bishop Roads in east Fairhope. The town homes were to be rentals only, by a single owner according to documents provided.
The project falls within the city's current ETJ (extra-territorial planning jurisdiction), per city subdivision regulations. (In another example of the confusing "dual jurisdiction" situation, Baldwin County's planning department had already given the ok for this project administratively, but on the condition the city's planning commission concurred too.)
A large group of citizens from the neighborhood attended to oppose the project on various grounds such as traffic, drainage, density, and quality of life issues.
The owner/developer of the property is 68V BTR Holdings Llc., represented by SE Civil Engineering.
Commissioner Art Dyas made the motion to deny on grounds of drainage and traffic concerns in the area, as well as for the general "health safety and welfare" of the public there.
Pre-existing issues at the Gayfer/Bishop (drainage, traffic) and Bishop/Fairhope Avenue (traffic safety) intersections had been singled out earlier.
Developers had presented engineering studies/data to the contrary, concluding existing streets and roads in the area could handle the increased traffic ... and proposed drainage infrastructure for the project was more than adequate to handle storm water runoff (according to engineering standards).
APPEAL TO COURTS LIKELY
The Times has learned that the owner will likely exercise their option to appeal the commissions' decision to county court.
Interestingly, even though this area outside of city limits is currently not zoned, it is within the newly-formed county planning district 37, where a new zoning map is now being developed by a citizens' committee and Baldwin County planning staff.
That process may take six months to complete.
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| Proposed project design |
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