Orange Beach council adopts Turquoise Place South Lot PUD change after hours of public comment and legal objections

The Orange Beach City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt an ordinance authorizing a modification of the Turquoise Place planned-unit development for the Turquoise Place South Lot, despite extensive public comment raising legal and access concerns.

The change, presented by city planning staff as a proposal for a 1.17-acre parcel at 26302 Perdido Beach Boulevard, would convert a city-owned open-space parcel to a six-unit condominium tower with a clubhouse and rooftop pool. The applicant’s materials described an 8-floor building with basement and Level 1 parking and a 20-foot emergency/beach-access easement on the east side.

Supporters said the design meets the technical standards for a PUD modification and will provide additional units and private improvements. “This access is for the city to the beach just like you’re doing right now,” Forrest Daniel, the project architect, told the council, describing the proposed 20-foot emergency access and pedestrian ingress and egress the applicants say will remain in place.

Opponents — including attorneys and multiple residents from adjacent Turquoise Place and The Palms condominiums — focused on property-title and easement questions and on whether the proposal reduces the PUD’s required open space below the ordinance minimum. George Irvine, attorney for the Turquoise Place Condominium Association, told the council that the plans submitted to the planning…