Local Government Update - September 2026
Baldwin County Planning Commission Meeting – September 3, 2026
Benjamin’s Run Subdivision Approved
The Baldwin County Planning Commission approved Benjamin’s Run Subdivision. The 91-lot mixed-use development will be located north of U.S. Highway 98 and east of County Road 95. A total of 88 townhouse lots and three commercial lots are planned for the site. The project had been tabled two months earlier because of concerns regarding parking, usable open space and low-impact development (LID) features. Staff explained that LID features are not required because the property’s RMF-6 zoning permits development of 25-foot-wide lots. The applicant revised the preliminary plat to address usable open space and demonstrated that the required parking could be accommodated. The development will have private streets with wider street sections than otherwise required.
Fairhope Planning Commission Meeting – September 10, 2026
Re-Zoning Sought Near Thomas Hospital
The Fairhope Planning Commission recommended approval for a re-zoning request that would change the zoning from R-4 to B-4. The .19-acre property is located at 763 Northrop Avenue, just south of Thomas Hospital. The property is also within the Medical Overlay District.
Spanish Fort Planning Commission Meeting – September 14, 2026
Spanish Fort Mart Convenience Store Approved
The Spanish Fort Planning Commission approved the site plan for the Spanish Fort Mart convenience store at the corner of U.S. Highway 31 and Stagecoach Road. The 1.49-acre property is zoned B-4 and will include a 6,611-square-foot commercial building. Approximately 4,611 square feet will be used for a convenience store with gasoline sales, while another 2,000 square feet will provide attached retail tenant space. Five gasoline pump islands are proposed.
Alabama Power Switching Station Approved
The Spanish Fort Planning Commission approved a land-use application from Alabama Power Company for an electrical switching station on Lots 4, 5 and 6 of the I-10 Commerce Center Phase Two along Lee Road. The three parcels total approximately nine acres and are currently zoned B-3 General Business. The City's Future Land Use Map designates the property Business/Light Industrial. Electrical substations are permitted with special approval under the City's zoning regulations.
Alabama Power said the facility will function as a switching station connecting its transmission system with Riviera Utilities rather than as a traditional distribution substation. No transformers are planned, which the company said should eliminate the continuous humming commonly associated with some substations. The facility is expected to be located approximately 230 feet from Lee Road, with at least 150 feet of green space between the roadway and the station's parking area.
Alabama Power anticipates completing the project by December 2028, with site work expected to take approximately six months. Once construction is complete, routine traffic to the facility is expected to be limited primarily to maintenance vehicles. A full site plan will return to the Commission for review before construction begins.
Highway 31 Commercial Property Subdivision Approved
The Spanish Fort Planning Commission approved a minor subdivision of approximately 9.5 acres at the southeast corner of U.S. Highway 31 and Eastern Shore Boulevard. The B-3 zoned property is currently being developed under an approved site plan for Pelt Tire. The subdivision creates three commercial parcels containing approximately 1.93 acres, 1.56 acres and 6.01 acres. Two parcels will have frontage on both U.S. Highway 31 and Eastern Shore Boulevard, while the remaining parcel will have frontage on Highway 31.
Access became a significant issue during the review. Because subdivision of the property could leave one of the newly created parcels without clearly established legal access through the existing commercial development, the applicant agreed to establish a common access easement across a portion of Lot 3. The Commission approved the subdivision subject to the common access being shown on the recorded plat and the easement language being approved by City staff. Future development of the vacant parcels will require separate site plan review, at which time the configuration of driveways and internal access will be addressed.
Sign Ordinance Amendment Recommended in Spanish Fort
The Spanish Fort Planning Commission recommended approval of amendments to Spanish Fort's sign ordinance intended primarily to address electronic signs and properties along U.S. Highway 31 where topography or highway improvements place commercial property significantly below the roadway. Under the proposed amendment, a ground-mounted sign on commercial property adjacent to Highway 31 could be measured either eight feet above the property's ground level or eight feet above the adjacent edge of highway pavement, whichever allows the greater height. The change is intended to allow signs on lower-elevation properties to maintain approximately the same visibility and line of sight as signs on properties closer to highway grade.
