Foley council approves preliminary plat for South Fairway Estates

The Foley City Council approved the preliminary plat for South Fairway Estates at its Dec. 16 meeting, voting to allow lot-size variances and roadway design features intended to slow traffic.

The motion to approve the preliminary plat — described by staff as including lots that are narrower at the frontage but meet minimum dimensions at the building pad — passed by voice vote after a council member seconded the motion. The motion as approved includes posting a 25 mph speed limit on the curved internal road and construction of a boulevard and a sidewalk on one interior side of the development.

City planning staff told the council the proposed lots “start narrow and then they get wider” at the building pad to meet code requirements; planners said the apparent discrepancy reflects how lot-size standards are written in two parts of the code. A staff member noted planning had no outstanding concerns about the layout as presented and that affected property owners were notified.

Jared, who spoke for the applicant, said the team completed soil borings and returned logs showing the water table at specific elevations but that the full geotechnical report has not yet been received. “We did receive those…we did get the logs back as far as where the water table was,” Jared said, adding that the borings do not change building placement or pond locations and that additional phase-two borings will be done near later infrastructure work.

Council members asked for confirmation about traffic controls and emergency access; staff said the road curvature prompted recommending a posted 25 mph limit and that temporary emergency turnarounds (hammerheads or similar) would be provided during phasing. The council also confirmed the sidewalk is shown on the interior side of the street and that the plan includes a boulevard area.

The council recorded the action as a motion and voice vote; the mover was not named on the record, the second was Gary, and the chair declared the motion carried. The approval advances the subdivision to later engineering and permitting steps; staff and the applicant will complete outstanding geotechnical reporting and follow standard permitting before any building permits are issued.