Fly Creek Apartment application denied

Planning Commission rejects in 4-2 vote due to drainage concerns

By Crystal Cole
Posted 10/12/16

Members of the Fairhope Planning Commission voted last week to deny a plan that would have seen a controversial apartment complex built near Fly Creek.

The vote comes after months of public …

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Fly Creek Apartment application denied

Planning Commission rejects in 4-2 vote due to drainage concerns

Posted

Members of the Fairhope Planning Commission voted last week to deny a plan that would have seen a controversial apartment complex built near Fly Creek.

The vote comes after months of public meetings where large groups of citizens have expressed negative feelings about the project, including Mayor-elect Karin Wilson.

During the meeting, Fairhope Planning Director Jonathan Smith told commission members he and his staff had some “major concerns” about final plans being made on drainage.

Smith said in reviewing the application, staff had noticed that drainage plans had varied from the ones submitted previously that the city council had approved earlier this year.

Stewart Speed, president of the Leaf River Group that sought to develop the property, said he was not pleased about not being allowed to comment prior to the vote.

“All of the engineers who looked at this said it works,” Speed said.

Mayor-elect Wilson spoke multiple times during the meeting about her concerns with development in general.

“We can no longer make decisions on individual developments because we don’t understand where we are right now,” Wilson said. “We have to know what our comprehensive plan says before we go forward with any high-density development.”

The commission voted 4-2 to deny the application. Councilman Kevin Boone and Commissioner George Roberds voted in favor of the development.