Local Government Update – May 2025

Baldwin REALTORS
May 29
6 min read

Baldwin County Planning Commission Meeting – May 1, 2025

Legacy Hills Subdivision Plat Revised

The Baldwin County Planning Commission approved a revised plat for the Legacy Hills Subdivision located east of the Baldwin Beach Express and north of County Road 38. The revised plat will remove a 70-acre parcel on the northern side. The removal of the acreage will not impact the drainage of the subdivision, which was approved in November of 2024. The new proposed acreage without the remnant parcel will be 112 acres. The blue shaded area below is the remnant parcel being removed from the plat.

Townhomes Converting to Condominiums

Firefly Commons, a 12-unit multi-family development, was granted a PUD site plan revision which will change the form of ownership from Townhomes to Condominiums. The 1.9-acre property is located on the east side of Thompson Hall Road, north of County Road 44. The developers have submitted the required condominium documents and revised the site plan required by the Alabama Uniform Condo Act. The landscape plan will also be updated to comply with the newly created zoning requirements for that district.

Commercial Re-Zoning Recommended East of Summerdale

The Baldwin County Planning Commission voted to recommend the re-zoning of 2.5 acres from RA to B-2. The vacant property is located east of County Road 87 and south of County Road 32, east of the town of Summerdale. No specific plans were disclosed for the property.

98-Lot Subdivision Planned South of Fairhope

The Baldwin County Planning Commission voted to approve the preliminary plat for Wellsbury Subdivision, a 98-lot residential subdivision. The 40-acre property is located south of County Road 32, west of Hwy. 181, in the Fairhope area. The development will be constructed in two phases. One entrance will be located on County Road 32, and the second will be accessed via Dempsey Drive, a connecting right-of-way between Gaineswoood Phase 2 and the Wellsbury Subdivision.

Fairhope Planning Commission Meeting – May 5, 2025

Harvest Green Phase II Approved

The Fairhope Planning Commission approved the final plat for Phase II of Harvest Green East. There are 108 single family residential lots on 55 acres. The development is located on the east side of Hwy. 181 north of Hwy. 104 and across from The Waters Subdivision. There are a total of four phases planned. The required infrastructure, including utilities, street trees, and retention ponds have been completed.

Dental Office Planned for Hwy. 181 Development

The Fairhope Planning Commission approved the Multiple Occupancy Permit MOP) for Advanced Dental. The 5,600 square foot building will be added next to the existing 5-unit building. The 2.75-acre property is located at 20252 Hwy. 181, just south of the Wal-Mart.

Orange Beach City Council Meeting – May 6, 2025

Canal Road Re-Zoning Approved

The Orange Beach City Council gave final approval for the re-zoning of property located at 28226 Canal Road, just west of the Bayshore Towers Condominium driveway. The zoning will change from GB (General Business) to RS-1 (Single Family Residential). The .3-acre property is currently vacant.

Parking Requirements Amended for Automotive Services

The Orange Beach City Council approved a zoning ordinance text amendment regarding the parking requirements for automotive repair and service. The changes will reduce the minimum number of parking spaces due to the unique characteristics of service stations that now offer faster, more specific services for quick oil change and targeted vehicle maintenance, which do not need large parking areas. The new requirements call for a minimum of two parking spaces with an additional five parking spaces per full-service bay, one parking space per quick service bay, and two parking spaces per wash rack.

Fairhope City Council Meeting – May 12, 2025

Hermitage Court PUD Amended

The Fairhope City Council approved a request to amend the PUD known as Hermitage Court located at 620 Hermitage Court. The amendment will enlarge Lot 7 by moving a common property line. There are no new lots being created, it is simply increasing the size of Lot 7. Signatures of other property owners within the PUD were collected to show support for the amendment. The area depicted in yellow below will be added to Lot 7.

Spanish Fort Planning Commission – May 12, 2025

Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Added to Zoning Classifications

The Spanish Fort Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a new classification in the special provision section of the zoning ordinance to allow electric vehicle infrastructure for electric vehicle charging stations. A charging station would be allowed where fuel dispensing stations are presently allowed. Charging stations adjacent to or incidental to another use would also be allowed. The amendments would establish maintenance obligations and would be allowed by right in all zoning classifications.

