Fairhope Hardware building project stalls due to parking concerns

BY COLIN JAMES
Reporter
colin@gulfcoastmedia.com
Posted 12/20/24

Plans to turn Fairhope's 94-year-old historic building and old hardware store building into commercial space is being held back by a lingering issue that both the city and property owners are looking …

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Fairhope Hardware building project stalls due to parking concerns

Posted

Plans to turn Fairhope's 94-year-old historic building and old hardware store building into commercial space is being held back by a lingering issue that both the city and property owners are looking to resolve.

There are hopes to turn Fairhope Hardware, located on 301 Fairhope Ave., into a new building that includes a retail and restaurant space on the first floor and a hotel on the second and third floors. However, parking is what is currently holding the project back from becoming a reality.

Locals part of the group investing into the project spoke about the parking issue during Fairhope's city council meeting on Dec 9. The development company behind the project, FST Sildi LLC, sought a special exception from the Board of Adjustments to build a hotel within Fairhope's Central Business District, zoned B-2. Despite communication between the city and planners, no resolution has been decided regarding the parking issues, which threatens to keep the project from seeing the light of day.

"I have clients here willing to make a huge investment on Fairhope," said Matt McKinney, the architect behind the project who expressed his frustrations during the city council meeting. "That is dead corner. Atrocious building. It's dangerous. It needs to be torn down. We got a solid project. My clients are more than willing and ready to make something happen. We need some help."

The 0.2-acre site, on which the building was constructed in 1922, has housed various stores and outlets over the years, including department stores, a Piggly Wiggly and, more recently, Fairhope Hardware. It has been designated as a "contributing" building within the Fairhope Downtown Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was sold in an auction in March 2023 for $1.6 million.

"We are not trying to build the Trump Tower," said Tamala Prickett, co-owner of a real estate firm who is also part of the group involved in the project. "We are trying to meet the need that is beneficial for the city. We don't know who can approve parking for us. Is it the parking authority? The city council?"

During the discussion, several possible solutions were brought up to address the parking issue, which include seeking approval from the parking authority to use 27 spaces in an adjacent existing parking garage, leasing private property for the purpose of more parking, building a new lot on vacant city property or even the creation of a "parking fund" to help finance more parking areas within the downtown area.

Councilman Jack Burrell also mentioned the possibility of forming a forming sub-committee to address the situation. Councilman Corey Martin said other businesses in town are also affected and solutions to the overall parking problem needed to be sought.

"We're going to have to come up with a resolution and a solution for the parking situation, not just [with the hardware store], but period." Martin said. "These are all questions that we're going to have to come together as a council and as a community. There's no real easy answer but I believe we can get it done."