The amendment would also remove the existing four-foot maximum height restriction for the sign face. City officials explained that the provision creates difficulties for electronic signs because the entire electronic display can function as the sign face. The ordinance would retain the maximum 60-square-foot sign-face area and the applicable overall height limitation while providing greater flexibility in the dimensions of electronic displays.
Gulf Shores City Council Meeting – September 14, 2026
Walking Area Overlay District Expanded in Gulf Shores
The Gulf Shores City Council approved expanding the City's Walking Area Overlay District in the beach area. The district is intended to promote a mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented environment around the Gulf Shores Parkway and Beach Boulevard area and discourage additional stand-alone, lower-density residential development.
The expanded overlay extends west to approximately 6th Street/Windmill Ridge, east to an area between 3rd and 4th Streets, and north to include BT-1 zoned property toward Waterville. The expansion was generally based on a half-mile walking radius and applies primarily to property already zoned within the City's Tourist Business districts. Approximately 22% of the property in the expansion area is currently residential and 18% is vacant.
The overlay does not automatically increase a property's underlying density, height or other development entitlements. Instead, it changes the types of development permitted within the district and provides incentives intended to encourage mixed-use projects. New residential and lodging development must include a non-residential component comprising at least 10% of the ground floor. The district also allows mixed-use condominiums, potential parking reductions for mixed-use projects, and opportunities for density or building-height incentives when developers provide qualifying public improvements such as beach access or public parking.
New stand-alone single-family homes, townhouses and multifamily developments will generally not be permitted as stand-alone uses. Existing residential properties will become legal nonconforming uses. Staff identified 31 existing single-family homes in the newly expanded area and 25 within the existing overlay district. The new ordinance extends a savings clause to these residential properties, allowing qualifying homes destroyed by a natural disaster to be reconstructed.
Fairhope City Council Meeting - September 14, 2027
County Road 13 and Moseley Road Annexation and Zoning Approved
The Fairhope City Council gave final approval to the conditional annexation and R-1 Low Density Single-Family Residential zoning of approximately 43.6 acres at the southeast corner of County Road 13 and Moseley Road. The property is currently located in unincorporated Baldwin County and zoned RA.
R-1 zoning normally permits a gross density of approximately 2.9 units per acre with minimum 15,000-square-foot lots. However, the property owner voluntarily agreed to restrict the property to a maximum density of 1.4 units per acre. Staff said the intent is to maintain the R-1 lot size while developing fewer lots, allowing additional trees, wooded areas and common areas to be preserved. No subdivision plan has been submitted, and the zoning approval does not establish a specific number or configuration of lots. Any future subdivision will require preliminary plat review by the Planning Commission.
Twin Beech Corridor Transportation Improvements
The Fairhope City Council approved an intergovernmental agreement with Baldwin County for a major transportation improvement project in the Twin Beech Road area. The project includes a new roundabout at Founders Drive and Boothe Road, geometric and signal improvements at U.S. Highway 98 and Twin Beech Road, and pedestrian improvements within the project area. The project will participate in Baldwin County's C3 transportation program, with the City and County sharing costs 50/50. The total project is expected to be up to $5 million, with Fairhope responsible for up to approximately $2.5 million. The project is intended to address safety issues along Twin Beech Road and improve the traffic flow around the Fairhope High School.
Tree and Parking-Lot Screening Requirements Under Review
The City of Fairhope Tree Committee is reviewing potential changes to landscaping and frontage requirements for new development. The discussion focused particularly on requirements intended to screen parking areas and vehicles from public roadways. Officials said differing interpretations of the existing ordinance have resulted in varying levels of screening among developments, and the committee is working to clarify the requirements so future projects more consistently achieve the City's intended landscaping standards.
Baldwin County Commission Meeting – September 15, 2026
417 Acres Rezoned for Single-Family Residential
The Baldwin County Commission approved a request to rezone approximately 417 acres west of Jimmy Faulkner Drive and north of Busby Road in near Spanish Fort from RA (Rural Agricultural) to RSF-1 (Residential Single-Family). The applicant requested the change for potential future single-family residential development. Surrounding county zoning includes RA, RSF-2 and RSF-3, while property to the east lies within Spanish Fort and is zoned residential single-family.
