Fairhope, Alabama
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| Highland at Fish River |
BALDWIN COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION
After hearing the concerns of nearby resident and a lengthy discussion, the Baldwin County Planning Commission decided to table the proposed 138-lot Highlands at Fish River subdivision on Bohemian Hall Road in southwest Silverhill until their September meeting.
Neighbors worried about density, traffic, drainage, and proximity to family farms.
Questions also arose about the city of Fairhope's ability to provide adequate water pressure ... and about access by emergency vehicles.
In a letter dated last March, Fairhope Water Department officials confirmed water service would be available (with developer's help), but some commissioners wanted to be sure after recent reports of water shortages in the city.
Also, questions arose about how many entrances were needed, one or two, to comply with state emergency access fire regulations. The current design has a divided "boulevard" type single entrance which was ok'd by the Silverhill Volunteer Fire Department, but commissioners wanted to double check with them to see if a secondary entrance is needed.
Thomas Henry (Thomas Home Corporation, Pensacola Fl.), the property's owner/developer, said he is a only small local builder, not a big national corporation so common these days ... and thought he had complied with all design/engineering requirements in place at the time of his application; smaller lots were needed to pay the high cost for infrastructure.
Chairman Steven Pumphrey observed that since this project was submitted before zoning was adopted in the district, the commission had limited legal control of the design, if all current subdivision/building regulations are met.
ELIZABETH GARDENS POSTPONED
The public hearing for the proposed Elizabeth Gardens project just to the south, was postponed until September at the request of the developer as well, to work out last-minute technical issues.
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