Baldwin County Commission Approves 180-Day Moratorium on Rezoning, Data Centers and Renewable Energy

BAY MINETTE, Ala. — The Baldwin County Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved a 180-day moratorium on rezoning requests and on new data center and renewable energy projects in the county’s zoned unincorporated areas, a pause commissioners said will give staff room to catch up and plan for the growth sweeping across the county.

The moratorium took effect with the commission’s vote on Oct. 6. It applies countywide in areas under county zoning, which covers unincorporated parts of Baldwin County outside city limits that have adopted zoning. Inside incorporated cities, zoning is handled by each municipality.

‘We can’t catch our breath’

District 1 Commissioner Jeb Ball made the motion for the pause, saying the county’s planning staff has been swamped by the number of rezoning cases coming before it.

“Our staff is inundated right now with rezoning cases,” Ball said. “It is getting out of hand to the point where we can’t catch our breath.”

Ball said 14 rezoning cases are already scheduled for an upcoming meeting. He also pointed out that the county does not currently have a planning director, and that key planning tools are not yet in place. The Baldwin County Master Plan is still being evaluated, and the county needs time to work on it along with its Future Land Use Map, he said.

“What I wanted to see was just a pause and a slowdown,” Ball said.

As general background, a master plan is a long-range policy document that guides how a community expects to grow, while a future land use map shows which areas are intended for residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural or other uses. Planning boards and elected officials often refer to these documents when deciding whether to approve a rezoning request.

What the moratorium covers

According to the commission’s action, the 180-day pause applies to:

• Rezoning requests in county-zoned areas
• New data center projects
• New renewable energy projects

A 180-day period amounts to roughly six months, which would carry the moratorium into the spring of 2027.

Growth debate sharpened by Stockton solar project

The vote comes amid a broader debate over how Baldwin County manages large-scale development and energy projects outside city limits. That discussion intensified earlier this year after residents learned of plans for a utility-scale solar development covering about 4,500 acres near Stockton in North Baldwin County.

The project calls for two large solar fields near Interstate 65 and Alabama Highway 59, on nearly 4,500 acres of timberland and wetlands. Silicon Ranch, a Nashville-based solar developer that has been linked to Meta, acquired the land and plans to build the facilities and connect them to Alabama Power’s electric grid.

The proposal drew strong opposition from people in the Stockton community. Residents raised concerns about the effect on wetlands and stormwater runoff, and about how little authority the county had to regulate the project because the land was in an unzoned area.

Stockton residents pursue zoning

The solar plan helped spur residents of Planning District 3, which includes Stockton, to seek county zoning. Under Alabama law, zoning in Baldwin County’s unincorporated areas must be initiated by citizens, with residents of each planning district voting on whether to come under county zoning.

Stockton’s vote to adopt zoning succeeded. However, county rules exempt development applications that were properly submitted before such a vote, allowing them to proceed. As a result, the district-level moratorium tied to zoning did not automatically stop projects that had already been filed.

‘Not about saying no to development’

District 3 Commissioner Billie Jo Underwood said the new countywide pause is meant to help the county prepare for growth, not to block it.

“This is not about saying no to development,” Underwood said. “It’s about taking 180 days to make sure that when we say yes, we are doing it with a plan. Without that guidance, we’re looking a little dimly into the future.”

Underwood said that, to her knowledge, the commission has not been approached about any data center proposals in Baldwin County. The goal, she said, is to get ready before such proposals arrive.

“I am not for or against,” Underwood said. “I am trying to collect information so that we can make guided, valuable decisions for our citizens.”

Data centers — large facilities that house computer servers for cloud computing, artificial intelligence and other online services — have become a growing topic for local governments nationwide because of the land, electricity and water they can require.

Time for a new commission to weigh in

Ball said the pause will give county staff, as well as the incoming commission, time to build a framework before another wave of cases reaches commissioners. He added that developers could use the 180 days to rethink their proposals and come back with projects that are a better fit for the community.

The timing is significant because of the November general election. At least three of the commission’s four seats will be filled by newcomers after the election. Underwood is the only potential holdover, and hers is also the only seat with a Democratic challenger on the general election ballot.

“Baldwin County is going to continue to grow, and we need to be prepared for that growth,” Underwood said.

What it means for residents and landowners

For property owners in county-zoned areas who were hoping to seek a rezoning, the moratorium means new requests will be on hold for the duration of the pause. Companies interested in developing data centers or renewable energy projects in those areas will likewise have to wait.

During the next six months, county officials are expected to focus on hiring a planning director and advancing the master plan and Future Land Use Map, according to Ball. Residents who want to weigh in on how the county grows can follow the commission’s public meetings, where planning and zoning matters are taken up.