Fairhope planning commission unanimously approves Battles Trace Phase 9, recommends Staggers mixed-use project and several zoning actions

The Fairhope Planning Commission on March 6 approved the preliminary plat for Battles Trace Phase 9 and voted unanimously on a set of other land-use items, including recommending the Staggers mixed-use site plan to city council and accepting a city resolution temporarily suspending certain residential multiple-occupancy and subdivision applications.

The commission approved SD 25.04 (Battles Trace Phase 9), a preliminary plat for an approximately 22.4-acre, 81-lot subdivision zoned TR (Tourist Resort District). Staff recommended approval with two conditions: (1) show the remaining remnant parcel on the plat as a lot of record and (2) add a 20-foot undisturbed buffer along the northern boundary adjacent to Hilltop Subdivision; the commission voted to approve the case subject to staff recommendations.

Why it matters: the vote advances a multi-phase development that residents said could affect drainage, tree cover and neighborhood buffers. Commissioners and staff stressed that stormwater maintenance will be the responsibility of the homeowners association and that a maintenance plan for the subdivision is required before construction proceeds.

Discussion and public concerns Residents who spoke during the public hearing urged protections for trees and asked how the 20-foot buffer would be enforced. Hilltop resident Jim Ellis said the developer’s concessions were “certainly a reasonable compromise,” but asked how the fence…