Gulf Shores Planning Commission Reviews Animal Hospital and 116 Unit Subdivision
News Staff • December 13, 2023
The meeting reviewed a new animal hospital and zoning changes
This week's Planning Commission meeting started with a quick praise of the Dolphin's Championship, then proceeded to review new projects and zoning for the City of Gulf Shores. The commission, chaired by Pete Vakakes, turned the first presentation over to Jay Dickson from the Gulf Shores Building Department.
The first project reviewed was for the Langston Animal Hospital. Operating since 2018 in the community, the firm has decided to build a new 12,384 square foot building on the west side of Highway 59. The building will be located just north of the American Legion building. They are requesting CUP (conditional use permit).
Jay Dickson explained the architectural needs and answered questions concerning suggested improvement. A representative of Langston's stated they wanted to a modern facility that everyone would be proud of the appearance.
Commission member, Grant Brown, informed the owner that from the renderings "it looks like an amazing entrance into our city." The upgrades and amenities at the new location were mentioned. There were no objections during the public hearing. The application was accepted by the Planning Commission.
During the next segment of the meeting, Lee Jones (Director of Planning & Community Development) discussed changes needed to the Beach Area Overlay District. The district was created in 2005 and Jones showed to omissions that should now be added. During his presentation he stated "we need to clean that up" when referencing the zoning map and the City's master plan. He added that these notifications would be "housekeeping" for the City's Building Department.
One audience member who spoke, Kevin Corcoran, stated that he had requested a review since he has been a property owner in the area for over 20 years and appreciated the updates.
The Commissions members had few questions and supported the changes requested.
Villages at Gulf Landing:
The next item submitted for review was a site plan for the new development, Villages at Gulf Landing. The applicant seeks approval for a 116 lot townhouse subdivision. The property is located on the north side of West 34th Avenue.
Planning Director, Andy Bauer, explained to the commission the current zoning and surrounding land uses. Currently the land for proposed subdivision is heavily wooded. It consist of 83 acres and was initially approved in 2018. The property was divided into 4 pods and had PUD zoning. The only "POD" discussed at the meeting was for POD-A (16.7 acres of the site).
After Mr. Bauer discussed landscaping, sidewalks and road work, he opened the floor for questions from the commission. The first concern was for the driveway distance to the home, to make sure cars did not block the sidewalks. During the review, the property representative could not confirm the driveway depth. It was suggested to condition any approval with a 20foot driveway to be included on each unit. (sidewalk to garage)
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