Fairhope council delves into zoning amendments, debates PUD density, impervious-surface limits and downtown parking

Planning Director Hunter Simmons told the Fairhope City Council on May 11 that staff has revised a package of zoning amendments after months of public meetings and legal review and is seeking council guidance before advertising the proposals for a formal vote. "We started in October, came back in February and again in May," Simmons said, summarizing changes to mixed-use requirements, plan-unit development (PUD) provisions and impervious-surface recommendations.

Council discussion centered on three items: impervious-surface limits for single-family lots, how to preserve the PUD as a tool without enabling projects that "max out" residential density, and downtown parking demands. Simmons said staff will supply an apples-to-apples comparison of neighboring jurisdictions by lot size to show how Fairhope's proposed percentages compare; he noted Baldwin County's 35% limit on many lot sizes and that Fairhope's draft for some zones was 42%.

Multiple council members raised concerns that the current PUD language could allow developers to concentrate residential density in ways the council did not intend. One council member framed the issue this way: though planning staff "may meet all the rules and regulations," the council must retain final discretion on whether a project fits the city's character. Councilors proposed two near-term paths: keep the PUD tool but remove a rigid 33% commercial-minimum prescription, and ask staff to produce a streamlined low-density residential alternative for projects that need modest flexibility without full PUD paperwork.

On commercial requirements in PUDs, the council coalesced around a threshold approach: smaller PUDs (a frequently discussed marker was under 10 acres) could proceed without a required commercial component while PUDs above that size should include community-benefit elements such as commercial frontage or public space. "No PUD may be composed exclusively of residential uses," one council member said during the discussion to stress the need for public benefit in larger planned developments.

Councilors also pressed staff to return with specific, concrete options: net-versus-gross density scenarios, draft language for a low-density mixed-residential alternative, and an impervious-surface overlay approach for ecologically sensitive areas. Simmons agreed to draft comparative tables, examples, and scenario language for a future work session.

Next steps: staff will prepare the requested comparisons and draft alternatives for council review. The council did not take a formal vote during the session and directed staff to return with refined language and illustrative scenarios before any final ordinance is advertised.