OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Baldwin County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting - March 11, 2025

County Commission — Tuesday, March 11, 2025
BodyBaldwin County, Alabama
SessionCounty Commission
DateTuesday, March 11, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:59:58

Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

Welcome to our Walmart County Planning and Zoning Commission meeting for March 6th.

0:10

At this time, if you'll stand with me, we'll have a prayer and a pledge of allegiance.

0:21

Father, we're thankful to you for this day and for the blessings we've each enjoyed in it.

0:25

We're thankful for this great county we live in.

0:28

I think we'd all agree here that we're a very fortunate people to live in this place at this time.

0:34

Now, Father, we just ask that uh we conduct business here tonight that honors you.

0:39

I pray that we show respect to each other and honor each right that we have to have voice our opinions.

0:46

And uh Father, just help us we make the right decisions tonight.

0:50

And we pray all this in the name of Jesus.

0:52

Amen.

0:54

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

1:01

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:16

Brandon Bice, Robert Davis, Scott Schamburger, Michael Mullock, Greg Seybert.

1:25

Here, Jamie Stratiger, Glenn Seal, Diane Burnett, Michael Fletcher, George Waters, here, and Reed Key.

1:40

All right, we have a quorum.

1:48

At this time, each of you have received a copy of the uh minutes from our February 6th work session in the regular meeting.

1:57

If there are no corrections, I'll entertain a motion that they be approved.

2:01

So moved, Mr.

2:02

Chairman.

2:02

Mr.

2:02

Davis has made a motion that it be approved.

2:04

Seconded.

2:05

Mr.

2:06

Seybert has made the motion they be that it be uh he's accepted the motion.

2:10

All in favor say aye.

2:12

Aye.

2:12

Any opposed minutes are approved.

2:19

All right, Mr.

2:20

Dixon, you want to have your moment.

2:36

All right.

2:39

Thank you, Mr.

2:39

Chairman.

2:40

Um so we have uh as we go through every every meeting.

2:44

We have several public hearings uh today.

2:48

So I want to quickly go over our public hearing guidelines.

2:52

Um public comments should be made only during the public hearing portion of the meeting.

2:57

Um when you come up to the to the podium to speak, uh state your name and address in the microphone.

3:03

Make sure you speak clearly because it is recorded on audio and uh sometimes it's difficult to pick everything up.

3:09

Uh comments should be directed to the planning commission chairman, and he can uh disseminate those those comments out to the appropriate people.

3:16

Uh comments should be focused on the application being presented, and uh comments from individuals are limited to three minutes and groups who are uh speaking on uh individuals who are speaking on behalf of a group.

3:27

Uh just please let the chairman know, and and your time won't be five minutes.

3:32

Um for the rezoning cases, um there are 11 criteria that rezonings must be reviewed by.

3:39

Um, is it compatible with the development pattern of the area?

3:43

Number two, has there been any changes in the conditions since originally zoned?

3:47

Number three, uh, does it does it the proposal conform to the master plan?

3:51

Number four, uh does it conflict with public improvements?

3:54

Number five, does it have any adverse effect effects to traffic?

3:58

Number six, is it consistent with the development pattern of the area?

4:02

Number seven, is it a logical expansion of adjacent zoning?

4:05

Number eight, is the timing appropriate given the development trends.

4:08

Number nine, is it uh any impacts in environmental or historic uh resources?

4:14

Uh and number ten, uh adverse impacts on the health safety and wellness of the county or vicinity, and then any other matter that may be appropriate to the to the time.

4:23

So you'll see those uh reviewed during our presentations.

4:26

How the applications either conform to or do not conform to those those requirements.

4:33

Um cases, uh the state law is very clear.

4:37

Uh if they if the application meets all of our subdivision regulations that the planning commission has no discretion but to approve the subdivision.

4:44

Um so uh I know we'll hear a lot of lot of uh public comments about different things with subdivisions, but um you know look at the staff report and we we kind of give you a good outline how it does or does not meet our our regulations and give you recommendation on that.

5:00

Um that's all I have for our opening.

5:02

So can you go back to any questions?

5:05

In addition to that, let me just be sure that everybody understands I will open each of our agenda items with and uh state that it's a public hearing.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning█████████████████████████████████████████████58%
Procedural████████10%
Water And Wastewater Management█████7%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████6%
Environmental Protection████5%
Transportation Safety██3%
Community Engagement██3%
Master Planning██2%
Agriculture██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Baldwin County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting - March 11, 2025

The Baldwin County Planning and Zoning Commission met on March 11, 2025, at 5:15 PM. The meeting included a consent agenda, several public hearings on rezoning and development proposals, a major discussion on a planned residential development, and a comprehensive update to the county's zoning ordinance. Key actions included the approval of multiple rezoning requests, approval of revised site plans, and a 60-day tabling of the Cambridge subdivision PRD to allow for reduced density.

Consent Calendar

  • The minutes from the February 6, 2025 work session and regular meeting were approved unanimously.
  • Case PER25-04 (Club RV Park extension) and SV 25-03 (Cody Connor subdivision variances) were approved as part of the consent agenda.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Cambridge Subdivision (PRD 25-01): Several residents and property owners spoke in opposition, citing concerns over flooding, traffic congestion on County Roads 54 and 55, strain on schools and emergency services, and the density of proposed 50-foot-wide lots. Donnie Dearborn noted that a 2007 engineering study required a 42-acre retention pond for the site. Others highlighted the impact of multiple large subdivisions in the area and the inadequacy of two-lane roads.
  • Cottages of Aventura: Residents Craig Strawler and Cynthia Hager testified about ongoing drainage and flooding issues in their subdivision, alleging that the developer (Lennar) had not corrected problems, and that water was backing up into homes. Staff acknowledged active efforts to address the issues.
  • TA25-01 (Text Amendments): Ben Gould spoke in support of the RSF-2 zoning for the Randall property but questioned whether the master plan language might allow higher-intensity uses in the future. Staff clarified that only RSF-2 was being approved.

