Fairhope Planning Commission Approves Boarding House For Downtown
By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
January 8, 2026
FAIRHOPE, Ala. The Fairhope Planning Commission has approved the building of a 26-room boarding house on the property of the former hardware store located at 301 Fairhope Avenue.
The commission voted 8 to 1 to give the project a green light, but it will still need the final approval of the city council.
A restaurant and medical-spa are planned on the first floor, and the roof-top terrace will be used for residents and guests.
One unit has also been reserved for a resident manager.
Only one on-site parking space is required for a boarding house under the old zoning ordinance, for the manager.
Commissioner Bryant was the only no-vote over concerns about enforcement of applicable zoning ordinance criteria, such as having a resident manager, and potential unauthorized venue activities on the rooftop terrace. (Planning commission attorney Williams replied he thought that the usual policing oversight mechanisms would suffice.)
Commission chairman Turner sympathized: “I hear Rebecca … in this case … I like it as a one-off … not as a precedent … think having one like this in town … is a really neat thing.”
There were some questions as to whether boarding houses were allowed in Fairhope and there are also concerns about parking, but a study last year is slated to be presented to the city in the upcoming weeks.
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