SPANISH FORT, Ala. — Plans for construction of the city’s long-discussed municipal complex and community center cleared the first regulatory hurdle during Monday’s Planning Commission meeting, yet the action in no way greenlights construction.

Mayor Joe Bonner said the commission’s 8-0 vote forwarding a positive recommendation to the City Council to rezone the 18-acre site simply positions the city to take the project to bid. Commissioner Tom Sawyer was not present.

“We’re in the process of finalizing the plans,” Bonner said, noting changes gleaned from community input have already been incorporated into the proposed design but no timetable exists for the project’s start or completion.

“We don’t know what the future is going o be like,” Bonner told several residents who spoke during the public-hearing portion of the item’s consideration.

Once the property is properly zoned and the design has been tweaked to the liking of both city leaders and residents, Bonner said the council will then “put its finger on the pulse of the financial situation without putting future mayors or future councils in peril” of moving forward with a project the city can’t afford.

“This is a step to get us in a position to take (the project) to bid,” Bonner said of the commission’s rezoning recommendation.

If approved, the site in question, located on the northwest corner of the intersection of Spanish Fort Boulevard and Blakeley Way, would be rezoned from R-1, or residential, to B-2, or general business, which City Attorney David Conner said is the least restrictive business district designation for that use. The measure requires both commission and council approval to move forward, and a site plan must be submitted and approved before construction can begin, he said.

The proposed 29,000-square-foot complex would include a multipurpose building; administrative building; public works building; Baldwin Rural Area System terminal; senior center; library; post office; two additional buildings to accommodate future growth; and a recreational area.

Daphne-based Forrest Daniell and Associates PC designed the complex, and Bonner encouraged residents to view the detailed renderings either online at www.cityofspanishfort.com or in person at City Hall on Spanish Fort Boulevard.

“I think it will put you at ease,” he said.

When pressed by residents during the public hearing for a potential construction start date, Commission Chairman Carl Nelson said, “There’s no telling at this stage.”

One concern voiced during the hearing by residents whose property adjoins the city’s lot regarded maintenance of a 100-foot buffer plans indicate will encircle the development.

“We’re going to keep it natural … Our intentions are to keep it green and thick,” Bonner said.

Nelson also verified for another resident that the city does, in fact, own the property in question, and the city complex is the only use on the table for the site’s development.

A third resident voiced concerns regarding the project’s impact on surrounding property values, and Conner said any comments at this early stage would be “purely speculative” without a formal appraisal, but considering the walking trails and family-friendly green space incorporated into the design, he cannot imagine it having a negative financial effect.

Nelson, who lives on Blakeley Way, took the sentiment even further.

“I’m certainly not putting a ‘For Sale’ sign out in front of my house,” he said.

The next regular meeting of the Planning Commission will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Gathering Place in the Prodisee Center, immediately following a 6 p.m. informal work session at the same location.

The next informal work session is scheduled for 6 p.m. June 27 in the conference room at City Hall.