Local Government Update - January 2026
- Baldwin REALTORS
- Jan 29
- 7 min read
Fairhope Planning Commission Meeting – January 5, 2026
Fairhope Boarding House Project Advances
The Fairhope Planning Commission voted to recommend the site plan for a proposed boarding house redevelopment at the northeast intersection of Fairhope Avenue and Church Street. The property is zoned B-2 and within the Central Business District. Plans call for a three-story, approximately 40-foot-tall building with a 26-room boarding house on the second and third floors, a live-in on-site manager residence, and first-floor commercial space proposed for a restaurant and med spa/office use. A rooftop terrace is planned to serve meals and drinks for boarding house guests and their visitors. See below for City Council approval and renderings at the January 26th meeting.
Eastern Shore Village Center Dividing Commercial Space
The Fairhope Planning Commission approved a request from Eastern Shore Village Center, a 7-acre shopping center located at the southeast corner of Fairhope Ave. and Greeno Rd., to divide existing tenant space. The single space will be divided into two tenant spaces, increasing the total commercial units to 15, which triggered a review by the Planning Commission. The building footprint will remain the same. The development relies on an existing shared parking agreement. According to the applicant and staff, the anticipated uses for the newly configured space include a health and fitness–related business and a potential restaurant use.
Baldwin County Planning Commission Meeting – January 8, 2026
Sweetwater South Preliminary Plat Approved
The Baldwin County Planning Commission approved the preliminary plat for the Sweetwater South subdivision, a 49-lot single-family residential development on approximately 34 acres located east of State Highway 181 and south of County Road 32 in the Fairhope area. The property is zoned RSF-2. No off-site traffic improvements were recommended. The approval was granted subject to conditions, including the installation of permanent signage marking jurisdictional wetlands and streams prior to any land disturbance, verification that all drainage ditches are located outside individual lots within designated common areas, and submission of a revised stormwater management plan.
Fairhope City Council Meeting – January 12, 2026
Culver’s Site Plan Reviewed
The Fairhope City Council approved the site plan for Culver’s restaurant to be located on approximately 1.31 acres within the Planter’s Pointe development on Lot 7 at the northwest corner of State Highway 181 and State Highway 104. Staff confirmed the project meets city standards for landscaping, drainage, and access. Several minor conditions identified at the Planning Commission level were resolved prior to City Council consideration.
Wendy’s Fairhope Site Plan Approved
The Fairhope City Council also approved the site plan for Wendy’s restaurant on approximately 1.07 acres zoned B-2 at Lot 1 of the Rockwell Place development, located along State Highway 181 northeast of State Highway 104. The site is directly north of the Rockwell Boulevard entrance, with shared access planned for future development to the north, as required by the original subdivision plat. City staff reported that the proposed Wendy’s meets all applicable zoning, parking, landscaping, and screening requirements.
Gulf Shores City Council Meeting – January 12, 2026
Neighborhood Business District Text Amendment
The Gulf Shores City Council approved a zoning text amendment that modifies how multi-family and townhome uses are permitted within the Neighborhood Business (BN) zoning district and General Business (BG). The BN and BG districts are intended to serve as a transitional buffer between commercial and residential areas and to accommodate smaller, neighborhood-scale uses. Prior to the amendment, both multi-family residential and townhome developments were allowed by right in the BN and BG districts. Under the new ordinance, those uses will now require approval through a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) process. City staff explained that the change will allow the Planning Commission and City Council to evaluate proposed multi-family or town-home developments on a case-by-case basis, considering location, context, and potential impacts on surrounding properties.
Spanish Fort Planning Commission Meeting – January 12, 2026
Church Expansion Project Approved
The Spanish Fort Planning Commission approved a site plan application for Phase One of improvements at Spanish Fort First Baptist Church, located at 8535 Spanish Fort Boulevard. The project is part of a previously approved multi-phase master plan to expand the existing church campus. Phase One includes the removal of two existing playgrounds to allow for grading and the addition of new parking areas, construction of a new upstream detention pond to offset increased impervious surface, and installation of a new playground east of the existing gym and fellowship hall. The property is zoned B-2 (Local Business) and R-2 (Medium-Density Single-Family Residential), both of which allow churches and related accessory uses with Planning Commission approval.
Baldwin County Commission Meeting – January 20, 2026
Rezoning Approved for “Lickin’ Good Donuts
The Baldwin County Commission approved a request to rezone property owned by Lickin’ Good Fairhope, LLC from B-2 (Neighborhood Business) to B-3 (General Business). The site is located on the east side of Highway 181, just south of Highway 104. The re-zoning was requested to allow a commercial development that includes a drive-through use, which is not permitted under B-2 zoning. County staff noted the property lies within an Urban Mixed-Use Center and is consistent with the Future Land Use Map and Smart Growth Scorecard.
Rezoning Approved in Belle Forest Area
The Baldwin County Commission approved the rezoning of approximately 12 acres known as the Henry Property from RA (Rural Agriculture) to RSF-1 (Single-Family Residential). The property is located south of County Road 54 and east of Caney Creek Drive in the Belle Forest community. The applicant indicated plans for a low-density residential subdivision with large lots, potentially seven homes on parcels exceeding one acre each.
