Board approves restaurant special exception for Casa Azul with Greeno Road access condition

The City of Fairhope Board of Adjustments voted to approve a special exception allowing a restaurant called Casa Azul to operate at 18348 Greeno Road, subject to a condition that vehicle access be from Greeno Road only.

City planning staff told the board the application sought permission for a restaurant in a B-1 district and described the site as a 2.82-acre parcel with an existing house, a well and a gravel drive. Staff said restaurants in B-1 districts require appeals and are “subject to special conditions.”

The decision follows months of local discussion about traffic, buffering and utility access. Staff noted the property was annexed into the city on April 14 under ordinance number 18 30 and recommended approval while listing conditions including a professional tree inventory before land disturbance, adherence to the city’s sign and tree ordinances, submission of a photometric plan and resolution of ingress/egress and stormwater discharge permits with ALDOT if required. Staff also said the preliminary site plan shows an access point that encroaches on the Southland Place right of way and that the proposed loading location may be difficult for delivery trucks.

Philip Owens, representing the applicant as an architect, told the board the owner has no immediate plans to subdivide the property and that the team prefers to provide access off Greeno Road if required by ALDOT and the city. Owens noted efforts to approach ALDOT and the adjacent property owner for shared access and said the applicant planned landscaping and sidewalks to mitigate neighborhood impacts. He said the owner intends to “plant trees until they tell us to stop.”

Several nearby residents spoke at the public hearing, citing traffic, noise, light pollution, garbage and delivery concerns and the effect on neighborhood character. Bruce Margrater, vice president of the Southland Place homeowners association, said the likely traffic patterns and narrow neighborhood lanes could make allowing access from Southland “a traffic nightmare.” Victor Whatley and other residents listed additional concerns including property values, hours of operation and children’s safety near nearby schools.

Board members discussed the city's preference, reinforced by public works and the city engineer, for access from Greeno Road rather than Southland Place because Southland serves primarily residential traffic. One board member moved to approve the use with the condition of access only via Greeno Road; a second was recorded and the motion passed on a roll call vote (individual member votes were not specified in the public transcript). Staff reiterated that if ALDOT or other agencies refuse the required access, the restaurant use might not be viable and would require further review or reapplication.

The approval applies only to restaurant use; any different use or future subdivision of the parcel would require separate review and approvals. Staff also noted Riviera Utilities could provide electrical service and Fairhope Utilities could provide water and gas, subject to capacity and other requirements.

The board closed the public hearing and approved the motion limiting access as recommended by staff. The applicant may need additional design, civil engineering and right-of-way permits from ALDOT and the city before opening.

Less immediate questions — including finalized driveway location, loading configuration, parking surfacing (permeable spaces required by code) and detailed landscape buffering in the eastern wooded area — will be addressed during subsequent site-plan and permitting reviews.