Mobile City Planning Commission Meeting - October 15, 2026

The Mobile City Planning Commission met on October 15, 2026, with a quorum present, to hear and act on a lengthy agenda of subdivisions, rezonings, conditional use permits, planned unit development modifications, and sidewalk waiver requests. The chair reviewed the meeting's two-session format: a public hearing followed by commission deliberation, with up to four speakers for and four against each item, a five-minute speaking limit, a one-minute warning, and a two-minute applicant rebuttal if there is opposition. The commission makes final decisions on subdivisions; for rezonings, conditional use permits, and planned developments it makes recommendations to the City Council. The agenda was adopted after moving the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church subdivision from item 1 to the fourth position to allow related items to be considered closer together. Two regular members were absent, two supernumeraries were allowed to vote, and Commissioner Kenny Nichols recused himself from the Dogwood Drive application.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Dogwood Drive application: Melissa Hadley, for the applicant, said the proposed B1 zoning is an appropriate buffer between residential and commercial uses and noted voluntary commitments on hours and trash collection. Jerry Spiegel, also for the applicant, asked the commission to again recommend rezoning, recounting the prior unanimous planning commission recommendation, the City Council denial, the missed appeal deadline, and the former city attorney's written statement that the city could not in good faith argue against summary judgment.
• Dogwood Drive opposition: Wanda Cochrane, representing residents Steve Bailey and Candace Robbins, opposed the R1-to-B1 rezone, arguing there was no justification, the proposal was inconsistent with the comprehensive plan, B1 uses were not compatible with the R1 neighborhood, and there was no guarantee the development would be built. Steve Bailey cited crash risks at the Airport Boulevard/University Boulevard intersection, saying the updated traffic study omitted safety issues and used counts taken while the adjacent CVS was vacant. Evan Duffy, a third-generation homeowner on Summit Drive, said noise and traffic had worsened since the CVS development and that the neighborhood had no outlet other than Airport Boulevard. Candace Robbins, a second-generation Dogwood Drive resident, said 21 of 22 people at a July meeting opposed the project, asked the commission to deny the rezoning, and warned about the precedent of piecemeal commercial encroachment. The applicant's rebuttal said the traffic study included future traffic and was approved by the city, the site plan complied with the traffic engineer's recommendations, healthy growth created commercial demand, and the developer proposed to preserve mature trees and exceed required setbacks.
• Burger Road subdivision: Nancy Stone, 106 South McGregor Avenue, opposed the three-lot subdivision, saying lot 1 was small, mature trees would be removed, and the neighborhood drains were already overloaded; she asked the commission to reject the subdivision until drainage problems were solved.
• Church and South Jefferson rezone: Dandy Dalbear, 157 South Jefferson, opposed another business on the block, citing parking spillover from bars and businesses on Canal Street; she said residents would support residential use but not more commercial use.
• Other items: Tammy McElroy asked a question about the plan and traffic for the Deval Street subdivision; the applicant said phase one would be a 250-unit apartment complex to replace housing lost during HUD redevelopment. No public comments were offered on most other agenda items.

Discussion Items

• Dogwood Drive dual application: The applicant's updated traffic study removed the previously required left-turn lane from Airport Boulevard and showed a slight decrease in level of service; access would be right-in/right-out from Airport and right-out north onto Dogwood Drive. Staff confirmed the only material change from the previous application was the removal of the left-turn lane. Legal counsel advised the commission was not bound by its prior vote. The subdivision portion was approved, but the R1-to-B1 rezoning motion failed for lack of a second, meaning no recommendation was sent to the City Council.
• Burger Road subdivision: Commissioners noted discrepancies between two surveys, both dated July 7, 2026, regarding the location of the sidewalk relative to the right-of-way and property lines; there was also concern that if the lot line moved, lot 2 might fall below the 7,200-square-foot R1 minimum. The item was held over.
• Cottage Hill Road rezone: The applicant proposed cottage homes with a separate office building, leading to a request to change from R1 to B1 rather than R3. A prior R3 application had been recommended by the commission but denied by the City Council on March 10, 2026. Staff confirmed B1 permits residential development at up to 25 dwelling units per acre. A commissioner expressed reservations about B1, neighborhood compatibility, and the separate office use; the applicant accepted a holdover to work out voluntary use restrictions and other concerns.
• Highway 90 and Halls Mill Road sidewalk waiver: The applicant cited steep slopes, an ALDOT right-of-way that could not accommodate a sidewalk, a five-foot retaining wall on the adjacent property, lack of shoulders on Halls Mill Bridge, roadside ditches, utility guy wires, and the 500-foot distance to the proposed building. Commissioner Josh Woods conveyed the City Council representative's position to keep the Highway 90 sidewalk but allow the Halls Mill Road waiver; the city engineer recommended both waivers, saying the sidewalks would be better built as part of a future holistic city project. The waiver was approved.
• Other sidewalk waiver discussion: On the Greelot Road waiver, Commissioner Woods opposed, citing the City Council's Complete Streets plan and connectivity concerns, but the waiver was approved. On the Halls Mill Road waiver for the Griffith Circle properties, staff engineering recommended approval because of roadside drainage ditches, fences, and other encumbrances.

