Fairhope, Alabama
Update: This was tabled again, until the December meeting to allow more time to work out parking issues.
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| Preliminary design. |
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| 301 Fairhope Avenue |
TABLED FROM PREVIOUS MEETING
On Monday, the city's Board of Adjustments and Appeals will consider giving the go-ahead for a three story hotel/mixed-use project at 301 Fairhope Avenue.
The old Peoples Cooperative/Fairhope Hardware Store building will have to be demolished (said to be beyond economical repair) to make way for the 27-room hotel on upper floors; a medical spa and restaurant will be included on the bottom floor as well.
The B-2 general business zoning does not allow hotel-use by right -- but does on appeal to the BOA (called a special exception).
Mack McKinney is the architect.
PARKING THE HOLD UP
The proposal was first-presented during the BOA's August meeting, but was tabled (put-off) by request of the owner Sildi, Llc to allow time to negotiate with planning staff means to provide adequate parking for the hotel rooms.
City staff was asking one parking space per hotel room be provided (on or off site?). Solutions talked about then were leasing nearby private property for the added parking -- or even part of the city's adjacent parking structure; it is not clear yet if any progress was made since the last meeting. (Staff worried about setting a precedent for future similar projects in the area too.)
Furthermore, some of the proposed solutions would require approvals from other authorities. For this reason alone, we feel it is not appropriate to recommend approval until the feasibility of those solutions are vetted.
Because there may be other authorities involved, Staff would not be opposed to tabling the request to allow the Applicant appropriate time to work through the other options appropriately, or alter the request."
Comments
Regarding the history, it’s going to have to be memories. Most of the old history that exists is in a word, rotting. Have y’all seen the old peoples school over on the college campus? That building is rotten as well. No consideration to preservation was made when it was needed.
People that grew up in ‘40,’50,’60,’70, even’80 possibly see it this way.