Baldwin County Passes New Building Regulations
BAY MINETTE, Ala.
January 8, 2025
By Rick McCann
There have been a lot of concerns recently about the growth of new subdivisions and the Baldwin County Commission listened to area residents and to the developers and realtors.
However, in the end, the commission passed amendments to the county’s subdivision regulations Tuesday, January 7, 2025, and it’s not sitting well with many who make a living building new homes for the thousands of people moving to Baldwin County.
Nevertheless, newly written or revised regulations will not steer the process of building in the county that some believe is too restrictive.
Residents from areas of Baldwin County have faithfully attended meetings throughout the year and voiced their concerns. They’ve also taken to social media and loosely formed a pact among themselves with the goal to stop construction of new homes in certain areas of Baldwin County.
The same group has also been seen in action pushing back on new shopping centers and retail stores.
Recently a similar group in Spanish Fort they came together to voice concerns about a new shopping center being proposed at the corner of US 225 and Spanish Fort Blvd. and asked city leaders to vote the project down, and they did.
The Baldwin County Commission chamber was filled with those for and against new proposed subdivision regulations in the county. With a goal of providing clarity and consistency across all new developments, it’s a task which has been in the works for many months and saw a vote tabled back in October to allow for more public input.
“We need it. With the growth that we’re having, you have to constantly look at your regulations,” said Baldwin County Commissioner, Billie Jo Underwood. “It doesn’t need to wait to be this big of an overhaul in my opinion. We need to constantly be looking at our regulations and keeping them up to date.”
While some builders agree that some regulations were needed, they don’t believe that it warranted a revision that’s 159 pages long.
Revisions include everything from lot sizes to green spaces and stormwater runoff.
Builders and realtors say the revisions will no doubt cause them to pass on the increased cost of doing business in Baldwin County to the home buyer and that might make the difference between someone being able to purchase the home or someone who can’t.
Prices of homes in the county have continued to increase over the past ten years and more people from across the country find Baldwin County an appealing place to call home.
The Commission unanimously passed the new regulations, giving way to a new, more up to date method of overseeing building in Baldwin County.
The new set of rules will only apply to development applications turned in after Tuesday’s vote.
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