Flottes Notes on
Mobile/Baldwin Real Estate
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University of South Alabama Mitchell College of Business Center for Real Estate Studies
The Alabama Real Estate Research and Education
Center (AREREC)
USAs CRES Mobile Market
and Baldwin Submarket Stats and Baldwin Coastal Stats
Mobile Real Estate Investors Group (Mobile-RIG)
·
The
Alabama Association
of Realtors has 14,821 Realtor
members
·
Alabama Real Estate Commission
·
Eminent Domain: After a case where the U.S. Supreme
Court said the
·
Under
the 2004 International Building Code,
buildings must be able to withstand 140 mph winds. Before, the requirement was
120 mph winds.
·
·
Caveat
emptor (let the buyer beware), as spelled out by the Alabama courts, means that
sellers and their agents in used real estate transactions, as opposed to new
construction, have no duty to disclose defects in the property. Law does not
require a sellers disclosure statement. Most real estate purchase agreements
in
Environmental Regulation
·
Wetlands
GO-Zone
·
Congress
approved the Gulf Opportunity Zone Act
of 2005 to boost economic recovery from Hurricane Katrina in
·
The
federal government allows certain projects to qualify for tax-exempt bonds, meaning that bond buyers do not have to pay
federal or
o In its simplest form,
financing through a GO Zone Bond can be compared to the tax-exempt funding
normally available only to governmental borrowers and not-for- profit
corporations. Interest on GOZBs is exempt from federal and State of
o The intent of such programs is to
entice development by making it cheaper for businesses and municipalities to
borrow money.
o The bonds would be tax-exempt
if 1.) 95 percent or more of the net proceeds are used for "qualified
project costs" in the Zone, 2.) Governor Riley would designate the bonds
as qualified for the purposes stated in the bill, and 3.) the
bonds are issued prior to January 1, 2011.
o Eligible projects include
nonresidential real property (including buildings and their structural
components and fixed improvements), qualified residential rental projects
(multi-family housing, which requires a 20% affordable housing component),
qualified mortgage issue projects (single-family housing, which requires that
certain income tests be met), and public utility property.
o Eligible projects may
include, but are not limited to: retail stores, warehouses,
manufacturing facilities, industrial plants, office buildings, bank branches,
hotels and motels, restaurants, physician office buildings, medical hospitals
and clinics.
o The money cannot be used for
residential homes or condos, although some rental properties might apply. Other
uses that are not allowed under the act include, golf courses, tanning salons,
hot tub businesses, movable equipment and businesses in which alcohol is sold
or gambling is allowed. Items that could
later be moved out of the area, such as light equipment, are not eligible.
o
o Because bonds will have to be arranged
and issued for the loans, offering warrants for less than about $2 million
would not be practical. Local businesses that need less than $2 million,
however, will also be included in the financing. Local chambers of commerce and
the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance will be developing pools of
businesses that can join together on a bond issuance that would allow them to
divide the funds.
o The bonds would be
attractive to investors because they would not be subject to alternative
minimum tax.
·
Businesses
are allowed to claim accelerated
depreciation on new property investments.
o People who restored or expanded
commercial property for commercial use after Aug. 28, 2005, can claim a 50 percent depreciation. People who buy existing
businesses cannot claim the purchase price, but if they spend money to repair
or improve the building, those funds can be claimed under the depreciation act.
The depreciation deduction would be exempt from AMT
and applies to property placed in service prior to January 1, 2008, or January
1, 2009 for real property. Businesses or individuals that elect to claim the
accelerated depreciation deduction under the Act will NOT be able to
benefit from the tax-exempt financing outlined above.
·
The
bill also doubles to $20,000 the deduction
for reforesting for small timber owners, those owning less than 500
acres. It also reduces their tax burden
by spreading this years losses against previous tax filings.
·
Eligible
counties in
Other incentives
·
Permitted under a 1999 state law, improvement districts, among other things, allow cities to extend
their tax-exempt status to private developers as an incentive to build
revenue-generating projects. Municipalities don't pay taxes, and in an improvement
district that benefit is extended to landowners who pay for expensive
infrastructure projects -- from installing sidewalks and parking lots to
drainage, lighting and sewer work -- that might otherwise be funded by
taxpayers.
·
More complex arrangements, called cooperative improvement districts, allow developers and
municipalities to work out revenue-sharing deals and make it possible for
developers to self-impose taxes on their projects -- an extra penny of sales
tax, say, or an additional 2 percent levy on hotel rooms -- to help pay their
bond debt
·
Property-tax
delinquent parcels are auctioned by the county tax collector at a tax sale.
