Fairhope board approves golf-simulator venue with conditions on parking, patios and signage

The City of Fairhope Board of Adjustment on May 19 approved a special exception allowing Fairhope Golf Works to operate an indoor golf-simulator and club-repair venue with ancillary beer and wine service at 363 Commercial Park Drive.

City planning staff recommended approval with four conditions: signage must conform to the city sign ordinance; any parking beyond the required 19 spaces must be permeable; the correct seating count on plans shall be changed to 51; and the two proposed outdoor patios must have physical barriers delineating assembly space. The board voted unanimously to approve the request.

The property is about 0.38 acres in the M-1 Light Industrial District and is also inside Fairhope’s Medical Overlay District. City staff said the principal use qualifies as indoor recreation — which is allowed in M-1 — and that alcoholic beverages would be ancillary to that use. Staff said the assembly-area calculations for building and for outdoor patios were included when determining parking requirements.

Applicant Avery Reid said the business will operate primarily as a membership-based golf practice and instruction facility called Fairhope Golf Works. Reid said hours are not yet finalized but the plan is to be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. to accommodate early-morning high school players and after-work customers. "We haven't solidified the hours yet. What our plan is to be probably, like, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.," Reid said.

Paul Marcinko of Jade Consulting, representing the applicant team, thanked staff for their work and said the project is an interior renovation with no new buildings. Marcinko said the proposal includes eight golf simulator bays (six for open use, two for instruction), a central lounge area, club repair space, two outdoor patios and space for parking in front and converted parking at the rear where a loading area is not needed.

Staff told the board that the plans count indoor and outdoor assembly area when calculating required parking; at the higher assembly estimate, 19 parking spaces are required and have been provided. Staff recommended that patios be delineated so patio assembly does not exceed the parking provided. Staff also said the venue would need to secure any required Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) approvals in addition to the Board of Adjustment action.

Board members asked procedural questions about whether restaurants and bars in M-1 must come before the board; staff replied that restaurants and bars are allowed in M-1 with Board of Adjustment approval and that prior industrial uses with similar blended operations had been handled the same way. A neighbor comment received earlier, staff said, expressed concern about a bar next door but, after staff explanation and an additional informational letter received Friday, that neighbor did not oppose the proposal.

During public comment the applicant described membership plans and expected usage: roughly 50 members to serve six active bays, typical event rentals (the applicant cited a recent corporate event), initial staffing of two owners with plans to add a receptionist and a beverage server, and an estimated maximum concurrent attendance of about 24–25 people when fully busy. "We are going to probably have, if we were really busy, you're looking at 24, 25 people accommodating the most at one time," Reid said.

The formal motion approved Fairhope Golf Works subject to the four conditions noted by staff. The board recorded a unanimous vote in favor of the motion.

The board closed the hearing on the item and set its next regular meeting for June 16.