Local Government Update – March 2025
- Baldwin REALTORS
- Apr 4
- 7 min read
Daphne City Council Meeting – March 3, 2025
Re-Zoning Approved for Over 500 Acres Near Daphne
The Daphne City Council approved the re-zoning of 510 acres located northeast of the intersection of County Road 64 and Dixon Lane. The re-zoning was approved despite an unfavorable recommendation from the Planning Commission. The property will change from R-1 to PUD (Planned Unit Development). The property was annexed into the city several years ago through legislative processes. There is the possibility of over 700 single family homes that could be developed on the site. Any future development will be within the Loxley school district feeder pattern
Baldwin County Planning Commission Meeting – March 6, 2025
County Planning Commission Recommends Approval of Re-Zonings
The Baldwin County Planning Commission recommended approval for the following re-zoning applications. They will now proceed to the Baldwin County Commission for final consideration:
Re-zoning of 34.5 acres from RA to RSF-2. The property is located on the west side of Hwy. 181 and south of County Road 32. The applicant wants future residential development.
Re-zoning of three acres from RSFE to B-2. The property is located on the west side of Hwy.181 between Mosley Rd. and Gayfer Rd. Ext.
Re-zoning of 1.7 acres from RSF-1 to RSF-2 The property is located on the west side of Liberty St. and south of Waddell Ave., in the Lillian area
Fairhope Planning Commission Meeting – March 6, 2025
Battles Trace Phase IX Approved
The Fairhope Planning Commission approved the preliminary plat request from PCH Hotels and Resorts/RSA for Phase IX of Battles Trace. The phase will house 81 single family lots on 22.4 acres. The property is zoned TR (Tourist Resort) and located on the north side of Battles Road, on the east and west sides of Colony Dr.
Morphy Ave. Site Plan Approved
The Fairhope Planning Commission approved the site plan for the Staggers mixed-use project. The .2-acre site is located on Morphy Ave., west of South School St. The B-2 zoned property is currently vacant since the demolition of an old metal building. A 3,000 square foot two-story building is proposed with a commercial unit on the ground floor and two residential units on the second floor.
Fairhope City Council Meeting – March 10, 2025
Site Plan Approved for Express Oil Change
The Fairhope City Council gave final approval to the site plan for Express Oil Change to be located at Planters Pointe, Lot 8. The .99-acre site is part of the B-2 zoned commercial development located northwest of the intersection of Hwy. 181 and Hwy. 104. A 5,700 square foot building is planned with a multi-use path that will run along Hwy. 181. A Foosackley’s and Just Chillin ice cream shop is planned nearby in the commercial development and will also connect to the multi-use path.
Golf Course Planned for Barnwell Area
The Fairhope City Council has voted to provide water and sewer availability letters for a development agreement with Daniel Realty Company. The agreement is in support of a proposed 18-hole golf course and residential development in the Barnwell area south of Fairhope. Final approvals would have to come from Baldwin County since the land is currently outside the city limits. Developers have agreed to annex it into the city if and when the city boundary is contiguous or there is another legal means for the property to be annexed into the city. The availability letter is capped at a maximum of 310 homes; a 265-lot reduction from what is currently allowable. Plans for the site include a golf course, single family homes, rental cottages, clubhouse, restaurant and pool. The agreement would require the developer to extend both water and sewer improvements to serve the site as well as a donation to the city of an acre parcel of land that the city can use to perform test water wells. Water engineers have identified that area as a potential water tower site to serve this proposed development and the south part of town.
Gulf Shores City Council Meeting – March 10, 2025
Amendment to Phase III of Colonial Traditions Approved
The Gulf Shores City Council approved an amendment to Phase III of Colonial Traditions PUD. The amendment will apply to Lot 7 of the PUD which is 18 acres and 106 residential lots. The approval is for a conceptual site plan and lot layout for the middle of Colony Circle. There are 97 townhomes, and 9 single family homes approved. All the lots will be rear loaded from alleyways. The amenities that had been constructed before the site went defunct have been rehabilitated. The rendering below depicts the difference between the original plan and the new amendment layout.