·
Bidders
may bid over the tax and cost to win the properties. Winning bidders are
awarded a tax certificate.
·
Owners
have to pay the tax and cost plus 12 percent interest on the bid amount to redeem
the property.
·
The
least attractive properties often attract no bids. The state Revenue Department
assumes control of those leftovers, which are described as "sold to
state" (a misnomer because no money changes hands). The parcels come off
the local tax rolls, though 12 percent annual interest continues to pile up.
·
In
·
After
three years, the state can issue a tax
deed, a somewhat stronger claim to the land. But even then, state courts
have opened exceptions that could allow the old owner to return and reclaim
land, even when the new owner has built a house or made other improvements. In
general, the original owners can return and clear title at any time. It can
take six years and two trips to court to clear title to the land.
·
In
·
The
top academic study of
·
Source:
PR 11/20/07
Mobile Real Estate
·
Mobile Area Association of
Realtors
·
In
August 2006, a year after Katrina hit, prices stabilized at a new, higher price
level. A house that sold at $100,000 now sold for $140,000, and a $150,000
house was selling for $200,000. Houses selling in the $120s
per square foot is in the $150s now. The most dramatic price increases
have come in the less expensive neighborhoods, rather than in high-priced
developments PR 8/27/06
·
Ben
Tom Roberts, a Mobile Realtor whose seven-year stint on the board of the
Federal Reserve Bank of New Orleans ended in 2006, said that he believes the
local real estate market has moved past a Katrina-related price spike, but will
land somewhat softly at about 10 percent higher that pre-hurricane prices.
·
What
local builders used to consider large -- 3,000-square-foot homes -- has been
replaced in the last several years with 3,500- to 8,000-square-foot homes. That bucks a national trend that shows homes are
getting smaller
o In Spring Hill people are paying
$200,000 for a house and tearing it down to build a $500,000 or $700,000 house.
o There are more than 20 homes under
construction in
·
·
·
·
The
Mobile City Council adopted a plan to create a land bank to seize abandoned,
tax-delinquent property, clear up ownership questions surrounding the land, and
sell it. A City Council committee approved the plan, agreeing the council would
re-examine operations in a year and decide if the council should create an
advisory board. PR 11/20/07
·
The
concept has been strongly pushed by City Councilman William Carroll, whose
district includes several distressed neighborhoods plagued by abandonment.
·
Ideally,
some parcels will be attractive to for-profit developers. Others could provide
a cheap source of land for nonprofit housing groups, including Habitat for
Humanity, DASH for the
·
The
biggest risk would be that the city takes over land it cant sell. Mobile Mayor
Sam Jones has vowed that the city will only seize parcels when there is a new
user lined up. Wettermark said city officials plan to sign contracts with
buyers before condemning land and said those contracts would require buyers to
complete their plans by a specified time or give the land back to the city.
·
The
other big risk is that legal fees could exceed the value of the property.
Mobile Developments
Mobile Commercial
Development
·
The
commercial market in
·
·
Bel Air Mall
opened in 1967 across
·
Chris
White of Southeast Real Estate owns shopping centers in 12 states including
·
Legacy Village at Spring Hill on
·
An
out-of-town developer wants to build a retail complex on 60 of the 90 acres available
in
o Three years ago Realtors tried
unsuccessfully to get outdoor retail giant Bass Pro Shops to locate on the
McGowin land. Typically, Bass wants the developer or a city to provide
incentives to land a store. That could include building the store and even
stocking it, according to developers.
o McGowin
Properties is seeking
state and federal permits to allow developers to build a shopping center on 62
acres near Hank Aaron Stadium,
which has wetlands, according to the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers . The developers want to put two anchor stores
and six smaller tenants there, according to the application and are looking at
relocating the Target store from Bel Air Mall to the new center PR
3/9/08
Mobile Office
Development
Downtown Office Development
·
In
2006, there was an estimated 3 million square feet of office space, half of
that downtown and half in west
o The
o AmSouth Bank and the Hand Arendall law
firm, each of whom leased 40,000 square feet of space in the
o The lease rates for RSA's office tower
start at $19 per square foot and go up to $22 per square foot. That's a jump
from the average $15 to $16 per square foot charged for newer, updated Class A
office space in
·
Waterman/Southtrust/Wachovia
Building
·
The
Colonial Bank building was built in 1997 and charges an average $22 per square
foot. PR 10/1/06
·
The
o
The
same group of developers is planning a six-story office building on 4 acres
near the Real Estate Center.
