Neighbors Raise Drainage and Access Concerns as Baldwin County Commission Approves Highland Ridge Variance
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Summary
The Baldwin County Planning & Zoning Commission approved a variance reducing a flag-lot width to 30 feet and preliminary plat for the Highland Ridge resubdivision after neighbors warned of wetlands, drainage and private-road impacts; the variance passed with one vote against.
The Baldwin County Planning and Zoning Commission on Feb. 5 approved a variance to reduce the width at the west bend of a 60-foot flag lot to 30 feet (SV25-27) and granted preliminary plat approval for Highland Ridge (SC25-62), despite opposition from neighbors who said the change could worsen flooding and create access problems.
Miss Mosley, a county planner, told the commission the request applies to a two-lot resubdivision of Lot 1 of Lillian Acres in Planning District 29 and that proposed public utilities would be on-site wells and septic with Baldwin EMC electric service. She said staff’s analysis found no potential wetlands requiring mitigation and recommended approval under Article 8, Section 8.1 of the Baldwin County Subdivision Regulations.
Residents who signed up to speak pressed the commission on drainage, easements and private-road maintenance. “You change the landscape up on the hill, and it's gonna change the runoff,” one resident told the commission, saying recent heavy rains had brought water nearly to her house and that she has concerns about the accuracy of the drainage narrative and whether the engineer visited the site.
Susan Wells and other neighbors said title and easement questions remain for Barraco Road — a private road — and that future use could increase traffic and create maintenance burdens for adjacent landowners. One commenter said an existing private road is not county-maintained and warned about the effect of added vehicle trips on soils and wet areas.
Staff responded that both proposed lots front County Road 91 and do not rely on Barraco Road for legal access, and that a licensed professional surveyor formed the plat submitted to the commission. A county staff member told the commission the smallest lot in the proposed subdivision is five acres and that, given lot size, the subdivision is unlikely to trigger drainage improvements beyond those shown on the submitted plans.
After public comment and staff responses, the commission took separate votes: the variance (SV25-27) passed with one commissioner voting “nay”; the preliminary plat (SC25-62) was approved on a subsequent vote. The commission recorded no named roll-call votes in the public record for these items.
What happens next: approval of the preliminary plat allows the applicant to proceed with conditions established by staff; any additional development or improvements that would alter access or drainage will require future reviews and permits and may return to the commission for further public hearings.
Reported authorities and requirements in play include the Baldwin County Subdivision Regulations (Article 8, section 8.1) and applicable state and federal permitting requirements for wetlands and stormwater.