Key Outcomes

• Adopted the agenda and moved item 1 to the fourth position.
• 801 South University Boulevard: approved major modification of a previously approved PUD allowing shared access and parking, a 2,150-square-foot building, and 32 additional parking spaces, adopting findings of fact A through H.
• Dogwood Drive: approved the subdivision; the R1-to-B1 rezone failed for lack of a second.
• Moot Avenue/Griffith Circle/Halls Mill Road/McCray Avenue: held over the rezone and conditional use permit for expansion of an existing mobile home community to November 19, 2026; required revisions due November 3, 2026.
• 59/61 Bradford Avenue and 1311 Azalea Street: approved the six-lot, 0.76-acre Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church subdivision.
• 50/60 South Ann Street: approved the subdivision, the church expansion major modification, and the planned unit development modification, each subject to staff recommendations, with the modifications adopting findings of fact A through H.
• 251/255 St. Louis Street and 106/160 North Jackson Street: approved the Ace Hardware and Spirits subdivision, waiving the corner-radius requirements in conditions 2 and 3.
• 659 Macklemore Street: approved the two-lot Chapel Estate subdivision.
• East side Deval Street: approved the two-lot Brooklyn North subdivision; applicant said it will be used for a 250-unit phase one apartment complex.
• 7951 York Haven Road A: approved the two-lot Ranger Farms subdivision and waived condition 1 about the turnaround dedication; the county intends to use the site for West Mobile County Park expansion.
• 2126 John's Lane: approved the three-lot subdivision.
• 2 Burger Road: held over the three-lot subdivision to November 19, 2026, with corrections due November 3, 2026.
• 7500 Airport Boulevard: approved the three-lot Westgate Pavilion resubdivision.
• 5201/5213 Persons Drive: approved the five-lot Rosemary Hill subdivision.
• Greelot Road sidewalk waiver: approved over Commissioner Woods's opposition.
• 5263 U.S. Highway 90 West sidewalk waiver: approved for both Highway 90 and Halls Mill Road over opposition.
• Halls Mill Road sidewalk waiver for 2651-57 Griffith Circle South and 2641 Griffith Circle West: approved over opposition.
• 7211/7221 Cottage Hill Road: held over the R1-to-B1 rezone to November 19, 2026.
• Church Street/South Jefferson: approved the downtown development district rezone from T3 to T4, with voluntary use restrictions prohibiting bars, restaurants, theaters, entertainment, and catering.
• 200 Dunlap Drive: approved the one-lot Orca subdivision and sidewalk waiver for a temporary I-10 Mobile River Bridge construction site.
• 957/959/961 Lion Street and 354 Cherry: approved the five-lot subdivision and church expansion modification; the modification approval applies only to lot 1, and the corner-radius waiver was granted.
• 5685 I-10 Industrial Parkway: approved the two-lot PL Russell subdivision and the rezone to all I-1.
• 8 Old Shell Road/109 North Ann Street: approved the revised plat reducing the approved subdivision from 10 lots to 8 lots.
• 6950/6960 Moffat Road: approved the waiver of section 6B9 and removal of condition 2 requiring 50 feet of right-of-way from the center line of Moffat Road.
• Approved the September 17, 2026 meeting minutes.