Mobile Residential
Developments
Downtown Development
·
John
Hunter, who has developed several condo complexes on
·
Contractor
Tilmon Brown just finished
·
Tilmon
Brown has partnered with Todd Drummond, a commercial broker, and former state
Sen. Ann Bedsole to
renovate the O'Gwynn building at Conti and Conception streets into 10 condo
units. The units will start at $191,000.
·
Carriage
Works at 701 and 709 Dauphin
Midtown/ Springhill Development
·
·
Spanish
Villa at
·
Bender
Real Estate Group and Randall Investments plan to build The Preserves at
Midtown, a 77-unit townhome complex on 12 acres they have under contract on the
Graf property. PR 5/18/08
·
Isle of Palms, off
·
·
Cypress Landing on Steele Creek in Satsuma is being
developed by Clayton
Williams
·
Brett-Robinson
has two new phases in its Spanish Trace subdivision off
·
With
at least six or seven residential projects in the works, some
·
The
Town of SaltAire project on
o Plans for SaltAire are similar to
those of Seaside, Watercolors and Watersound on Scenic Highway 30-A in Santa
Rosa County, Fla., according to Jim Wilkie, general manager of the development.
The $50 million-plus development should be built out in six to eight
years. SaltAire will be open to the
public, but there will be some separate amenities for the homeowners such as
six pools,
o Local developer Logan Gewin and his
investor partners, including broker Rick Collins and Bay Haas, have formed SaltAire
Development Group with Wilkie and former St. Joe Company developer George Jones
of
o The developers worked with Mobile
County Commissioner Mike Dean to make the project the county's first capital
improvement district. That allows the developers to purchase a bond that would
be repaid with extra taxes assessed to properties and sales within the
development.
o SaltAire is also bringing a
long-awaited sewer connection to the area. The developers have a $1 million
contract with the Mobile Area Water & Sewer Services and the work is under
way, according to the developers. That has prompted other residential
developers to pay to extend the system. The new sewer line in the Bellefontaine
area will run south from
o Presales are under way on SaltAire's
first 40 single-family homes, and a total of 100 should be built within the
first two years. The homes are priced from $299,000 to $699,000. Construction
could start by October. Presales on 80
condo units are scehduled to start in late summer with construction planned in
2008. There will be 10 local builders
who will work in SaltAire, and they each plan to start construction on a spec
home this fall, according to Kym Trest of Roberts Brothers Inc., who helped
bring the builders on board. So far, the builder list includes David Rowe Fine
Homes; Martina Construction; Hamilton Homes & Construction Co.;
Kenney-Moise; Mark Swanson Builders; Lewis Homes; Jim Williams Construction
Co.; Twilley Brothers Builders; and M.D. Price Builder.
o SaltAire could have a $1 billion
economic impact on the area through 2016 according to a study by economist
Semoon Chang PR 8/17/08
·
Steve
Greene, Steve Sheridan and Larry Tew are developing The Gates of Fowl River, 41 lots off
o The Gates of Fowl River developers and
investors have invested $5 million so far in the land and infrastructure,
according to Greene and Tew. The local investors in the Gates include Stephen
and Connie Daughdrill, Mike Hollis, Dennis Langan, David Lindsey, Bendt
Peterson, Calvin Weaver, James West and Donald Williams.
·
Local
developers are waiting for sewer to be installed before they start construction
on a subdivision with a 62-slip marina on
·
Plans
for new roads and sewer hookup have made
·
Mon
Louis Landing is a
32-lot subdivision
·
2007
home sales on
Mobile Apartments
·
Today's
rental occupancy rate typically remains strong at 95 percent or more, and some
of the more popular apartment locations have waiting lists, according to rental
agents. There are 13,806 apartment units represented in the Mobile Bay Area
Apartment Association, which includes
Mobile
·
As
of 2008, undeveloped land in southwest Alabama averages $2,000 to $3,000 per
acre; an agricultural field averages $4,500 per acre PR 11/9/08
·
1998
The University of South Alabama Foundation purchased timber land from
Kimberley-Clark.
·
Joshua Timberlands was a private company controlled by
ex-Worldcom CEO Bernie Ebbers. Ebbers set up Joshua Timberlands in 1999 to buy
460,000 acres of timber property from Kimberly Clark, including some in
·
Land
Heritage Properties
in Saraland and two investor partners paid more than $12 million for 4,100
acres of timberland in north
·
ThyssenKrupp bought 3,565 acres near
·
Baldwin County
Association of Realtors
·
Baldwin County Homebuilders
Association
·
2007:
Median price: $211,250 (-8.2%). Homes sold: 2,378 (compared to 3,471 in 2006
and 4,952 in 2005). Average days on market: 165.
·
First
quarter of 2008, the median home price fell $183,000, off 3.7 per cent from
2006.
