ROBERTSDALE, Alabama -- The proposed rezoning of property on Wilters Street near the future Baldwin Beach Express sparked some protest among residents at Wednesday’s Robertsdale City Council meeting.

The council voted unanimously to grant the request rezoning approximately 100 acres from B-1 to B-2 and approximately 69 acres from B-1 to R-1.

The land was originally part of a 350-acre site that was sold to Michael Aho, whose address is listed as Lake Wylie, S.C., on the rezoning request.

Aho said plans were to build a single-family dwelling on the property to be rezoned R-1, but he has no immediate plans for the rest of the property.

“We just felt that B-2 (general business) would give us more options than B-1 (local shopping district),” Aho said, adding that he was expecting property values to increase once the Baldwin Beach Express is completed in 2014.

One adjacent property owner, Eric Cretsinger, said he had talked with several other adjacent property owners, all of whom were in agreement that B-2 provided too broad a definition for the property.

“Everyone I spoke with said they had no problems with the R-1 property, but felt that B-2 was just too broad,” he said. “If we had any idea what was going to be put there, it would be different, but not knowing what he’s going to do with the property, we just feel like it leaves too much to chance.”

Concern was also expressed over the use of a vast amount of wetlands located on the property.

Mayor Charles Murphy addressed those concerns saying much of the property could not be developed.

“What you’re looking at is out of about 100 acres being rezoned to B-2, only about 30 acres of that property can be developed,” he said. “The rest is wetlands.”

Murphy said one thing that could be done is that the property designated as wetlands could be rezoned back to R-1.

“Since that property cannot be developed, it could provide a buffer between what can be developed,” Murphy said. “That would be something that Mr. Aho would have to do at a later date.”

Any further development of the property would have to come before the city’s Planning Commission, then be approved by the City Council.

The Council also approved an annexation request and rezoning of 33.62 acres located west of Highway 59 on County Road 48.

Property owners Douglas Vaughn, Shirley Carpenter and Tony Overstreet own adjacent property inside the city limits and were requesting that that the property, which would be annexed into the city limits as R-1, then be rezoned to B-2 for future development.

Both properties received unanimous approval to suspend the rules and were passed unanimously by roll-call vote.

In other business, resident Timothy Brown expressed concerns over traffic problems on Wilters Street.

Future plans are to close a portion of the street to replace a concrete bridge. The city is also planning to resurface the street and extend the roadway an additional half-mile eastward from Buck Road to the Baldwin Beach Express.

Brown said he was concerned that since Wilters Street runs directly past Robertsdale Elementary School, increased traffic congestion along the roadway could put children’s lives in danger.

“I know when the bridge was replaced several years ago it was a traffic nightmare,” Brown said. “We have several children that walk along that street to school. People speed along that road, passing other vehicles and texting while driving. I’m just afraid someone is going to be killed. Something needs to be done now to fix the problem.”

Murphy said the extension of the highway is part of an Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program (ATRIP) grant that will be executed by the Alabama Department of Transportation.

While the project was set to begin in July, Murphy said, bids for the project have not yet been approved and it could be well into the next school year before the project is completed.

“I can assure you that no one here wants to see anyone hurt,” Murphy said.

Murphy said he wanted to contact the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission to conduct a traffic study to see what could be done to alleviate some of the problems. He also wanted to look into some things that were done by the City of Fairhope to alleviate traffic.

“There are several things that can be done to slow down the traffic that you wouldn’t think would make a difference,” Murphy said. “I want to make sure we look at this to ensure that the proper things are done.”

Brown also expressed concern because he had heard a portion of Wilters Street was going to be widened. Murphy said that was untrue.

“As far as I know most of the improvements on the existing roadway pertain to resurfacing,” he said. “Any widening that would be done would be in the existing right of way and there are no plans to encroach on anyone’s property.”

In other business Wednesday, the council:

• Donated $615 to the Central Baldwin Middle School Family, Career and Community Leaders of America to send help send four students and chaperones to the National Students Taking Action with Recognition National Competition, which will be held in Nashville, Tenn., in July. The students qualified by placing in the state competition, held this spring at Auburn University in Montgomery.

• Voted to surplus a bulldozer for the city’s Public Works Department.

• Approved a grant application for an Alabama Department of Community Affairs Community Development Block Grant for sewer rehabilitation in the amount of $450,000. The grant would include a 10 percent match, with $50,000 in out-of-pocket expenses for the city.

• Purchased advertising in Gulf Coast Newspapers Big, Beautiful Baldwin edition at a cost of $375.