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Neighbors object as commission recommends rezoning Ewing property to rural‑agricultural
Summary
The commission recommended rezoning a 20.1‑acre parcel from estate residential to rural agricultural so the owner can build a second, larger dwelling. Multiple adjacent homeowners opposed the change, citing deed restrictions and the risk of future subdivision.
The Baldwin County Planning and Zoning Commission voted May 1 to recommend approval of a rezoning that would change a 20.1‑acre parcel near Fell Road from RSFE (residential single‑family estate) to RA (rural agricultural), enabling an owner to place a second dwelling without the local size restriction applied in RSFE.
Staff said the property is in Planning District 22, where a local provision limits the size of a second dwelling when a parcel is zoned RSFE; changing to RA would remove that limitation. Several neighbors who live in the adjacent subdivision said they bought into an RSFE neighborhood and opposed changing the zoning. They expressed concern that rezoning could enable further subdivision or more intensive development over time and noted deed restrictions in the subdivision that they said protect the area’s character.
“You know, I think this being a part of a subdivision, it's concerning to me that you can change 1 lot out of a subdivision,” said Chad Neal, an adjacent homeowner. Jeff Winters, also adjacent, told the commission rezoning “would actually impair my financial security and my emotional well‑being with impacts of increased traffic and a possibility of further increased traffic by further subdividing it into smaller parcels.”
Nicole Ewing, the applicant, said the change is intended to allow a second home on the property without the RSFE local size limit; she said deed restrictions and county processes still apply and that her family is not seeking to subdivide the parcel. “The only reason we wanna move to RA is just for the fact of that size restriction,” Ewing told the commission.
Staff recommended approval, finding RA would align with surrounding RA parcels and the future land‑use map’s moderate development designation; commissioners voted to forward a recommendation of approval to the County Commission. The County Commission will hold the final public hearing and decision.