- Spanish Fort: Median price $245,000 (-2.5%). Homes
sold 23. Days on the market 142.
- Daphne/Montrose: Median price $215,900 (-5.3%). Homes
sold 75. Days on the market 144.
- Fairhope/Point Clear: Median price $240,000 (-8.4%). Homes
sold 61. Days on the market 181.
2001-2005 Real Estate Boom
·
From
2000 to 2005
·
In
2003, the value of Gulf view condos rose an average of
30-35 percent.
o In 2003 it took less than an hour for
the 66 units of the 26-story
o The 251 condominium units at The
Lighthouse in
·
In
September 2004 Hurricane Ivan knocked most of the older beach properties out of
the rental competition. Developers were scrambling to buy old units and replace
them with bigger, better and more expensive condos
o About 6 percent of the 13,757 condo or
hotel units in the
·
In
early 2005 the presale price for a two-bedroom, two-bath condo unit on the Gulf
exceeded $500,000, when in 2003 it was $300,000 to $400,000
·
In
2005 prices for Gulf-front land averaged $550 to $575 per square foot, and on
Little Lagoon in
·
By
2005 thousands of people were on data bases wanting to buy presales.
o It took over two years to sell
Marseilles I. Marseilles II sold out in three weeks, all over a million
dollars. La Belle Maison, the third building, sold out in two days.
·
·
Fractional
condo sales - selling one condominium unit to up to eight owners caught on in
2005 when there are not enough condo units on the market to meet demand. Each
owner would get a deed for one-eighth ownership in the unit and each would get
to use the unit for six weeks out of the year. Time shares were also tried in
the early 1980s, but only a few condo complexes signed on. However, in 2003
Escapes bought 45 of the 100 units in
·
In
2005, a state law was passed allowing builders to use up to 50% of buyers
preconstruction deposits towards building costs.
·
Condo
prices began leveling off by July 2005
·
The
demand for waterfront property was fueled in part by investors who found the
·
From
July 2004 to July 2005 the number of dwelling units in
·
In
2003-2004, homes were moved off the beach by barge and truck to non-Gulf-front
lots, hotels were demolished and, in one case, an entire low-rise condominium,
Sandy Shores West, was carted across
·
Micah
Wright of REMAX Partners in
·
Unlike
a false market in the 1980s that led to a bust, this one is driven by a real
demand that stems from the desire of millions to own a well-appointed,
waterfront home. Bob Shallow PR 7/4/04
·
"If
we've got all speculators, then we're going to have a problem. Somebody's got
to buy them, somebody's got to rent it, live in it, or use it as a second
home." Chuck Norwood, a REMAX associate broker in
2006-2007 Slowdown
·
2006:
Property sales at the Gulf are at a stop because of major hurricanes, rising
material costs and a tight labor market.
·
In
July 2005, just prior to Katrina, there were 72 condo units listed for sale in
·
Developers
are now waiting for demand to meet the supply before releasing presales on
preconstruction units.
·
The
market may never be as hot as it was before Hurricane Ivan hit in September
2004, according to developer Rick Phillips. PR 2/19/06
·
"Lower Alabama is in good shape, although I have no
numbers to verify it," Len Zumpano, director of the Alabama Real Estate
Research & Education Center at the
·
The
hurricane fallout left developers scrambling to replace subcontractors who left
for higher-paying hurricane repair jobs in
·
More auctions are expected to hit the
·
Builders
say the market is saturated with homes priced in the $350,000 to $500,000
range, particularly in the Daphne and Fairhope areas. It will take time to
absorb that inventory, and builders say they are limiting the number of homes
in that price range that they build as speculative ventures - PR 4/9/07.
·
In
2006, the inventory of condo units for sale increased to 5,000 units in
·
Condominium/townhome
sales declined 15 percent in 2006, dropping from more than 3,200 units sold in
2005 to less than 2,750 units sold in 2006. However, the sale of units in new
developments nearly doubled from 700 units sold in 2005 to nearly 1,300 in
2006. Purchasing activity started to rebound in late 2006.
·
Waterfront prices in
·
The home prices on
·
In 2006 a builder unloaded a bunch of houses at a 20
percent discount in Fairhope
·
Creative
methods to sell at the beach have included: Auctions; Selling bonuses of $5,000
or more for agents; Owner financing by developers; Gulf Opportunity Zone tax
incentives; Price reductions for buyers willing to pay cash within 30 days;
Waiving homeowner's association dues for a year; cars or other luxury items
(see Vista Bella). PR 6/10/07
·
Condo
inventories have been hovering at 3,000 units in
·
Sales
of condominiums and townhomes in
·
San Carlos Condominiums was among several projects,
either built or planned, that got caught in the post-Katrina meltdown at the
Gulf. Its units presold in 2004 at prices between $475,000 and $1.2 million. By
the time the units were ready to close last fall, a glut of inventory and
rising insurance prices made for a stagnant sales market. Condo prices dropped,
and the developers struggled to close on the units.
