County planners recommend text amendments that allow large PRDs in Point Clear and restore gyms to local business districts

Baldwin County planning staff and the commission on May 1 recommended approval of text amendments to the local provisions for Planning District 26 and to allowable uses in B1 and B2 commercial districts.

The amendments would allow planned residential developments (PRDs) in District 26 for developments of at least 250 contiguous acres and would raise the open‑space requirement for those PRDs to 50 percent of the gross land area, half of which must be reserved for outdoor recreational uses such as equestrian facilities, golf courses, parks, pedestrian walkways and recreational facilities. Staff said the change follows community input from a March public meeting in Point Clear and restricts PRDs in District 26 to large, low‑intensity projects that fit the community character.

Staff also noted that earlier edits inadvertently omitted fitness centers and gyms from the allowed uses in the B1 (professional business) and B2 (local business) districts; the amendment restores those uses but classifies them as conditional, requiring Planning Commission site‑plan approval in the low‑intensity districts.

The Planning Commission voted to recommend the amendments to the County Commission. A Point Clear resident who spoke at the meeting praised staff for the 250‑acre threshold but asked that future ordinance changes be shared with the Point Clear Property Owners Association before county adoption. Planning staff said they would incorporate that feedback into outreach going forward.