The City of Mobile is asking residents, business owners and downtown stakeholders to help rewrite the rules that shape how buildings in the city’s core look and function, kicking off a public review of the Downtown Development District (DDD) code more than a decade after it was first put in place.
Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis and staff from the city’s Build Mobile Department will host a Downtown Development District Update Community Workshop at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2, at the National Maritime Museum of the Gulf, located at 155 South Water Street. The workshop marks the public’s first opportunity to weigh in on proposed changes to the code.
A Decade of Shaping Downtown
The DDD was established in 2014 as a set of zoning rules and development standards governing how new construction and redevelopment take shape in Downtown Mobile. The district was later folded into the city’s broader Unified Development Code in 2022, and city officials say it has guided more than 10 years of investment in the downtown core.
According to the city, the code has generally succeeded in ensuring that new development and redevelopment complement the historic, walkable character of Mobile’s Central Business District. Officials say this update isn’t a response to the code failing, but an effort to refine it after more than 10 years of real-world use, making the standards clearer, easier to navigate and more effective at producing the kind of results residents, developers and city planners all want to see.
What to Expect at the Workshop
The Sept. 2 session will be structured around small-group tabletop discussions, with attendees rotating through several stations focused on different pieces of the code. Topics will include the development approval process, building design standards, and permitted land uses, among others, giving participants a chance to dig into the specific mechanics of how the DDD works.
Feedback gathered at the workshop will feed directly into the drafting of proposed amendments to the code. Once a draft is ready, the city plans to open a separate public comment period later this fall before the proposed changes move on to the Planning Commission and, ultimately, the Mobile City Council for formal approval. A second public engagement period is also planned for later in the fall.
City Leaders Encourage Turnout
City officials are framing the update as a chance for anyone with a stake in downtown Mobile, whether they live there, work there, spend leisure time there or have invested in property there, to help shape its future.
“Our downtown area is the gateway to our city, and development within it needs to reflect an urban, walkable and historic character,” Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis said. “While the DDD has helped our city planners and developers do just that, we feel like we can improve upon it after more than a decade in use. We are asking citizens and those who live, work, play and invest in downtown to help shape these improvements, and this is your chance to be a part of the process. I encourage you to get involved by attending this workshop on September 2.”
The workshop is free and open to the public, and city officials are encouraging broad participation from anyone with an interest in downtown Mobile’s future. Those unable to attend the September session will have another chance to weigh in during the second engagement period planned for later this fall, before the amended code heads to city boards for a final vote.