·
Foreclosures
have hit the condominium market at the Gulf.
·
Though
condo sales have been slow, the resort rental market has seen occupancy rates
in the high 90s in 2007. Taxable lodging rentals reached $57.1 million for
spring 2007, a $1.3 million increase over 2004's $55.8 million during the same
months. The taxable lodging rentals in June were 30 percent higher than in the
same month last year, and up 24 percent over June 2004 PR 8/5/07
·
Investors
paid $825,000 for a 65.5-front foot Gulf-front lot on
·
The
Baldwin County Association of Realtors has lost 320 members PR 9/2/07
·
Financial
broker at Global Capital Solutions in Birmingham Arthur Hood's clients are
working on bulk buyouts at three Gulf condominium projects where developers
want to get rid of their inventory. "I think it's going to be an investor
market for the next 12 months, and we're going to see some pretty serious
bottom feeding," predicted Hood.
Two years of slow sales have killed many new condo development plans and
put others on hold. The inventory glut -- almost 3,000 units for sale on
·
Mothballed Projects (2007-2008)
·
January to April is when thousands of Northern retirees, known in
the local parlance as snowbirds,
arrive to wait out the coldest months. In
a good year, number about 16,000 pump around $30
million into the local economy. Snowbirds help beach businesses stay
open year-round and maintain at least their core staff through the winter PR
1/1/07
·
The
·
The
Alabama Insurance Underwriting
Association (AIUA), also known as the Beach
Pool, was established in 1971 to provide insurance coverage to the beach
area in
o In April 2007 the Beach Pool asked
state regulators for permission to increase the rates on its riskiest policies
on the Gulf waterfront.
o 76 percent, or about $912 million, of
the Pool's total insured value of $1.2 billion is on the waterfront in
o According to Beach Pool data, its average
annual residential premium for full coverage is $2,393, while equivalent
commercial premiums average $8,871.
o The association's board of directors,
composed of executives from participating insurance companies, voted to
increase the coverage limit on residential policies from $350,000 to $500,000
·
Theres
still a question of how much of a deterrent high insurance premiums will be to
the condo market.
·
The
state's top three insurers of property -- State Farm, Allstate and Alfa -- have
announced since 2004 that they would discontinue hurricane coverage for more
than 17,000 policyholders. State Farm canceled coverage to 2,600 policyholders
who reside within 1,000 feet of a shoreline in Baldwin and
·
Insurance
premiums have doubled in the past two years.
·
·
State
Sen. Ben Brooks, R-Mobile, and Bradley Byrne mentioned prohibiting or
restricting redlining, the practice
of insurance companies not selling policies in certain geographic areas, and
the possibility of expanding the "beach pool," which was created by
the state to provide insurance for those who cannot get it in the private
market. They have also proposed a bill in the current legislative session that would
remove prohibitions against captive insurance companies offering homeowner and
automobile liability coverage.
·
The
South Alabama Regional Planning Commission Executive Director Russ Wimberly and
former Foley Mayor Tim Russell are urging
o A captive insurance company is one
formed by like entities that pool their resources to negotiate with the
worldwide reinsurance market.
o
o The captive itself would be financed
through premiums. It would use the money provided by the governments as startup
capital and to help pay off claims. A reinsurer, such as Lloyd's of London,
would assume part of the risk and help the captive stay afloat in the case of
catastrophes. PR 2/19/07
·
While most property owners deal with primary insurers,
such as Nationwide, Farmers and Alfa, the international reinsurers that back
those companies -- Lloyds of London syndicates,
·
Gov.
Bob Riley met with an executive with one of the
·
The
National Flood Insurance Program
(NFIP), administered by FEMA, provides low cost flood insurance to communities
which map their Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) and by enforce floodplain
management ordinances. These ordinances specify certain zoning, subdivision,
and building requirements, which mitigate flood damage.
o SFHAs are defined as areas that would
be inundated by a flood with a one percent probability of occurrence in any
given year.
o FEMA defines a flood as "the
inundation of two or more acres of normally dry land area or of two or more
properties (at least one of which is an NFIP policyholder's property)."
o Certain coastal property owners are
unable to purchase NFIP insurance, even if their communities are NFIP program
members. For example, coastal owners with properties located within the Coastal
Barriers Resource System cannot purchase NFIP insurance, if their homes were
built after 1982.
o NFIP average residential policy costs
$400 per year for $100,000 of coverage.
