Commission backs temporary-use rules for construction storage along causeway tied to I‑10 bridge project

The Spanish Fort Planning Commission voted to forward a proposed amendment that would allow temporary use permits for construction equipment and material storage in and along the Battleship Parkway causeway when needed for the I-10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway widening project.

Planning staff said the ordinance establishes conditions for approval, limits the use to areas designated by the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) and requires both Planning Commission and City Council approval. Staff emphasized the temporary uses are limited to activities “necessary for the construction of the bridge project” and not for unrelated business or speculation. The draft requires a bond to ensure site restoration; staff described a base bond of $50,000 for up to two acres (expressed as $25,000 per acre above that) but said additional bonding could be required depending on shoreline impacts or the nature of improvements.

Other requirements in the draft include a prohibition on affixing fuel tanks to the ground, a required flood-evacuation plan, ALDOT confirmation that the applicant’s contractor will perform the scope of work, site-access provisions, and buffering (a 6‑ or 8‑foot fence adjacent to residential properties) and exterior lighting standards consistent with city requirements. Staff estimated the overall project timeline at up to eight years in a best-case scenario and said temporary-permit terms would be fixed but could be extended for good cause.

The commission opened and closed a public hearing with no public speakers and then moved to forward the regulation review (agenda item 250504) to City Council with a positive recommendation. The motion carried on a roll-call vote with all present voting yes.