SPANISH FORT, Ala.—Shellbank Development LLC at Monday’s Planning Commission meeting submitted a tree remediation plan that pleased officials.

The commission gave a positive recommendation to the City Council for the revised site plan, which shows 6-inch diameter Southern live oaks instead of the 3-inch diameter sand oaks developers previously listed on their remediation plan.

Planners took a 15-minute recess, at Mayor Joe Bonner’s request, to review the new plan, citing they didn’t feel comfortable voting on the revised site plan after viewing it for a few minutes.

“I would have liked to have had it a day or two ahead of time,” Planning Commissioner J.R. Smith said. “At first glance it looks like a vast improvement.”

The new site plans came after city officials realized trees that were listed on the site plan to remain at the Shellbank Landing condominium site on the causeway were cut down.

The city July 24 had issued a stop-work order to Shellbank Development LLC and construction hasn’t resumed.

About 11 trees, nine Southern live oaks and two cypress trees were cut down, building official Bruce Renkert has said.

Developers previously submitted a remediation plan that didn’t sit well with officials.

Initially, developers said they would replace the Southern live oak trees that were cut down—which ranged from 12 to 24 inches chest-high diameter—with sand live oak trees that had a diameter of only 3 inches.

Planners said they wanted to see 8- to 10-inch caliper trees.

Ray Hix, a Shellbank Landing developer, Monday submitted a new site plan showing 14 6-inch diameter Southern live oaks.

About 168 diameter inches of trees were cut down, but Hix said that once the trees are replaced, their diameter will be about 294 inches.

Forty inches of overall tree diameter were added to the plan, Hix said.

Hix also said they would replace the bald cypress trees that were cut down.

If the condo project doesn’t move forward, city officials said they want to ensure that cut down trees will be replaced by a performance bond. The City Council must approve such a bond, which can be used only by the city to replace trees lost, according to City Attorney David Conner.

A price is undetermined for the bond, Conner said.

Hix suggested that Shellbank Development go ahead and plant the trees to improve aesthetics at the condo site, but officials said they were concerned about how the trees would hold up to construction.

Hix said the trees could be planted, dug up and transplanted during construction, then replanted after construction is complete.

Officials said they were concerned that  about the health of the trees, even though Hix said the tree growers said they would survive.

“I think in reality you might not want them there during construction,” Planning Commissioner Kevin Diamond said.

Officials said that when the stop-work order is canceled, they want debris cleaned up at the site; Hix said it will be cleaned when the work order is gone.

The City Council must approve the site plan before the the stop-work order is canceled, Conner said.

Also Monday,  the commission reviewed  a request for land-use approval for Sinking Ship LLC, which plans to use the six acres of land for the proposed Spanish Brook Mobile Home Park.

The mobile home park will be a bit different from others in Spanish Fort; Dasinger said it will feature new for-rent mobile homes and residents can’t bring their own mobile home to Spanish Brook.

The mobile home park, if approved, will be at the northeast end of Spanish Brook Drive East, off Cemetery Road.

The entire project is expected to cost around $5 million and will comprise 21 16- by 80-foot units, according to Dasinger.

The commission unanimously voted to postpone the vote because questions arose regarding the council’s moratorium on multi-family construction, which ends Sept. 24.

Planners questioned whether this mobile home park is considered multi-family housing since there will be multiple tenants living  on one piece of property.

The area in December 2006 was rezoned for an apartment complex that didn’t go through, which caused the site plan to expire after 24 months.

The request for land-use approval was a public hearing Monday where Spanish Fort resident Annette Griffin aired concerns of having another mobile home park in an area where she will build a new home.

“I’m not too gung-ho about having another trailer park,” Griffin said. “It sounds like a nice one, but it’s a trailer park.”

The next Planning Commission work session will be held at 6 p.m. March 9; regular meeting follows     at 6:30 p.m. at The Gathering Place, at the intersection of Highways 31 and 98, in the Prodisee Center.