·
The
state Senate killed a bill expanding the beach pool. sponsored
by Sen. Ben Brooks, R-Mobile. PR 5/2/08
o Senate Sen. E.B. McClain, D-Midfield,
blocked transmission of the beach pool bill. McClain said afterward that he
"didn't like the bill" but did not elaborate. Brooks accused him of
working for "special interests" in the insurance industry. Brooks'
bill did run into opposition from Alfa, the No. 2 insurer in the state.
o Alfa had "no problem" with a
bill sponsored by state Sen. Roger Bedford, D-Russellville, which codifies
language defining the beach pool. Unlike Brooks' bill, it does not specifically
expand the number of people in
o The Senate approved another bill
sponsored by Brooks, which would allow so-called captive insurers to sell
homeowners policies.
·
o The task force, which consists of
volunteers from county and city government agencies, business members and
relief agency representatives, was set up by the Baldwin County Commission in
2005
o The Baldwin County Commission's
Affordable Housing Task Force recommends: creating an "overlay
district" to allow higher-density subdivisions and apartment complexes
that use "smart growth" principles such as narrower streets and
smaller lots, speeding up the construction approval process, and appointing a
county staff member to exclusively deal with housing issues.
·
·
Balwin
County Planning & Zoning website
·
In
1991, the Alabama State Legislature passed the Baldwin County Planning and
Zoning Act authorizing the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Boards of
Adjustment, and the creation of planning districts in unincorporated areas and
zoning within planning districts that vote to come under County
planning and zoning authority.
·
The Baldwin County
Planning and Zoning Commission holds two meetings each month at 6 p.m. at the
o Planning Commission Members: Greg
Barnhill, District 12; Arthur Dyas, Vice-Chair, District 16; Jim Elliott
Jr., District 10; John Furman, District 12; Douglas Holton, District 15;
Jerome Knaebel, District 32; Arthur Oken, District 4; George Price, District
33; George Roberds, Chair, District 17; Cara Stallman, District 3; George E.
Williams, District 5; Thomas Williams, Legal Council, District 5.
o Jim Elliott resigned from the Planning
and Zoning Commission in June 2008. He described the planning commission as a
"developer appreciation society" and the zoning district process as
an "exercise in futility", and that hisgoals were unattainable due
to the stranglehold that the developers hold on the county and the Planning and
Zoning Commission." He questioned the board's longtime Chairman George
Roberds' association with the county's Home Builder's Association. PR 6/29/08
·
The Boards of
Adjustment are
arranged by the four County Commission Districts and responsibilities include
variance and special exception cases and each holds a separate meeting each
month as necessary.
·
The Baldwin County Planning &
Zoning Department
administers the County's land development regulations and various
environmental, community development and economic development programs. It
provides staff support for the Planning and Zoning Commission and Boards of
Adjustment as well as the Baldwin County Environmental Advisory Board.
o Thirty planning districts are spread
throughout
o A zoning referendum is
vote in a Planning District to institute County zoning. Another zoning
referendum cannot be held for one year after an unsuccessful referendum.
o If the zoning referendum
passes, the
o Proposed developments in zoned areas,
which have to meet zoning regulations, require the planning commission to make
a recommendation to the
o In January 2007, the Planning and
Zoning Commission endorsed allowing all 26 zoning designations to be available
in each of the county's zoned districts, regardless of restrictions set by
local residents. Previously, if someone wanted to apply for a rezoning to a
designation that isn't available in a district, that person would have to seek an
amendment to the regulations.
o Planned
unit developments allow smaller lot sizes and requires at least 20 percent of
the subdivision be set aside as open space
o Approved projects or existing
buildings that conflict with zoning regulations can be constructed, continue to
exist or be sold to a second owner, as long as the conflicting use doesn't
cease for one year. If the structure, however, was damaged 50 percent or more
by a natural disaster, the owner would then need approval from a county board
of appeals or the planning commission before the structure could be rebuilt.
o Baldwin County Subdivision regulations
underwent a major overhaul in December 2007.
§ One major change requires planned
developments occupying at least 200 acres or having more than 400 housing units
to receive final approval from the Baldwin County Commission and a positive
recommendation by the planning commission before it is placed on the
o Historically,
the planning commission has allowed a maximum density of six residential units
per acre. Three developments approved in November 2006 had between 6.4 units
and 11.7 residential units per acre.
·
Single-family
subdivisions in planning jurisdictions are reviewed by both city and county
officials, and are held to the stricter of the two subdivision requirements.
