(DAPHNE, Ala.) - Residents of a Daphne neighborhood are rallying to block a planned residential development from running through their neighborhood.
The Tiawasee Trace Neighborhood Association, and concerned residents, spent part of Saturday afternoon handing out fliers to fellow residents urging them to attend the public hearing Monday at Daphne City Hall where council members will discuss the proposed rezoning and annexation of GCOF Retreat at Tiawasee.
The Retreat at Tiawasee plan includes 57 new homes, on top of the 51 homes that make up Tiawasee Trace.
Tiawasee Trace residents said a road linking the new construction to their neighborhood would cause a slew of problems.
"We're not opposed to the annexation," said Page Mims, President of the Tiawasee Trace Neighborhood Association. "We're happy for the City of Daphne to grow. What we are opposed to is their plan of going through our neighborhood."
With the only traffic outlet at County Road 13, Mims said traffic through their neighborhood would grow threefold.
"Our neighborhood was never intended to have over 150 homes in it," Mims said. "If that had been the intent, then they wouldn't have this small entrance way."
Mary Jane Johnson, who has lived in the neighborhood for 12 years, said she is one of the first residents of Tiawasee Trace. She fears property values will decline as a result of connecting the two developments.
"We have been pleased with our neighborhood," Johnson said. "It's a small community. It's unique, but it's not exclusive. I don't want that to change.
"We must look at the bottom line too, and that affects the price of your home."
Residents are calling the proposed plan the first major decision by the newly-elected Daphne City Council.
The public hearing will be held at Monday's council meeting.
