New construction is booming in order to meet the demands of the more than 230,000 residents that now call Baldwin County home. Each month Baldwin REALTORS® creates a report from local government meetings to highlight what new developments are in the works in Baldwin County. Below is a brief list of the plans addressed in March 2022. 

Fairhope

• In an effort to reduce the number of smaller historic structures being torn down, the Fairhope City Council voted to approve amendments to the accessory structure rule to allow an accessory structure of no more than 5 feet taller than the principal structure (from its tallest roof peak) to be built with a maximum of 30 feet for an accessory structure.
• The Fairhope Planning Commission approved the site plan for the new Starbucks planned for the .7-acre property located southeast of the intersection of Fairhope Avenue and Highway 98.
• The Planning Commission approved a site plan request for a new medical office for Fairhope Urology on the west side of Highway 98, just south of Hoyle Avenue contingent on a right only vehicular turn motion from Hoyle Avenue onto Highway 98.
• The Fairhope Planning Commission approved the site plan for Polo Crossing, a 5-unit multiple occupancy commercial project located on the east side of Greeno Road, just south of Wolf Bayview Funeral Home. Chicken Salad Chick and a coffee shop are planned future tenants.

Foley

• The Foley Planning Commission approved the site plan for a Race Trac gas station and convenience store at the Southeast corner of Foley Beach Express and County Road 28.

Daphne

• The Daphne Planning Commission approved a convenience store/gas station to be located at the northeast corner of County Road 13 and Lawson Road/Champions Way. 

Gulf Shores

• The Gulf Shores City Council approved funding for initial design engineering and project management services for an 8-room addition to the existing Gulf Shores Elementary School. 
• The City Council also appropriated for preliminary design engineering and project management work for a new Gulf Shores High School, which is planned on a portion of a 200-acre city owned site on the southwest corner of Beach Express and Coastal Gateway Blvd.
• The City Council voted to approve a request to rezone and annex a 9.2-acre property at 19326 Oak Road that current houses mobile home and an RV park. Plans for it include developing 92 residential units to include a mixture of townhomes and cottages.
• The Venetian Isles Condos located just off Gulf Shores Parkway on the south side of West 6^th Avenue petitioned the city for a change in zoning from R-2 to R-4 to allow for the rebuilding of at least 8 units of the property as the current condos are a non-conforming use and a non-conforming structure.
• The Gulf Shores City Council voted to secure $200 million funding for capital improvement projects. These include: a new connection from Highway 59 south of the airport to Cotton Creek Drive; a new entrance to the Gulf Shores airport; a third southbound land on Highway 59 from Coastal Gateway Boulevard to Fort Morgan Road; a new pedestrian bridge spanning the Intracoastal Waterway to connect near LuLu's on the south side and Tacky Jack's on the north side; widening of County Road 6 West to include additional westbound and eastbound lanes; new roadways, sidewalks, landscaping, on-street parking, street lighting and stormwater infrastructure in the beach district. There are also plans for a new Justice Center to replace the 38-year-old facility, a new fire training facility and the creation of the Coastal Gateway Community Park for residents north of the ICW.

County

• The Baldwin County Commission approved the rezoning of a 4.69-acre property located north of County Road 64, east of Pollard Road in the Daphne area, from RSF-2 to B-2 to make the property more marketable.

For details, visit BR's full report here.