Rabun Zoning Referendum Set for Dec. 15 as Community Near Bay Minette Weighs County Rules

BAY MINETTE, Ala. — Voters in the Rabun community north of Bay Minette will decide Dec. 15 whether to bring their unincorporated, unzoned corner of Baldwin County under county zoning, after the Baldwin County Commission accepted election guidelines for the Rabun zoning referendum at its Oct. 20 meeting. Baldwin County Probate Judge Harry D’Olive scheduled the vote.

The commission’s acceptance of the guidelines passed as part of the consent agenda, a group of routine items approved together in a single vote and not typically discussed during the meeting. Commissioners had approved holding the local election during their Oct. 6 meeting.

Voting will take place at Rabun Volunteer Fire Department No. 1, 54320 Rabun Road, Bay Minette, AL 36507. Only residents of the proposed planning district, estimated at about 865 people, will be allowed to vote.

Rabun zoning referendum at a glance

• Election date: Tuesday, Dec. 15
• Polling place: Rabun Volunteer Fire Department No. 1, 54320 Rabun Road, Bay Minette
• Who can vote: Only residents of the proposed planning district, estimated at about 865
• Question: Whether to bring the unincorporated area, mostly the Rabun community, under Baldwin County zoning
• Petition threshold: At least 87 signatures were required before the county would schedule the vote
• Scheduled by: Baldwin County Probate Judge Harry D’Olive; election guidelines accepted by the County Commission on Oct. 20

Why Rabun is voting

The area is currently unincorporated and unzoned. That means developers face no local constraints on where or what they build, as long as they meet standard engineering and environmental guidelines. In a zoned area, by contrast, rules set out which uses are allowed where, such as homes, businesses, industry or agriculture, along with standards for lot sizes, setbacks and similar requirements.

Under Alabama law, zoning in Baldwin County’s unincorporated areas has to be initiated by citizens. Residents of each planning district petition for a referendum and then vote on whether to come under county zoning. The Rabun petition needed at least 87 signatures to trigger the election.

If voters approve, the Rabun area would follow the Stockton community as the second rural area in this recent push to bring itself under county zoning regulations.

Following Stockton’s lead

The Rabun effort grew out of the fight in neighboring Stockton over a large solar development planned by Silicon Ranch off Interstate 65 near Bay Minette. Stockton residents organized a referendum to bring their area under county zoning in an effort to challenge the project.

As South AL News reported, Stockton voters approved zoning for what became Baldwin County Planning Zone 3, with 215 voting in favor and 161 against. Silicon Ranch, a Nashville-based solar developer, purchased about 4,500 acres off I-65 in Stockton and plans a utility-scale solar farm there. County officials said the project was likely exempt from the new zoning because permit applications related to it were accepted before the vote, a position disputed by the residents’ group Friends of the Tensaw River.

The Stockton group’s advocacy sparked a larger movement in the county to control the development of solar farms and data centers. On Oct. 6, the Baldwin County Commission approved a six-month moratorium on rezoning requests and on new data center and renewable energy projects in the county’s zoned unincorporated areas. Commissioners said the pause would give staff time to catch up on a backlog of rezoning cases and to work on the county’s master plan and future land use map.

That moratorium applies to areas already under county zoning. For an unzoned community like Rabun, a successful referendum is the step that would bring the area under the county’s zoning framework in the first place.

What happens if the referendum passes

If the Dec. 15 referendum passes, the county will appoint a five-member board to hold at least two community meetings in the new district, which the county refers to as Zone 2, and to draft zoning proposals for the area. Those proposals would ultimately need approval from the Baldwin County Commission.

In Stockton’s case, the referendum’s passage also triggered a 180-day moratorium on new development in its planning zone while the local advisory board did its work, according to earlier reporting.

The community meetings are where residents would have a chance to shape the specific rules for their area, such as which parts of the district remain agricultural or residential, and where, if anywhere, commercial or industrial uses would be allowed.

What voters should know

• Only residents who live within the proposed planning district may vote in this referendum.
• Voting will take place at Rabun Volunteer Fire Department No. 1 on Rabun Road.
• Residents unsure whether they live inside the district, or whether they are registered, can contact the Baldwin County Probate Office or the Baldwin County Board of Registrars.
• Information on county zoning and planning districts is available from the Baldwin County Planning and Zoning Department.

The referendum is set for Tuesday, Dec. 15. Results are expected to be released by the Baldwin County Probate Office after the polls close.