SPANISH FORT, Ala.—The Spanish Fort Planning Commission at a Monday work session raised concerns about water retention in a proposed 107-unit residential development.

The total size of the property—located south of Old Highway 31, near the easternmost intersection with U.S. Highway 31—is about 40 acres.

“We need some more information so we know what’s going to be built out there,” city engineer Martin Pitts said. “We just want to know when we build all those houses and a storm event happens, where’s all that water going to go?”

The project’s developer showed the commission the group’s planned retention pond and common areas, designed to alieviate excess water runoff through diversion to nearby properties.

“It’s still someone’s property,” commissioner J.R. Smith said, referring to problems that might arise if excess water is diverted onto a neighbor’s land.

“You just can’t divert a bunch of water on it. If we were voting tonight, we wouldn’t accept it because they haven’t provided the necessary regulations.”

The commission asked the developer to provide topographic models that would accurately depict the lay of the land.

They also asked him to shade areas of his blueprints that were not part of the project, to better highlight the property in development, a notion that Mayor Joe Bonner opposed.

“It’s my opinion that these things should have been submitted on Feb. 17,” Bonner said. “We’re not reviewing anything here.”

The developer agreed to meet the March 24 submission deadline with the requested materials for the commission to review again at its March 30 work session.

An unscheduled public hearing to allow neighboring property owners to speak about the project will be held.

The next regular meeting of the Planning Commission will be Monday, March 9 at the Gathering Place at the Spanish Fort United Methodist Church Prodisee Center.

A work session will be at 6 p.m. followed by the regular meeting at 6:30 p.m.

An informal work session is set for 6 p.m. Monday, March 30 in the conference room at City Hall.