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Board grants special exception for Fairhope Church of Christ at 860 Greeno Road
Summary
The Board of Adjustments approved a special exception to allow Fairhope Church of Christ to locate a church on approximately 11.2 acres at 860 Greeno Road; staff said the site plan shows a 4,000-square-foot building and access will require ALDOT permits for a right‑in/right‑out on Highway 98.
The Fairhope Board of Adjustments approved a special exception permitting Fairhope Church of Christ to build a place of worship at 860 Greeno Road on approximately 11.2 acres.
Mike Jeffrey of the City of Fairhope Planning Department presented the request and recommended approval, noting the proposed facility would include about a 4,000-square-foot building with an approximately 100-seat sanctuary. Jeffrey said access and drainage work shown on the preliminary plan are proposed to occur within the ALDOT right of way and that any required drive permits would be processed with ALDOT.
Chris Lee of Lee Engineering, representing the applicant, told the board the site is preliminarily acceptable for a right-in/right-out access under ALDOT’s driveway-spacing criteria; he said the applicant had received a preliminary nod from ALDOT and understood that some vehicles leaving the site to go south would need to travel north and make a U‑turn at the signal farther down Highway 98.
Board members asked about shared access to the church’s former property immediately to the south; Lee said the new property owner of the former church parcel declined to have the church’s traffic routed through that property in perpetuity, so the applicant proposed direct access on 98 instead. Staff noted that additional civil plans and permit-level reviews would be required if the special exception were granted.
There was no public opposition recorded at the hearing and the board approved the special exception on a motion and second; the motion passed on a roll-call vote and the chair stated that the motion “carries unanimously.”
The approval allows a place of worship at the site but does not waive subsequent review and permitting requirements: final grading, drainage, ALDOT driveway permit(s) and any required civil engineering submittals must be completed and approved before construction. The church representatives said they understand some traffic maneuvers will require U-turns at a downstream signal and accepted that as part of the access arrangement.
The board closed the public hearing and recorded the unanimous vote to approve.
