Fairhope commission backs site plan for Foosackly's and Just Chillin' on Highway 181

The Fairhope Planning Commission has recommended that the City Council approve a site plan for a Foosackly's chicken-finger restaurant and a Just Chillin' ice cream shop on State Highway 181, according to the commission's May 4 minutes, which are included in the June 1 meeting packet.

Zoning and aerial location map for the site, from the May 4 Planning Commission staff report.

The request, listed as SR 26.03, was filed by Lieb Engineering on behalf of the property owner, FST Encounter Development, LLC. It covers Lot 4 of the Encounter development, a 1.52-acre parcel zoned B-2 General Business District on the east side of Highway 181, north of State Highway 104 (PPIN 627494).

The proposed site plan along State Highway 181, prepared by Lieb Engineering and included in the May 4 staff report.

City Planner Michelle Melton-Null presented the request and shared zoning and aerial maps along with the proposed site plan, according to the minutes. She noted that the site plan had been approved in 2025 but that the approval had since expired, prompting the renewed review. Staff recommended approval of the plan for Foosackly's and Just Chillin' on Lot 4 of the Encounter development.

Proposed building elevations for Foosackly's, top, and Just Chillin', from the May 4 staff report exhibits.

With no questions for staff or the applicant, Commissioner Erik Cortinas moved to recommend approval to the City Council, and Commissioner Hollie MacKellar seconded. The motion carried unanimously, with John Worsham, Jimmy Conyers, Harry Kohler, Hollie MacKellar, Kim McCormick and Erik Cortinas voting in favor. John Worsham served as acting chair for the meeting.

The recommendation now goes to the City Council, which has the final say on the site plan.

The proposed landscape plan for the site, from the May 4 staff report exhibits.

Foosackly's is a Mobile-based chicken-finger chain that began on University Boulevard in Mobile around 2000 and has since grown to more than a dozen restaurants, including Baldwin County locations in Daphne and Foley. Its menu centers on fresh, hand-battered chicken fingers served with crinkle fries, coleslaw, toast and the chain's signature sauces. The site plan pairs the restaurant with Just Chillin', an ice cream shop shown in the packet as a separate, smaller building on the same lot.

The restaurant would join a wave of commercial construction along Highway 181 near the Highway 104 intersection. Local news outlets have reported that a Culver's, a Wendy's, a 7 Brew coffee stand, an Advance Auto Parts and an Express Oil Change are under construction nearby, with a Jiffy Lube and a Murphy Oil station also planned. The Planters Pointe shopping center, anchored by a Publix that opened in December 2023, sits along the same stretch.