·
1994 Strategic Plan: In 1994, the Baldwin County
Commission adopted a strategic plan and land-use plan. The strategic plan,
which projects up to 2010, included an ongoing review process. The strategic
plan was last updated in 1997. In 2006 a new 10-year plan was approved.
o The plan calls for land-use planning
in unincorporated areas of the county, protecting wetlands and open spaces, and
having 75 percent of the county's residents wired to the Internet with
broadband technology by 2016.
·
The
Baldwin County Planning and Zoning Commission stopped reviewing multi-family
residential projects as subdivisions in 2006. PR 12/17/06, 6/12/07
o Baldwin County Highway Department
officials said they will no longer require multifamily developments in unzoned,
unincorporated areas within a municipality's planning jurisdiction to meet
county development standards. County legal officials cited the Bay John case as
a reason for the change.
o The county's highway department reviews
the proposed lot sizes and engineering designs for access, streets and drainage
for all developments occurring in
o Bay John Developers II submitted plans
to the county for a 45-unit condominium tower in an unzoned, unincorporated
area off Baldwin County 6, and within the police jurisdiction of
o The developer's attorney argued that
his client's condominium project did not meet the county's definition of a
subdivision and was not subject to review by the county planning commission.
Bay John's representatives contend that the county is overstepping its
authority by trying to regulate items associated with zoning, such as land use
and density, in its subdivision regulations.
o Baldwin Circuit Court Judge Robert
Wilters ruled in favor of the developer and barred the county from interfering
with its condominium project. The county is appealing the decision.
o Wilters' decision was reversed by the
Alabama Court of Civil Appeals in May 2007. Daniel
Blackburn, attorney for Bay John Development, filed a request for a
rehearing before the appeals court. If the court refuses, then the company will
probably appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court.
·
In
May 2007, Baldwin Chief Counsel Scott Barnett said that under state law,
o The initial controversy centered on
whether an foreign-worker housing project on US 98 outside Fairhope city
limits, but within its planning jurisdiction, required county approval, as did
previous developments with multiple buildings and five or more housing units.
On advice from the county's attorney, the Baldwin County Highway Department
engineers withdrew a letter ordering a developer to stop construction because
it didn't receive the county's approval. When
o Before the decision, county engineers
required projects to meet development standards pertaining to a site's design,
drainage and transportation. Those standards included stormwater management,
building setbacks, lot layout and a requirement that 20 percent of the
property's acreage be open space. Under the new standard, in addition to
building codes,
o Multifamily developments outside a
municipality's corporate limits -- but within an up to three-mile area in which
it can exercise police powers and issue building permits -- will still have to
meet some city standards.
o County officials said they have
reviewed multifamily projects in
o At the heart of the problem are
confusing and separate codes that define subdivisions for counties and for
cities, and oversight of those entities in planning jurisdictions. Varying
interpretations of whether entities can include multifamily in the subdivision
category create another layer of confusion, along with different laws that
relate to condominiums.
·
Building Codes: The Baldwin County Commission voted
to require future construction to meet the 2006 International Building Code
series, starting Sept. 2007. The new standards will apply to all new construction,
renovations or repairs on structures in unincorporated Baldwin and the
municipalities of Elberta and Magnolia Springs. PR 7/4/07
o A report from Insurance Services
Office Inc. stated that if the county didn't adopt the newer codes, its rating
for homes in rural
·
Condos: Under
·
Wetlands: A zoning rule that applies to development
plans submitted after Jan. 1, 2007 cuts in half the number of housing units
allowed on wetlands and requires buildings to be built at least 30 feet from
all wetlands (the previous standard called for 5-foot setbacks from wetlands).
·
Flood-Prone Zoning: The Baldwin County Commission has
postponed a vote on a moratorium on new subdivisions, commercial and other
developments for up to six months or until the commission adopts zoning
regulations for about 1,016 square miles of unincorporated land, or 60% of the
unincorporated county, deemed flood-prone by federal maps. Single-family home
construction would not be affected, nor would projects that applied for
building or land-use permits before the moratorium began. PR 10/10/07,
10/17/07, 12/19/07, 1/16/08
o Commissioners said that they want the
states attorney general's opinion on the method used to establish the
boundaries for the areas subject to the regulations. County officials divided the county into
40-acre sections. If any of these intersect with flood-prone areas identified
by federal maps, the entire area would be subject to the regulations. Attorney
general opinions are advisory in nature and not legally binding. County
officials used the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Federal Emergency Management
Agency maps to define the flood-prone areas. Opponents of the regulations,
however, have contended that the regulations can only apply to areas identified
by FEMA's 100-year-flood maps.
