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Commission approves Shreeves Estates subdivision after neighbors warn of bulkhead, flooding and wetland fill
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Summary
The Mobile City Planning Commission approved a one‑lot subdivision at 4047 Dawson Drive despite multiple residents’ objections that an unpermitted bulkhead and planned fill would harm a public canal, worsen flooding and block navigation; the applicant said revised plans reduce wetland fill and will reposition the bulkhead pending state and federal permits.
The Mobile City Planning Commission voted April 16 to approve the Shreeves Estates subdivision at 4047 Dawson Drive, a 0.34‑acre lot, after a public hearing in which several nearby residents urged denial over an unpermitted bulkhead and proposed filling of wetland and canal area.
Neighbors said the parcel is largely underwater and that constructing a bulkhead and adding fill would restrict the canal and increase flooding. "It's going to directly affect all of us that are on the other side of the canal," said Nick Lai, a Worth Drive resident, arguing the lot would require more than 50% fill to be buildable. Anne Marie Nikolai, another nearby resident, told the commission she calculated the applicant's proposal would fill roughly 6,000 square feet of wetland and public canal area and described a proposed 186‑foot bulkhead; she said some work began without Corps approval and asked the commission to deny the subdivision.
Gary Johnson, who lives directly across the canal, said the partially constructed bulkhead already narrowed the waterway and interfered with navigation, leaving "about 14 and a half feet" between his pier and the bulkhead and limiting safe maneuvering for his 20‑foot center console. "It's currently breaking the state laws right now because it's blocking the waterway," he said, referring to riparian rules.
The applicant's consultant, Lewis Cassidy of EcoSolutions, told the commission the bulkhead pilings currently in the canal would be removed and that the revised plan shows the new bulkhead moved back to maintain a minimum 30‑foot separation from neighboring bulkheads. Cassidy said wetland fill has been reduced to 0.1 acre, which he described as the standard fill amount for single‑family construction on mostly wetland lots, and that the applicant has submitted materials to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) but has not yet received their permits. "The revised bulkhead plan will remove the pilings that are currently in the canal," Cassidy said.
Commissioners discussed the distinction between approving a legal lot of record and allowing construction. Several commissioners emphasized that subdivision approval does not grant building permits and noted federal and state permits remain necessary. Staff confirmed ADEM must issue a water‑quality certification before the Corps can issue its permit.
Despite the residents' objections, the commission approved the subdivision subject to staff recommendations and included a waiver of section 6.b.9 of the subdivision regulations (addressing right‑of‑way/dedication), as reflected in the commission's motion and voice vote.
What happens next: the subdivision approval creates a legal lot of record but does not authorize construction; ADEM and Corps permits remain outstanding according to the applicant's consultant. The commission record indicates the applicant must satisfy conditions listed by staff before further permitting.
