Fairhope Faces $10 Million Federal Lawsuit Over Gables on Lawrence and Skyline Village Developments
A $10 million lawsuit filed in federal court on Oct. 27 targets the City of Fairhope over two proposed residential developments, the Gables on Lawrence and Skyline Village.
FAIRHOPE, Ala. — The City of Fairhope is facing a $10 million federal lawsuit over two proposed residential developments.
The lawsuit
The suit was filed Oct. 27 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama. It involves the Gables on Lawrence, planned for about 20 acres at the corner of Lawrence Road and Marshall Lane, and Skyline Village, planned for about 16.5 acres along Dyer Road. The claims in the suit have not been decided by the court.
“We believe in property rights, playing by the rules and that everyone is entitled to their opinion. We just aren’t going to stand for opinions trumping legal precedent,” Cox said in a company statement.
City hires outside counsel
The city has hired the law firm Hand Arendall as additional counsel. The firm previously represented the city in the Triangle lawsuit. In that case, the city paid nearly $3 million in legal fees and, under a settlement, bought the Triangle property for $8.25 million, for a total of $11.25 million. The city later gave the Triangle property to the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation.
