Fairhope, Alabama
Edited.
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| August 2022 |
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| 1977 Alien abduction scene. |
22250 HIGHWAY 181
A house on former farm land in east Fairhope that was featured in the 1977 classic science fiction movie 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' is being sold for commercial development.
In the famous scene filmed there by director Steven Spielberg a little boy is abducted by aliens after crawling through a pet door, setting in motion a frantic search by his mother which ultimately leads to a reunion of sorts at a mountain in Wyoming.
APARTMENTS COMING ON NORTH SIDE
The Rockwell Townhome Apartments are now being constructed on adjacent property to the north in the field where the alien ship landed ... and two new commercial building pad sites are planned to the south.
The house itself is part of a 34 acre parcel across Hwy 181 from the new Publix grocery being annexed into the city with B-2 zoning by Kleban Properties, according to planning department sources.
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| Hwy 181 area. |
MAYOR SUPPORTS PRESERVATION COMMISSION
When asked about it recently by the Times, mayor Sullivan said she was aware of the houses' situation but since it is on private property there is nothing the city can do; but, she added she now supports the efforts of the city's Historical Preservation Committee to establish a Historical Commission like several other nearby cites to set up a framework for preservation of historical property via grants, tax breaks, etc. per state law -- as advocated in the city's new comprehensive growth plan that is in its final phase of development.
Because of high costs involved, she was not so supportive of the Heritage Village idea first-proposed about four years ago by a former planning director to establish a place locally where old houses could be moved rather than torn down.
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| Rockwell Place apartments under construction. |
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| Close Encounters House, 22250 Hwy 181 |
Comments
Rather cheap is the virtue that declares itself thus.