Baldwin County Planning & Zoning Commission Regular Meeting - October 8, 2025

The Baldwin County Planning & Zoning Commission met on October 8, 2025, at 3:45 PM. The meeting was called to order, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and roll call. A quorum was present (commissioners: Stephen Pumphrey, Brandon Bias, Robert Davis, Scott Schamberger, Michael Mullock, Greg Siever, Jamie Stratager, Michael Fletcher, George Waters, Reed Key). The commission approved the minutes from September 4, 2025, and a consent agenda containing four items. The bulk of the meeting involved eight new business cases: a PUD for storage units, a subdivision replat, a large acre subdivision, a subdivision with a variance request, a lot line relocation, two site plan cases (cell tower and convenience store), and a building addition. All cases were approved unanimously with staff conditions. The meeting also included public comments regarding a process review and a code enforcement complaint, as well as a director’s report on ongoing projects, permit statistics, and interagency coordination.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the consent agenda including:
  • HCA 2502 – Keene Property Highway Construction Setback Appeal
  • PER 25-39 – Sherwood Grove Extension
  • PER 25-41 – Pleasants Oak Extension
  • PER 25-42 – Emerald Coast RV Park Extension

Public Comments & Testimony

• Michael Ludvickson, Chairman of the Fort Morgan Planning and Zoning Advisory Committee, requested a review of the process regarding the consent agenda item HCA 2502 (highway construction setback). He expressed appreciation for staff but raised concerns that his committee should have reviewed the item, as it fell under subdivision regulations. He asked for clarification and future inclusion in the review process.
• Amod A. Tow reported that a company (believed to be the same that previously owned a swimming pool) had dumped piles of soil on his property on Austin Road. He requested assistance to have the material removed. Staff noted that a code enforcement complaint could be filed.

Discussion Items

• PUD 25-10 – Old Plash Road PUD: A planned unit development for nine storage units on 4.9 acres (four existing, five proposed). Staff recommended approval with conditions including stormwater management improvements, a 10-foot landscape buffer, and revised open space plans. Public comments had been received with concerns. The applicant later uploaded floor plan documentation, but staff had not yet reviewed it. Motion to approve with staff conditions carried unanimously.
• SC 25-42 – Graves Estates Subdivision: Preliminary plat for a replat of Lot 7A of Oak River View Subdivision, creating two lots (1.08 and 2.46 acres) totaling 3.5 acres. Staff recommended approval with conditions. A representative from The Woodlands Group clarified that this was for both preliminary and final plat approval in one step. Approved unanimously.
• SPP 24-24 – BFLC Estates at B Tree Creek: Preliminary plat for a 112-lot large acre subdivision (lots ≥20 acres) on approximately 2,700 acres. Includes 14 proposed wetland crossings with total impacts of ~8 acres. Staff recommended approval with conditions, including providing a copy of the wetland permit (U.S. Corps of Engineers) before final plat, installing shared driveways where required, and revising stream setback to 30 feet from top of bank. Approved unanimously.
• SPP 25-05 and SV 25-06 – Wetlands Place: Preliminary plat for a 17-lot residential subdivision on unzoned land east of Calpen Creek Road, with smallest lot size ~40,000 sq ft. Includes a variance request to exclude approximately 176 acres as a remnant parcel. Staff recommended approval of both with conditions. The commission first voted to approve the variance (SV 25-06) unanimously, then voted to approve the preliminary plat (SPP 25-05) with staff conditions unanimously.
• SRP 25-14 – Woodpecker Landing: Lot line relocation between two existing parcels in separate subdivisions (Highway 54 Acre Subdivision and Bowden Plantation). This action would nullify a previously approved PRD and preliminary plat (Woodpecker Landing Subdivision) approved in 2024 for 15 lots. Staff recommended approval with conditions, including an exemption application and removal of signature blocks. Public speaker Eric Nakwin expressed concerns about flooding from red clay fill on adjacent property and lack of notice. The commission clarified that this relocation voids the prior subdivision approval; any future development would require a new application. Approved unanimously.
• CSP 25-18 – Mullock Cell Tower: Request for a 260-foot self-supporting telecommunications tower on ~30 acres in Silver Hill (Planning District 14). Staff recommended approval with conditions, including a waiver from the requirement for a 4-foot landscape strip outside the compound (applicant argued minimal visual impact) and clarification on jurisdictional waters (wetland delineation needed). No public speakers. Approved unanimously.
• CSP 25-24 – Travelers Food Mart: Proposal for a 4,905 sq ft auto convenience store on 3 acres south of U.S. Highway 98 in the Alberta community. Staff recommended approval with conditions. The Board of Adjustments had previously granted a variance to reduce the southern landscape buffer from 25 feet to 7.5 feet. During discussion, a commissioner raised a concern about the dumpster location relative to the drive-through alignment; the applicant was open to adjustments. Approved unanimously.
• CSP 25-27 – Port City Glass Edition: Addition of a 50x100 covered area to an existing facility (approved in August 2024), plus additional parking spaces. Staff recommended approval with conditions. No public speakers. Approved unanimously.

Director’s Report

• Go Mesa Funding: Governor announced allocations; Baldwin County received two grants: Perdido Bay boardwalk and ADA improvements, and Little In community parking lot improvements with sustainable stormwater management.
• Master Planning Update: Stakeholder meetings held; baseline data collection (population trends, housing, land use, transportation, natural resources, community facilities) nearing completion.
• Permit Statistics (January–August 2025 compared to same period in prior years):
  • Preliminary plats: application numbers steady; number of lots decreasing (smaller developments than the 600–700 lot subdivisions seen in 2023).
  • Final plat lots: increasing (lag from 2023 approvals), reaching 948 lots.
  • Subdivision exemptions: 435.
  • PUD units: down from 2023 spike.
  • Rezonings: increasing, many corrective.
  • Commercial site plans: starting to tick up.
• Interagency Coordination: County commission approved support for Fort Morgan Mobile Bay shoreline study; ongoing 30Q program with municipalities (Gulf Shores, Foley, Magnolia Springs, Spanish Fort, Bay Minette) for road improvements; Nature Conservancy partnership for educational signs at boat ramps.
• Staff Report Philosophy: Staff discussed a shift to neutral reporting for rezoning cases to county commission, presenting facts and Smart Growth Scorecard evaluations rather than recommending approval or denial. Commissioners expressed support, noting it allows public input to carry more weight.

Key Outcomes

• All eight new business cases (PUD 25-10, SC 25-42, SPP 24-24, SPP 25-05 with SV 25-06, SRP 25-14, CSP 25-18, CSP 25-24, CSP 25-27) were approved unanimously, each subject to staff conditions.
• The consent agenda and minutes from September 4, 2025, were approved.
• The meeting adjourned; next regular meeting scheduled for November 6, 2025.