Discussion Items

  • SPP 25-02 – BFLC Sticks River East Phase 3: A nine-lot subdivision off Lynham Road and Goat Cooper Road. Staff requested that an existing dirt road be shown as a line on the plat to memorialize access to a southern parcel. The applicant agreed to the condition. The case was approved with staff conditions.
  • SRP 25-03 – Emerald Coast RV Park: A revised site plan for a previously approved RV park, including a three-lot subdivision approved by the City of Foley. Staff recommended approval with conditions, noting that the two-year site plan approval expires in October 2025. The commission approved the revised site plan subject to staff conditions.
  • PRD 25-01 – Cambridge Subdivision: A proposed 377-lot planned residential development on 152 acres near County Roads 54 and 55 in Robertsdale. Applicant Trent Wilson stated the density was 2.49 units per acre (correcting staff's earlier 3.49). Commissioner Michael Mullock suggested tabling the item to explore increasing minimum lot widths from 50/60/80 to 60/70/80 feet. The applicant agreed. After public testimony, the commission voted 7-1 to table the case for 60 days to the May meeting.
  • Z25-01 – Southern Storage Solutions LLC: Rezoning of 34.59 acres from RA to RSF-2 (single-family) on Highway 181 south of County Road 32. Staff recommended approval as a logical progression of development. The commission voted unanimously to recommend approval to the county commission.
  • Z25-03 – Resner Property: Rezoning of approximately 3 acres from RSFE to B-2 (commercial) on Highway 181. The owner noted surrounding commercial uses. Staff recommended approval. The commission voted unanimously to recommend approval.
  • Z25-05 – Warner Property: Rezoning of 1.7 acres from RSF-1 to RSF-2 on Liberty Street. Staff cited compatibility with surrounding uses. The commission voted unanimously to recommend approval.
  • TA25-01 – Amendments to the Baldwin County Zoning Ordinance: Staff presented a comprehensive 350+ page update covering definitions, parking requirements, PRD standards, wetland overlays, and the rezoning process. A key proposed change was to have zoning map amendments go directly to the county commission without a planning commission public hearing. After discussion, the commission voted to recommend approval to the county commission with two amendments: (1) retain the current public notice and public hearing process for rezonings (with planning commission review), and (2) increase parking requirements for single-family and duplex dwellings from two to three spaces per unit. The motion carried with the stated changes.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved (unanimous): Consent agenda items, SPP 25-02, SRP 25-03, Z25-01, Z25-03, Z25-05, and the text amendment TA25-01 (as amended).
  • Tabled (60 days): PRD 25-01 – Cambridge subdivision, to allow the applicant to revise lot widths to 60/70/80 feet and reduce density.
  • Withdrawn: Z25-04 (Goodwin property) at the applicant's request.
  • Staff to follow up: On drainage complaints at the Cottages of Aventura subdivision, with a site meeting planned.
  • Next steps: All approved rezoning cases and the text amendment will be forwarded to the Baldwin County Commission for final action. The tabled PRD will return in May 2025.

Note: The meeting date was provided as March 11, 2025, though the transcript opens with a reference to March 6; the official date is used per instruction.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to our Walmart County Planning and Zoning Commission meeting for March 6th. At this time, if you'll stand with me, we'll have a prayer and a pledge of allegiance. Father, we're thankful to you for this day and for the blessings we've each enjoyed in it. We're thankful for this great county we live in. I think we'd all agree here that we're a very fortunate people to live in this place at this time. Now, Father, we just ask that uh we conduct business here tonight that honors you. I pray that we show respect to each other and honor each right that we have to have voice our opinions. And uh Father, just help us we make the right decisions tonight. And we pray all this in the name of Jesus. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Brandon Bice, Robert Davis, Scott Schamburger, Michael Mullock, Greg Seybert. Here, Jamie Stratiger, Glenn Seal, Diane Burnett, Michael Fletcher, George Waters, here, and Reed Key. All right, we have a quorum. At this time, each of you have received a copy of the uh minutes from our February 6th work session in the regular meeting. If there are no corrections, I'll entertain a motion that they be approved. So moved, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Davis has made a motion that it be approved. Seconded. Mr. Seybert has made the motion they be that it be uh he's accepted the motion. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed minutes are approved. All right, Mr. Dixon, you want to have your moment. All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um so we have uh as we go through every every meeting. We have several public hearings uh today. So I want to quickly go over our public hearing guidelines. Um public comments should be made only during the public hearing portion of the meeting. Um when you come up to the to the podium to speak, uh state your name and address in the microphone. Make sure you speak clearly because it is recorded on audio and uh sometimes it's difficult to pick everything up. Uh comments should be directed to the planning commission chairman, and he can uh disseminate those those comments out to the appropriate people. Uh comments should be focused on the application being presented, and uh comments from individuals are limited to three minutes and groups who are uh speaking on uh individuals who are speaking on behalf of a group. Uh just please let the chairman know, and and your time won't be five minutes. Um for the rezoning cases, um there are 11 criteria that rezonings must be reviewed by. Um, is it compatible with the development pattern of the area? Number two, has there been any changes in the conditions since originally zoned? Number three, uh, does it does it the proposal conform to the master plan? Number four, uh does it conflict with public improvements? Number five, does it have any adverse effect effects to traffic? Number six, is it consistent with the development pattern of the area? Number seven, is it a logical expansion of adjacent zoning? Number eight, is the timing appropriate given the development trends.

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