Orange Beach City Council Meeting – August 2, 2022
Orange Beach Amends Regulations to Gain Better Cell Reception
The Orange Beach City Council voted to approve an amendment to the small cell pole height regulations. Currently small cell poles within the city right-of-way are limited to 40’ in height. The amendment will now allow small cell poles to extent up to 50’ in height. The added height is expected to create better communication service by allowing the signals to extend above most residential rooftops and improve cell reception in residential neighborhoods.
Baldwin County Planning Commission Meeting – August 4, 2022
Sherwood Grove Estates Subdivision Receives Denial
The Baldwin County Planning Commission voted to deny a request for the preliminary plat of Sherwood Grove Estates. The request drew criticism from member of the surrounding area over traffic, drainage, environmental, and density concerns. The 166-lot subdivision was proposed on a 50-acre tract located on Sherwood Highlands Rd., south of County Rd. 24, east of State Hwy. 181, near Fish River.
Recent Flooding Causes Tabling of Re-Zoning Request
The Baldwin County Planning Commission was set to hear a re-zoning request for 39 acres to allow for the development of a residential subdivision. Developers were seeking to change the zoning from RA to RSF-2 for the property located on the south side of Hwy. 98, east of County Rd. 91 in the Lillian area. Due to recent rain events on July 14 and July 15 the area suffered flooding. County staff changed their recommendation to denial based on the review of photos and video of flooding that occurred in the area, citing health, safety, and welfare concerns. The developers requested to table the application for two months to study the flooding and draining issues in the area.
U-Haul Expanding Outside Daphne
The site plan for an additional 10,000 square foot building was approved by the Baldwin County Planning Commission for the U-Haul business. The 1.03-acre property is located along Hwy. 181, just south of Milton Jones Rd., in the Daphne area. There is currently a commercial U-Haul business on the M-1 zoned site. The expansion will provide additional office and warehouse space.
Ft. Morgan Re-Zoning Request Receives Denial Recommendation
The Baldwin County Planning Commission voted to send a denial recommendation to the County Commission for a zoning change in the Ft. Morgan area. The 4-acre property is located on the north side of Hwy. 180, adjacent to the Ft. Morgan Marina. The vacant property is within the coastal high hazard area and the flood hazard area. The current zoning is B-2. Developers were requesting a zoning change to B-4 to allow the development of a 24-pad luxury motor coach resort.
Re-Zoning Sought for Townhomes Along Beach Express
The Baldwin County Planning Commission gave a favorable recommendation for the re-zoning of 4.6 acres east of the Beach Express, south of Roscoe Rd. in the Orange Beach area. The property is currently zoned RA. Developers are seeking to change the zoning to HDR (high density residential) to develop a 42-unit townhome complex. The request will now go to the County Commission for final approval.
Preliminary Plat Approved for Tealwood Estates Subdivision
The preliminary plat was approved by the Baldwin County Planning Commission for phase 1 of Tealwood Estates. The 34-acre property is located on Underwood Road, between County 9 and County Rod 49, east of Fish River. The property is un-zoned. There are 76 residential lots planned for Phase 1.
Tealwood Estates Plat
Gulf Shores City Council Meeting – August 22, 2022
Gulf Shores Adopts FY2023 Transportation Plan
The City Council approved the Gulf Shores Transportation Plan for FY2023, as required to be eligible to receive funds from the Rebuild Alabama Gas Tax. The city will use the Rebuild Alabama Act revenue along with other sources of funding to complete the following slate of improvements:
59 widening
Waterway East Extension
Pedestrian Bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway
County Rd. 6 to Coastal Gateway Blvd. Connector Road – Phase 1
Gulf Beach Walking District Improvements – Phase 2
Annual City Street Resurfacing and Pedestrian Improvements.
Future Pedestrian Bridge
Orange Beach City Council Meeting – August 16, 2022
Cobblestone Hotel Coming to The Wharf
The Orange Beach City Council gave final approval for a major PUD modification to allow the construction of the Cobblestone Hotel at The Wharf. The site is located at 23299 Wharf Lane (current site of the mini golf course). A 4-story, 63-room hotel is planned with a pool on the east side. The addition of Wissota Chophouse restaurant will be on the west. Artist renderings are below.
Cobblestone Hotel Renderings
Foley Planning Commission Meeting – August 17, 2022
Pickleball Park Planned for Foley
The Foley Planning Commission approved a public project request to create a Pickleball Park north of the existing Farmers Market building. The property will be upgraded with additional amenities including a road north of the market, pickleball courts, and other park amenities. The funding for the project is coming from impact fee revenue.
83-Lot Residential Subdivision Planned in Foley Area
The Foley Planning Commission gave a favorable recommendation for the pre-zoning on 35 acres which is currently un-zoned within the County. If ultimately approved by the City Council the property would also be annexed into the city. The property, to be known as Hadley Village, is located east of Hwy.59, south of Hadley Rd. A draft layout is depicted below.
Hadley Village
Eastgate Subdivision Gains Reluctant Approval
The Foley Planning Commission reluctantly granted a request for preliminary subdivision approval for Eastgate Subdivision. The 30-acre property is located at the northwest corner of Bender Rd. and Springsteen Lane. The property is un-zoned and lies outside the city limits, but within the Foley Planning Jurisdiction. Because the property is outside the city limits and un-zoned the city cannot apply its greenspace standards. The proposed plans for the 101-lot development were met with disappointment among commission members who did not like the basic design with very little green space or variety.
Gulf Shores City Council Meeting – August 22, 2022
Architectural Review Amendments Approved in Gulf Shores
The Gulf Shores City Council gave final approval to zoning district amendments for townhomes and multi-family projects. In February of this year the city enacted a temporary moratorium on accepting site plan applications for multi-family and townhome projects. The moratorium was enacted over concerns that new multi-family and townhome developments were not living up to what was envisioned by the community, the large amounts of undeveloped acreage that is currently zoned for multi-family and townhomes, and the lack of any zoning ordinance requirements for analyzing the impacts of proposed developments of city infrastructure. The newly passed amendments for multi-family and townhome developments will require a range of functional open space and recreational areas, a range of housing types, prohibit vinyl siding, require sidewalks to connect from residential units to public sidewalks, a minimum 18” building elevation from grade, garage requirement for townhomes, added architectural regulations, and an impact study with mitigation plan to address traffic and public utilities. The Planning Commission voted to send a favorable recommendation to the city council for the zoning amendments last month. The moratorium is expected to end soon due to the passage of the new amendments.
Gulf Shores Planning Commission Meeting – August 23, 2022
Cactus Cantina Adding Office/Storage Building
The Gulf Shores Planning Commission approved the site plan for the construction of a 9,375 square foot office and storage building. The building will be used by the Cactus Cantina restaurant as an auxiliary office space and storage for restaurant supplies. The 1.72-acre property is located at 939 Commerce Dr., within the Aviation Park overlay Dist. The site is currently wooded and vacant.
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