Orange Beach Planning Commission Meeting – May 12, 2025

Site Plan Approved for Office & Retail Development

The Orange Beach Planning Commission approved the site plan to construct a six-unit office and retail commercial building. The 6.9-acre property is located at 25299 Canal Road between Canal Plaza and Bayside Estates. The two outer units of the commercial building would be two-story, while the inner units would be one-story. In total there would be 20,800 feet of gross floor area and 88 parking spaces provided.

Orange Beach City Council Meeting – May 20, 2025

Wetland Density and Setbacks Added to Moratorium

The Orange Beach City Council is still weighing changes to the density calculations and wetland setbacks. The original proposal was to exclude wetland areas from the density calculations and impose a 15-foot building setback from wetlands. Currently wetlands can count towards the acreage used to determine density and allowable units for a proposed residential project. And there is currently no setback requirement from wetlands.

The City Council wants more time to analyze the definition of wetlands and what potential unintended consequences would result from the proposals. The zoning text amendments were instead incorporated into a six month moratorium while the issues are studied. During the moratorium period there will be a suspension of any development within 15 feet of wetlands delineated in its natural state prior to development or any mitigation modification and wetland areas will be excluded from the density calculations of any project.

Bayside Garages Receives Approval

The Orange Beach City Council gave final approval for the Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for Bayside Garages at Pelican Place. The 2.25-acre property is located on Lot 1 of Mango Place Subdivision. The access for the property is to the west of the Riser residence at 24701 Pelican Place. A gated driveway will be located on Pelican Place and the Pelican Place roadway will be expanded to at least 20 feet in width. An enclosed self-storage business with 12 units is planned. The approval was contingent upon the site being engineered according to a 100-year flood event plan for the stormwater management and detention pond.

Baldwin County Commission Meeting – May 20, 2025

County Commission Denies Three Re-Zoning Requests

The Baldwin County Commission voted to deny three separate re-zoning cases at their May 20th meeting. The following re-zoning requests were denied:

Re-zoning request from RA to RSF-2 for 44.25 acres located north of County Road 20 and west of Stuckey Road.
Re-zoning request from RSF-1 to RR for 1 acre located north of Woodpecker Rd. and east of County Road 55 in the Silverhill area.
Re-zoning request from RR to B-3 for 2.1 acres located at the intersection of County Road 26 and Grantham Road near Foley.

Daphne Planning Commission Meeting – May 22, 2025

Site Plan Approved for Water Oaks Office

The Daphne Planning Commission approved the site plan for Water Oaks Office. The 1.75-acre property is located northeast of Stanton Road and Profit Dr. The development will house office space with warehouse space to the rear.

Gulf Shores Planning Commission Meeting – May 28, 2025

Water Oaks Subdivision Plat Receives Denial

The Gulf Shores Planning Commission voted to recommend denial for the preliminary plat of Water Oaks Conservation Subdivision. The 40-acre property is located on the south side of Hwy. 180 between West Brigadoon Trail and Middle Brigadoon Trail. There were 64 single family lots proposed for the development. The roadway and sidewalk infrastructure are currently on the site. The Planning Commission had concerns adding more density to the area with existing strains on the traffic infrastructure.

Lounge Bar Permit Recommended for Denial

The Gulf Shores Planning Commission voted to recommend denial of a CUP (Conditional Use Permit) for Hibas bar/lounge. The proposed use was to be located at Suite 210 of Pelican Place Shopping Center at 3800 Gulf Shores Parkway. The business has operated as a cigar bar under a CUP license approved in 2023. The original CUP license did not allow the lounge/bar use. A new business license application including karaoke/DJ and arcade triggered review of the proposed use. The request is for operating hours until 3:00 a.m. Staff recommended denial of the application due to not supporting the goals of the Vision 2025 Plan or Land Use Plan and could negatively impact on the community through increased criminal activity or safety concerns for patrons and residents. The Planning Commission found that it did not further a family friendly environment or benefit the city, in part because of the late hours and the problematic location.