Pier and Boat Dock Approved
The Gulf Shores City Council approved an application for a pier and boat dock on vacant property located at 1276 Lagoon Ave. The zoning ordinance only allows piers and docks to be constructed on a vacant lot if approved through a CUP (Conditional Use Permit) application. The 150 ft. pier will have two boat docks for use with one unit of a duplex owned by the applicant located on W. Beach Blvd. The duplex is less than 500 feet from the proposed pier. The approval is conditional upon only private use by the applicant and will not be available for renters or by any rental properties currently owned by the applicant.
Orange Beach Planning Commission Meeting – March 10, 2025
Orange Beach Community Church Re-Building
The Orange Beach Planning Commission approved the site plan for the Orange Beach Community Church. The previous building was heavily damaged by fire in 2017 and has since been demolished. The new plans call for a total of 17,200 square foot building space that will include a sanctuary, children’s area, nursery, toddler room, kitchen and offices. The 4.7-acre property located at 4773 Bay Circle will also have 102 parking spaces with an entrance on Canal Rd. to the south and Bay Circle to the east.
Spanish Fort Planning Commission Meeting – March 10, 2025
Eastern European Grocery Store Planned
The Spanish Fort Planning Commission approved a land use application for an Eastern European grocery store. The applicant is proposing to reconfigure the existing units B and C of the Spanish Oaks multi-tenant space and utilize the remaining space as a retail grocery store specifically catering to Eastern European items. The B-2 zoned property is located at the corner of Hwy. 31 and Ember Lane directly behind State Farm.
Baldwin County Commission Meeting – March 18, 2025
Casitas Added to RV Park
The Baldwin County Commission gave final approval to a PRD (Planned Residential Development) request from Two Lakes RV. The 114-unit RV park is located near the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area on the west side of Roscoe Rd., just north of Bradford Rd. The 40-acre site was zoned RV in 2021. With the change to a PRD each RV site will be platted as an individual lot for sale and can add a casita to each site.
Orange Beach City Council Meeting – March 18, 2025
Orange Beach Enacts Moratorium on Multi-Family Developments
The Orange Beach City Council has voted to enact a moratorium on all new multi-family residential projects within the city. The justification cited for the action was unfettered growth. In comments the mayor stated that the city has 15,000 sewer taps, with 9,000-10,000 of those properties having a business license which generate sales tax or rental revenue. The remaining approximately 5,000 sewer taps are ad valorem revenue generators and are not enough to maintain the current level of service if residential growth continues. An examination of remaining land currently in the city which could potentially be developed is feared to overload the infrastructure with reduced revenue.
The moratorium on new multi-family development will be in effect for nine months. The beach overlay district will be exempt from the moratorium. Also exempt will be any alteration of an existing structure which does not add to the density, and pending permits and applications submitted prior to the enactment of the moratorium. During the moratorium period the city will conduct studies on stormwater drainage, traffic, wetland mitigation, wastewater and sewer capacities, as well as school, police and fire service capacities.
Gulf Shore Planning Commission Meeting – March 25, 2025
Fortis Office Building Approved for Gulf Shores
The Gulf Shores Planning Commission approved the Fortis Office site plan. The 4,000 sq.ft office is planned on Northshore Circle. Plans call for a one-story building with a metal roof and Hardie board and batten siding. One drive will connect the building to Northshore Circle.
Re-Subdivision of Beachfront Lots Approved
The Gulf Shores Planning Commission approved the re-subdivision of 1.48 acres located at 309 E. Beach Blvd., directly east of the resident public parking and beach area. The division will create two beachfront lots approximately 50’ wide and 32,000 square feet each. There will be a 16ft shared ingress and egress provided for both lots to East Beach Blvd so that only one driveway will be used for future development of the lots. The applicant wants to develop a 6-bedroom single family house on each lot. The property is zoned BT-4.
Commercial Lots Approved for Gulf Shores
The Gulf Shores Planning Commission approved the final plat for the re-subdivision of Lot 1 of The Oaks at 8. The 10-acre property is located directly north of the Cumberland Farms/Burger King convenience store and gas station at the corner of Hwy. 59 and Coastal Gateway Blvd. The subdivision and plat will create three commercial lots. An O’Rielly’s store in planned for one of the three commercial lots.
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