The Baldwin County Commission is working on updating its master plan, a document required by state statute that dates to legislation from the 1990s giving the county rare authority to enact zoning.
The Baldwin County Draft Master Plan lays out a $1.33 billion transportation vision that includes improvements to County Road 64 and I-10 and the modernization of 45 specific intersections, along with eight broad land-use categories: Farmland Preservation, Rural Preservation, Conservation Buffer, Rural Neighborhood, Highway Corridor, Urban Growth, Unincorporated Village Node and Regional Economic Opportunity Area.
County engineer Frank Lundy said his team has worked on the draft for a year after determining updates to the 2023 version were needed because of rapid growth. Since 2000, developed spaces have increased by 40%, agricultural lands, timberlands and open lands have decreased by 21%, population has increased by 91%, jobs have increased by 80 to 100%, and daily traffic has increased by 100%. “Those are the trends that we’re seeing,” Lundy said. “By 2050, so really over the next 20, 25 years, we can predict based on where we’ve come from over the last two decades, that 87,000 dwelling units are going to be needed. People are coming here, so we have to prepare for that.”
Municipal leaders are taking a close look at the draft plan. Foley Mayor Ralph Hellmich said he plans to send a letter to the commission asking for more time for cities to review the details. “The mayors were asked for input, but we are still going over this plan,” Hellmich said. “I would hate to see them pass it this quickly.”
A group of Baldwin County farmers also wants more information before the plan is approved. Those who oppose the current draft are concerned it could impact property values within the “Farming Preservation” category and take development rights away from landowners. The Woerner family, with roots in Baldwin County dating to the early 1900s, owns around 1,500 acres included in the master plan’s “Farming Preservation” category. Woerner Farms CEO Allen Woerner said the issue is one of private property rights without compensation that could impact future generations. “The hope and the belief was ‘We’re in Baldwin County, and one day this dirt’s going to be worth more than it is today,'” Woerner said.
Woerner has gathered other landowners, totaling 10,000 acres of affected properties, asking county officials to hear farmers and other stakeholders before making a decision. He said he was disappointed with what he called a lack of proper notice about the plan, calling it “a strategic ambush.” Incoming Baldwin County Commissioner John “Tater” Harris said he hopes the commission will allow for further discussion before the plan is approved. “I think we’ve got to be very cognizant of respecting people’s property rights at the same time with the growth that we have in the county,” Harris said.
The Planning & Zoning Commission was scheduled to consider the Draft Master Plan for approval at its Aug. 6 meeting at 4 p.m. at the Baldwin County Central Annex Auditorium in Robertsdale. If planning and zoning sends the measure to the Baldwin County Commission, the plan could be considered for final approval at the Sept. 1 commission meeting at 10 a.m. at the Baldwin County Administration Building in Bay Minette. The public can access and review the plan at baldwincountyal.gov/departments/planning-zoning.