The City of Spanish Fort opposed approving the rezoning at this time. Mayor Brad Bass said the City's concern was not whether the property should eventually be residential, but whether the zoning should be changed before transportation, access, drainage, wetlands and infrastructure issues are resolved. He estimated that a future development could contain approximately 300 homes and generate 600–700 additional vehicles. He also pointed to Spanish Fort High School, Middle School and Rockwell Elementary School along Jimmy Faulkner Drive and expressed concern about additional traffic on the corridor. The City would prefer the property to be annexed into Spanish Fort and developed under the City's subdivision regulations.
Commissioners emphasized that the action before them was only a rezoning and did not constitute subdivision approval. Any future subdivision would have to proceed separately through the County's subdivision review process, where access, roads, drainage and other development requirements would be considered.
153 Acres North of County Road 54 Rezoned
The Baldwin County Commission approved rezoning approximately 153.5 acres north of County Road 54 and west of River Road North in the Daphne area from RA (Rural Agricultural) to RSF-1 (Residential Single-Family). RA requires a minimum three-acre lot, while RSF-1 allows minimum 30,000-square-foot lots.
This property had previously been proposed for a substantially denser development. The developer said an earlier proposal involved a PRD and 344 lots. After hearing concerns during the earlier review, the application was withdrawn and redesigned as an RSF-1 request. The developer said RSF-1 would theoretically allow approximately 150 lots, but site constraints would likely reduce the current concept to approximately 138 lots, with lots meeting or exceeding the 100-foot minimum width.
County Road 32 and Highway 181 Transportation Improvements
The Baldwin County Commission selected the intersection of County Road 32 and State Route 181 near Barnwell as its proposed FY2027 ATRIP-II grant project. Commissioners cited increasing traffic, school traffic, the narrow roadway and safety concerns at the intersection. Potential improvements could include turn lanes or another intersection treatment, although the final design has not been determined and ALDOT will have substantial input because Highway 181 is a state route. Commissioners also noted longer-term plans to four-lane the corridor.
Gulf Shores Planning Commission Meeting – September 22, 2026
Holt Flex Commercial Development Site Plan Approved
The Gulf Shores Planning Commission approved the site plan for the Holt Flex development at the intersection of North Shore Street and Landward Drive South. The project will include four 3,485-square-foot commercial office/warehouse buildings on property zoned Conditional General Business. Two buildings will be located north of an existing regional drainage ditch and accessed from Landward Drive South, while two buildings will be located south of the ditch and accessed from North Shore Street. Each building is planned with approximately 800 square feet of office space and 2,685 square feet of open warehouse/storage area.
Home Occupation Zoning Ordinance Amendment Recommended
The Gulf Shores Planning Commission considered a zoning text amendment updating the City's regulations for home occupations. Staff distinguished a "home occupation" from simply working remotely from home. A home occupation is a separate business operated from a residence that requires a city business license. The existing ordinance dates largely from 2009, and staff said approximately one in five Gulf Shores workers now report working from home, illustrating how significantly work patterns have changed since the regulations were originally adopted.
The City's existing regulations allow only one home occupation per residential dwelling. Staff proposed eliminating that limitation so multiple members of the same household could operate separate businesses from the residence. For example, two spouses could each operate a separate home-based business. The other protections in the ordinance would remain. Home occupations must remain subordinate to the residential use, may occupy no more than 20% of the dwelling's gross floor area, and employment is limited to family members residing in the home. The business cannot create a nuisance, have outside storage or conduct ordinary on-site retail sales, and activities are generally limited to 8 a.m. through 8 p.m.
Staff also recommended removing the ordinance provision allowing one professional or announcement sign specifically identifying a home occupation. Staff explained that restricting the content of a sign to identification of the business raises First Amendment concerns. The City's general sign ordinance would continue to provide for small nameplate-type signs without regulating their message. Commissioners also discussed private subdivision covenants and HOA restrictions. Staff explained that the City does not enforce private covenants; therefore, a City zoning or business-license approval does not override a more restrictive private HOA covenant.
Comments