FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The Fairhope Planning and Zoning Commission informally reviewed a request to rezone a parcel of land on Greeno Road from single-family residence to a business and professional district at its regularly monthly meeting, held Monday night.

The plans for the corner lot, located at 860 Edwards Ave. and Greeno Road, are to eventually turn it into a professional office for The Myrick Agency.

Morgan Ashurst, of Ashurst & Niemeyer, represented the applicant at the meeting Monday, and he said he is unsure of when the plans would come to fruition.

The commission took some pause in the consideration of the rezoning proposal due to the growth of the medical park between Gayfer Road and Fairhope Avenue on Greeno.

Some commissioners did not want to see the continued development of that area get out of control, and that particular district become strictly business and retail commercial, essentially knocking out any residential hope.

“Maybe it was a hope against hope that the rest of (the area) would remain residential,” Commissioner Gary Moore said.

Commissioner Lee Turner said the medical park can be a hot-button issue with two devisive sides, one wanting it to be solely commercial, the other wanting it to remain residential.

“We don’t want that to be Airport Boulevard or Hamburger Alley, and we can’t make it commercial,” he said of the two sides.

“Option C is looking at things on a one-by-one basis.”

It was the planning department staff recommendation to grant the rezoning request.

“I would lean a lot on the staff recommendation on this,” Turner said. “But we certainly want to see that area is treated as delicately as possible so we don’t end up ‘Anywhere U.S.A. on Greeno Road.’”

Commissioner Lonnie Mixon said he was in favor of the rezoning.

“It’s controlled commercial,” he said. “If it’s going to be commercial then that’s the kind we want.”

The commission gave its informal approval. Ashurst said the neighbors surrounding the parcel will be contacted about the future plans.

“This is preliminary, trying to get your feel before we go and shake all those bushes,” he said to the commission.

Commission Chair Jean Wilson requested that Planning and Building Director Jonathan Ira Smith have the department map out a more comprehensive plan for that area.

“It would be nice if we could put some type of plan together in this area as we go north from Edwards (Avenue) on what we would like to see so it doesn’t get too piecemeal,” Wilson said.