DAPHNE, Ala.—Developers of the Springs at Eastern Shore at Johnson Road and U.S. Highway 98 will have to wait before they begin construction on a 240-unit property as the site plan for a third time was tabled at Thursday’s Planning Commission meeting.

The project had previously been tabled so developers could work out property line issues.

The commission cited the project’s planned single point of access and proposed traffic delivery system as trouble spots.

As currently designed, residents wanting to travel north on U.S. Highway 98 would exit the property, make a left and then make a U-turn on U.S. Highway 98.

“I have a problem with the access, especially going south on Johnson Road,” Mayor Fred Small said. “We said all along that we would have to build Johnson Road to handle the traffic.”

“To what extent have we failed to get a 50-foot right-of-way out to Johnson Road?” Commissioner Larry Chason said.

Engineer Scott Hutchinson said that developers are trying to work out an easement agreement, which would involve three neighboring parties.

“I do have a letter from them saying they’re in agreement,” Hutchinson said.

Chason expressed concern regarding what impact the development would have on current traffic flow near Johnson Road and U.S. Highway 98.

“I’m not going to favor going out, turning around and going back to the south,” he said.

“I understand the concern of a U-turn,” Hutchinson said. “But a U-turn itself is not unsafe traffic.”

A recent traffic study showed that the traffic light at Johnson Road would need to be recalibrated to include a left-turn yield on green, for which developers have agreed to pay.

Alabama Department of Transportation denied a cut-through to be placed in a median to allow an immediate left turn.

“This is a controlled situation,” Hutchinson said. “Is it a preferred movement out of there? No. But what else can we do?”

Commission Chairman Ed Kirby took issue with the master plan excluding what he deemed adequate fire department coverage; Hutchinson said an easement added to the property would satisfy the fire department.

Commissioner Cathy Barnette—also a city council member—asked what happened to a planned, second point of access, or driveway, on Johnson Road.

“Every Springs property is a single point of access,” developer Steve Miller said. “We only want a single point-of-access for our residents.”

“I have concerns regarding the issues on site,” in particular, a slope that failed during recent heavy rainfall, city site containment inspector Ashley Campbell said, having confirmed that she’d recently surveyed the site. “There’s still a lot of issues.”

Chason suggested that developers write a letter to the Alabama Department of Transportation requesting an access point be built on Johnson Road to ease traffic conditions.

Hutchinson agreed and then requested the project be tabled for a third time.

“I hate to table this again but it’s a big site, so let’s get it right,” he said.

In other business:

The property, zoned B-2, general business, is on the north side of Milton Jones Road, which is zoned B-1, professional business, in Baldwin County District 15.