ORANGE BEACH, AL — A plan to line 22 new homes on the east side of Washington Boulevard in East Orange Beach received an overwhelming unfavorable recommendation from the city planning commission.

“It was called Port Washington planned unit development,” Engineering and Community Development Director Kit Alexander said. “It was a subdivision of 22 50-foot lots on Washington Boulevard. It a was unanimous negative recommendation to council so it was pulled. They won’t be pursuing approval from the council.”

The variances sought in the PUD included having 50-foot instead of 75-foot lots as required by city code. Developers were also seeking a side setback of five feet when the code calls for 10.

A large contingent showed up from current residents to speak against that plan for a subdivision on the undeveloped parcel. It is on the northeast corner of the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Canal Road.

“A little over 20 people spoke against from the neighborhood,” Alexander, who lives near the proposed development, said. “It was a lengthy discussion and a lot of people. The primary concerns were five-foot setbacks and the 50-foot lots because they are required to be 75 feet. And then the concern about the structures all looking very similar. We have 50-foot lots throughout the city, but we don’t allow it for new construction in our zoning districts.”

One of those expressing concerns was John Hulen who has a home at 5087 Washington Blvd., just north of the proposed subdivision. His first question how it would impact traffic on the road.

“If you start at Canal Road and come down Washington, on the east side where all those woods are, within 1,400 feet they were going to have 22 driveways backing out into Washington,” Hulen said. “And they are three-bedroom homes that would have three parking spaces. That could be 66 cars. And if it’s just two cars apiece that’s 44 cars.”

Hulen said traffic sometimes backs up with cars waiting to turn onto Canal Road from Washington and the influx of that many cars could cause concerns.

“We have traffic backed up there almost every morning turning out on Canal and they’ve got to try to back up into that,” he said. “That’s one big problem.”

Alexander said there is room on the parcel for 23 75-foot lots, but it would require building a new road along with the new subdivision.

“They could put a road down through the center and build the same number of homes and have an exit out onto Canal Road and not all of those coming out on Washington,” Hulen said.

Under that plan, as well, Hulen said, several homes would back up to Washington, another concern of his.

“You’re going to get see the backs of homes and all kind of stuff parked back there,” he said. “So, I said we need to have a privacy fence, not wood put something permanent and landscaping to help the looks of the place coming in.”

Hulen also addressed the look of the houses if they fronted Washington Boulevard, the entrance into the neighborhood.

“We’ve got very diverse architecture in this neighborhood,” he said. “If you go down Washington, you go down Bay Drive you’ve got different homes of different sizes. No two are alike.

“Now you’re going to put 22 homes that are very similar, cookie cutter homes, and jammed up 10 feet apart. It’s going to decrease the value of our property to stick those things in there. It’s just not a very good sight to come into our neighborhood.”

No one came forward to speak in favor of the proposal.