Fairhope Board of Adjustment tables variance request for 50 Fells Ave., asks for final site plan

The Fairhope City Board of Adjustment on Feb. 17 voted to table BOA 24.11, a variance request for the property at 50 Fells Avenue, at the applicant’s request so staff and the board can review a finalized site plan and tree‑protection details.

The request, from property owner Jason Lasource, asked for a 20‑foot front‑setback variance (which would leave the proposed house beginning about 15 feet from the street), a 5‑foot side‑setback variance, and a variance allowing an accessory structure to sit 10.5 feet forward of the rear building line on a lot the staff said is approximately 0.22 acres.

Mike Jeffries, City of Fairhope planning staff, told the board that the parcel and existing structure are nonconforming and that the neighborhood contains many substandard lots. He said the city has an administrative front‑setback allowance but the adjacent properties did not qualify to trigger that administrative relief. “The front setback variance is for a 20 foot variance that would leave the house beginning at 15 feet from the street,” Jeffries said, and he added staff’s position: to deny the requested…