ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — A Robertsdale resident came before the city council on Monday, Aug. 17 to address concerns over her use of an electric bicycle on the city’s walking/bike trail.
Sandra Darling said she was stopped by a Robertsdale police officer and told that it as not legal for her to use the trail.
“It was really upsetting. My family believes in electric bicycles,” she said. “We currently have six of them that we use all the time.”
Darling said in working with a local attorney she has discovered that there is a lot of gray area when dealing with electric bicycles.
“I think the city needs to be proactive in figuring out what the laws actually are and how to make it safe for people to be able to use electric bicycles,” she said.
Mayor Charles Murphy said it was an issue that the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission should address.
“You have a valid point and I think we can work together on this,” he said.
In other business Aug. 17, several rezoning and annexation requests presented were approved unanimously by the council.
Three public hearings were presented with requests for rezoning at the Aug. 17 meeting:
Much of the discussion centered around the Adams Drive property, which is located between Fairground Road and County Road 48.
When asked about the size of the lots, estimated size and value of homes, an attendee at the meeting who identified herself as the Realtor for the property, stated that the homes were between 1,600 and 1,800 square feet and would be sold in the $240,000 to $260,000 range.
A representative of RAM – Robertsdale Subdivision Partners Inc., stated that the average size of the lots would be 6,100 square feet, or 60 feet by 100 feet.
It was also stated that there would be a buffer around the property, that the city would be able to provide the additional sewer service with the property, and that there would be a Homeowners Association that would take care of maintenance in the common areas of the subdivision.
Council member Joe Kitchens, who also serves on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission, said that the board had met with developers several times to make adjustments to the subdivision.
“They have done everything we asked them to do,” Kitchens said, “and we are satisfied with it.”
Concerns were also expressed by residents who own farmland surrounding the property concerning whether or not there would be debris falling into the adjacent property and whether or not future property owners would have an issue with farming activity surrounding the property.
All three zoning requests were approved unanimously by the council.
Two parcels of property on Adams Drive, one presented by Hamm Enterprises and one by Laura Campbell were approved during the Aug. 17 council meeting.
