HomeMy WebLinkAboutFHPC Section 106 Findings for EBI Project No. 260064512PRSECTION 106 FINDING DOCUMENT
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EBI Project No.: 260064512PR
Fairhope, Alabama, Baldwin County
Evaluation of Project Impacts on Identified Historic Properties
The Fairhope Historic Preservation Commission has applied the Criteria of Adverse Effect (36 CFR 800.5(a)) to the historic core of downtown Fairhope, Alabama which currently comprises
111 historic properties on portions of 10 blocks in the present commercial heart of the City. The majority of the buildings within Fairhope’s Downtown Historic and Central Business Districts
are one- and two-story commercial buildings located within the Project’s Area of Potential Effect (APE). Based on the information provided in this Section 106 Finding Document, City
of Fairhope Historic Preservation Commission finds that this undertaking will have an Adverse Effect on the downtown historic district. The Fairhope Historic Preservation Commission
considered visual impacts on the district setting, potentially eligible properties within the APE, and historic community planning decisions aimed at minimizing the intrusion of infrastructure
within the streetscape.
Although the cell tower is proposed for placement 670 feet north of the current district, the site of 108 North Section Street, Fairhope, Baldwin County, Alabama is located within a
streetscape continuous to the district and adjacent to two eligible contributing commercial buildings that feature some of downtown Fairhope’s heavily visited restaurants and coffee
shops. Known for its distinctive collective streetscape and scale, Section Street through the district up to and including 108 N. Section Street demonstrates historical community planning
decisions that prioritized underground utilities and minimizing the visual impact of public infrastructure. The street architecture includes Gulf Coast urbanism that continues to function
as a human-scaled, mixed-use, and pedestrian friendly town center that has yet to succumb to commercialization. Overall, it is crucial and economically valuable to maintain the authentic
historic downtown space because so many Fairhope businesses and individuals depend upon a sustained high level of heritage tourism to the area that sustains local business vitality.
Statement of National Register Qualifying Characteristics:
Properties in the historic district are listed on the National Register of Historic Places on the basis of Criterion A, Social History, and Criterion C, Architecture. Eligible properties
within the APE would similarly fit Criterion A and C. Founded in 1894, Fairhope was established on the philosophy of Henry George. The Fairhope Single Tax Colony remains the oldest,
continuously operating Single Tax Community in the United States today. The City of Fairhope and its related historic district exists because of the Single Tax idea. Core Single Tax
philosophy promoted a single tax on land that would be used to preserve and maintain community resources. Fairhope park-like city center, with tree lined-streets, flowers embedded along
sidewalks, and underground telephone wires along Section Street reflect over 100 years of Single Tax philosophy. Many of the historic qualities of the town remain etched in the historic
city streetscape, including its intactness, density, and historic idealism.
And of Criterion C, Architecture, Fairhope’s downtown contains intact blocks with a variety of common commercial styles from various periods. As such, the variety of styles and periods
of both commercial and residential properties in this district creates liveliness and interest without discord. The intact collection of commercial and residential structures represent
national building styles and trends adapted by local conditions and builders to serve the needs of the distinctive community.
Thus, the proposed scale of work at 108 North Section Street, would result in an immediate disruption to the historic streetscape and collection of preserved buildings that highlight
a distinct living landscape of a utopian experiment in community-building, civic idealism, and Gulf Coast architectural significance. Overall, the cell node tower would immediately contribute
to a loss of historic integrity in the downtown historic district, and erase physical evidence of the single-tax, utopian experiment. Furthermore, the proposed tower would lead to incremental
erosion of the surrounding Gulf Coast vernacular architectural properties and disrupt the intangible heritage tourist ecosystem that is vital to the social and artistic culture supported
by the historic spaces. This tower would clearly represent a loss in social and cultural beauty that attracts a significant volume of tourists who enjoy the downtown historic district's
unique beauty, charm, character, landmarks, and authenticity.
As such, the Fairhope Historic Preservation Commission recommends that any and all cell towers be placed outside the historic district and outside of Section Street. Any proposed cell
towers for inside the historic districts should be entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA). Preferred locations to that proposed for 108 N. Section Street are referred to the Planning
and Zoning Department for consultation.
Moreover, while the Commission recognizes the necessity of greater telecommunications coverage within the Downtown Fairhope Historic District, the Commission asks for implementation
of mitigating efforts to the project that are safer, less sound intrusive, and minimize effects to either contributing or non-contributing historic properties to maintain the integrity
of Fairhope’s historic sites. Additionally, the Fairhope Historic Preservation Commission requests that mitigation include landscaping around its towers placed in or near historic areas
to maintain the charm and greenscape integral to Fairhope’s historic identity.
The FHPC proposes the development of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the project, in accordance with 36 CFR 800.6(c).
Tribal Nation, Consulting Parties, and Public Involvement
FHPC Chair Hunter consulted with the AL SHPO on April 8, 2026, for guidance regarding Section 106 mitigation of pole placement. As such, Chair Hunter discussed with members of the Historic
Preservation Commission and Alabama Historic Commission our goal to limit visual obstructions within it, and in Section 106 cases, adjacent areas.
Attachments
EBI Project No.: 260064512PR Project Location Map
Schneider Report – Downtown Historic District Map 2015
Downtown Historic District With Zoning