FAIRHOPE — The house featured in the iconic sci-fi film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" will be moving from its original site.

During a Fairhope city council meeting on Thursday, members unanimously approved a request to move the house to a new location to make way for a new subdivision that is being developed and constructed in the area.

For years, the house, which sits on 1.02 acres of land, has been near the intersection of Alabama Highways 104 and 181 and is currently vacant. However, with a new retail project being developed in the same area, the house will now be moved to make room for future ventures.

Previously, Fairhope's planning commission unanimously recommended to approve the measure that would relocate the house, and now city council has officially given the green light for the relocation to move forward.

Despite this, the house won't go too far, with the plan being to place the house on a lot close to its original location. Given its significance in film history, the house will be restored to its original glory following its relocation and will be converted into office space.

The house is best known for being featured in the 1977 film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," directed by Stephen Spielberg. It can be seen during the first act of the movie when the character Barry Guiler is abducted by aliens.

In addition to Fairhope, Spielberg's sci-fi flick was also filmed in other parts of coastal Alabama, including at the former site of Brookley Air Force Base in Mobile as well as Louisville and Nashville Railroad depot in Bay Minette.

It is not uncommon for houses and structures used in movies to be relocated from its original location later on. For example, the original Myers House from the 1978 film "Halloween" was relocated and turned into office space following production.