Point Clear Golf Club Site Plan Approved
The Baldwin County Commission approved the final site plan for Phase I of the Point Clear Golf Club Planned Residential Development, a 123-unit residential community with an integrated golf course. The approximately 309 acres is located south of Fairhope in the Point Clear area situated west of County Road 3 and north of County Road 24. The property includes zoning classifications of RA and RSF-1 and features a wide range of lot sizes from approximately 4,300 square feet to one acre. More than 230 acres are designated as open space, including 43.4 acres of wetlands with required buffers. The plan also identifies multiple development phases and private roadway deviations. Public questions focused on future traffic impacts, particularly along Section Street. Staff noted that traffic study is still under review and that required roadway improvements would be addressed during subdivision and construction plan approvals.
Baldwin Beach Express Extension and Access Management Plan Adopted
The Baldwin County Commission adopted an updated Access Management Plan for the Baldwin Beach Express Phase II corridor, extending approximately 25 miles from Interstate 10 to Interstate 65. The plan establishes the roadway as a controlled-access, multi-lane divided arterial designed for high-speed traffic flow and hurricane evacuation. Key elements include limited access points, right-in/right-out driveways spaced roughly every quarter mile, directional median openings, and grade-separated diamond interchange at major road crossings such as I-10, County Road 112, U.S. 31, the Novelis site, and I-65. County officials stated the updated plan corrects deficiencies in the prior 15-year-old plan, preserves property access, reduces crash conflict points, and protects the County’s long-term infrastructure investment. The plan is intended to support future federal and state funding efforts and advance the project toward construction as a critical evacuation route.
Daphne Planning Commission Meeting – January 22, 2026
Mixed-Use Italian Village Development Planned for Key Intersection
The Planning Commission re-visited a request involving land located northwest of the intersection of County Road 64 and Highway 181. The 32-acre property is currently located outside the Daphne city limits. After tabling the requests at the December meeting, the developer made adjustments to the design. The applicant is seeking an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan, annexation of the property into the City of Daphne, and zoning as a mixed-use Planned Unit Development (PUD). The proposed development is described as a village-style, walkable project featuring uniform signage and a design that places buildings along the roadway with parking areas located to the rear. Eight commercial outparcels are planned along the exterior of the site, with a multi-family residential component situated on the interior of the development. A five-acre pond will serve as stormwater detention along the western boundary and add an amenity feature.
A Walmart Neighborhood Market is proposed as the anchor tenant. As part of the request, the developer committed to making several off-site traffic improvements, including the addition of a southbound right-turn lane on Highway 181, installation of a traffic signal at Overton Road, and improvements to the roundabout at County Road 13 and County Road 64 intersection. With the updated plans the developer has committed to an Italian themed village design using Italian architectural elements in the buildings and signage. The Planning Commission voted to amend the Comprehensive Plan for that location from Traditional Neighborhood Development to a Mixed-Use Corridor and approve the PUD plan. The Planning Commission also voted to recommend annexation to the City Council.
Fairhope City Council Meeting – January 26, 2026
Fairhope Boarding House Receives Site Plan Approval
The Fairhope City Council gave final site plan approval for a three-story Boarding House to be constructed on the northwest corner of Fairhope Ave. and Church St. in downtown Fairhope on the vacant site of the recently demolished 1922 People’s Cooperative Store building. Plans include 26 upper guest rooms, a first-floor restaurant, med-spa, and a fourth-level rooftop terrace. Under zoning regulations, a “boarding house” requires someone to live on site, while the other guest rooms with be transient and operate like hotel rooms.
Gulf Shores Planning Commission Meeting – January 27, 2026
Riviera Plaza Property Recommended for Zoning and Annexation
The Gulf Shores Planning Commission recommended approval of a request to pre-zone and annex approximately 40 acres of property located at the northwest corner of State Highway 59 and County Road 8 West. Of the total acreage, 3.6 acres fronting Highway 59 would be zoned General Business (GB), while the remaining approximately 36 acres would be zoned R-1-3. A conceptual plan illustrates 26 single-family residential lots, ranging in size from approximately 22,000 square feet to nearly 120,000 square feet, though no subdivision approval was requested at this stage. Staff noted the annexation would help regularize the city limits in the County Road 8 West area and bring future development under city jurisdiction.
Walking Area Overlay District – Zoning Text Amendment
The Gulf Shores Planning Commission recommended approval of a zoning text amendment to expand the Walking Area Overlay District in the downtown beach area. The amendment would add approximately 152 properties into the overlay district while removing 14 existing single-family lots currently within the district. The expanded overlay includes properties zoned BT-1 North, BT-2, BT-3, and BT-4, generally surrounding the existing downtown core near Gulf Shores Parkway and Beach Boulevard. Under the Walking Area Overlay District, residential and lodging uses are permitted only as part of mixed-use developments with a required minimum of ground-floor commercial space. Concerns were previously raised about creating nonconforming single-family homes; in response, staff proposed adding a savings clause to allow existing single-family and duplex structures to be rebuilt following major damage or destruction.
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