Planning commission approves May Brothers fireworks stand after neighbors raise traffic and safety concerns

The Baldwin County Planning and Zoning Commission voted to approve the May Brothers fireworks stand (case CSP24-45) at the intersection of County Road 99 and U.S. Highway 98 in the Lillian area, subject to staff conditions and a new requirement that the applicant revise the site plan to show interconnectivity with the adjacent lot to the east for improved circulation and overflow parking.

The vote follows public testimony from neighbors and competing vendors who said the intersection already experiences heavy, seasonal congestion during fireworks sales and that the proposed stand’s 12 on-site parking spaces may be insufficient. Staff presentation said the parcel is zoned B-2, is about 0.84 acres, and that the proposed stand conforms to zoning and site requirements.

Staff Planner Rhodes said the proposed building and site plan meet the zoning ordinance and that staff had added a recent condition requiring coordination with the highway engineer on an acceptable turnout configuration for the highway. Developer and property owner Garrett May said the application restores and replaces an existing trailer-based operation with a permanent building "to make it nicer" and that there are no current plans for fire suppression because it is not required for a fireworks stand.

Several speakers warned of safety risks at the intersection. "We don't believe ... those 12 parking places are nearly enough," said Asa Boyer, who said he represents the owner of the property immediately north of the site. Boyer described repeated congestion at nearby fireworks sites and said vehicles often park on the roadside and cross lanes on foot during peak days. Competitor Chuck Anderson, who said his stand sits across the street, described frequently filling 40 to 47 cars in his lot during peak days and said, "My concern is the traffic flow right there on 99 and 98 ... That's a recipe for disaster." Resident Tracy Gamble, speaking in a neutral capacity, urged the commission to prioritize intersection safety and asked the county to undertake a traffic study.

County Highway staff told the commission the county already has intersection-improvement work planned for the general area and that widening and additional stacking lanes are scheduled in the near term. A highway representative, Mark (last name not provided), said the county is scheduled within weeks to widen approaches and add stacking lanes to ease turning movements at U.S. 98, which staff said would improve conditions for left- and right-turning vehicles.

Commissioners debated parking and circulation. The applicant and engineer, Jonathan Petty of Access Engineering Group, said the applicant may be able to use adjacent parking in the future as overflow but that the adjacent parcel currently is a separate lot of record and could be sold. Petty said the existing trailer structure on the neighboring parcel was not planned for immediate removal and that overflow use would be contingent on future coordination. County staff said they could require interparcel connectivity and circulation improvements as a condition of approval and validate them administratively.

Ultimately the commission approved the site plan with staff conditions and added the condition that the applicant revise the site plan to show interconnectivity between the subject parcel and the adjacent lot to the east for improved circulation and overflow parking, subject to staff approval. Commissioner Baez made the motion and Commissioner Davis seconded; the motion carried.

The commission discussion made clear the approval relies on the site plan change and on separate highway improvements already planned. The county noted that a traffic study would not be triggered by this development alone and that any broader intersection review would be conducted by county highway staff as a separate action.

The commission closed the public hearing after the vote; staff will review the revised site plan administratively and confirm the interparcel circulation prior to final administrative sign-off.