o In the past, zoning regulations have
been imposed only after a majority vote supporting them in one of 30
unincorporated districts. But the 1971 act gives the county the authority to
establish zoning regulations to combat flooding risks, county officials have
said.
o A group organized by Bay Minette
lawyer Dan Blackburn called the Baldwin County Property Owners Alliance described
the proposal in a full-page
ad in the Baldwin Register as an effort to impose zoning without a vote of
the people. The Friends
of Baldwin, a new environmental group with about 5,000 members, supports
the proposed regulations.
o The Baldwin County Commission voted 2-2 on whether to seek an
attorney general's opinion, resulting in the motion failing and indicating that
flood-prone zoning doesn't have enough support to move forward in its current
form, and possibly not at all. Commissioners Wayne Gruenloh and Skip Gruber
voted in favor of seeking the opinion , while
Commissioners Frank Burt and Ed Bishop expressed concern about moving forward
with a process described by Bishop as a "shortcut" to zoning. Bishop
said, however, that he would support narrowing the area that would be zoned to
only include property that Federal Emergency Management Agency maps indicate
are subject to flooding once every 100 years.
·
Municipalities
can establish an agreement with the Baldwin County Commission to enact some
development oversight within five miles of their corporate limits. Baldwin
municipalities enacting oversight over their planning jurisdictions include Fairhope, Daphne, Foley,
·
A
new state law allows Baldwin County and its 13 municipalities to assess as much
as a 1 percent (of market value) impact
fee to pay for the impact that new development has on government services
including police and fire protection, roads and bridges, parks and library
needs. It forces cities to spend the
collected revenue in a two-year window.
o
o
The
impact fees would most likely be paid by a developer or builder. Ultimately,
however, the extra cost will be passed on to the home buyer.
o The collected fees must fund expected
construction, expansion and improvements to buildings, roads and other needed
services created by new development within a municipality or unincorporated
areas. The money collected from the fees cannot be used for current operations
and maintenance, according to the law.
The law also requires that the fee be based on the current level of
services, meaning an impact fee cannot be used to increase services in a
municipality.
Fairhope Regulations
·
Fairhope's
planning jurisdiction extends 1½ miles outside the city limits under a 1991
agreement with the county. Recent flood-prone zoning proposals by the county
have concerned the city council regarding this authority. -PR1/16/08
·
Fairhope
Planning Director Gregg Mims said the city needs more regulatory control over
condominium and apartment developments proposed in unzoned areas of the city's
planning jurisdiction. PR 12/17/06
o Mims plans to ask the City Council to
send a question to Attorney General Troy King as to whether condominiums or
apartment complexes constitute a "subdivision."
o Fairhope officials also need to know
whether they can regulate multi-family residential developments as subdivisions
in unzoned areas of its planning jurisdiction, he said. Right now, a developer
need only obtain a building permit from the city to construct high-rise condos
or apartment complexes in unzoned areas just outside Fairhope, but within its
five-mile planning jurisdiction. Attorneys for the county said the definition
of a subdivision in state and local law also needs clarification.
Foley Regulations
·
Controlling growth has been an issue in Foley, which
is the state's fasting-growing city of more than 10,000.
·
In
June 2006, the Foley City Council approved an indefinite moratorium on
apartment construction.
o The Foley City Council has hired Barge
Waggoner Sumner & Cannon Inc. of
o In June 2006, the Fairhope City
Council imposed a six-month moratorium on new subdivision applications within
the city limits and its planning jurisdiction to allow leaders to update the city's
5-year-old comprehensive plan, while also studying drainage and traffic.
·
KPS Group Inc., an architecture and design firm with offices in
·
o The City
Council approved an ordinance in 2006 that restricts the practice, forcing condo
developers to seek a "conditional use permit" before using
residential property for beach access. But former district attorney David
Whetstone said that the three condominiums -- Bel Sole,
·
The
city of
·
A
1996 court decision set the northern border of Gulf Shores and the southern
boundary of Foley at Baldwin County 10, which, if stretched east beyond the
Foley Beach Express, would become Russian Road.
·
The
impact fee, or development fee, was
adopted by the city of
·
Landowners must have at least 10 acres to qualify for
planned unit development status.
·
The city adopted a land-use plan for
·
·
Though building height limits have been exceeded in
nearly every part of
·
The Orange Beach City Council adopted new guidelines for
elected officials to follow when they meet with developers after the
iondictment of Mayor Steve Russo. Among the requirements of the policy are that
the meetings be held during normal business hours -- weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. -- either on the proposed project site or at municipal facilities, such as
City Hall or the Community Development office. Also, the rules require elected
officials to be accompanied by a peer or a city employee.
·
PR 8/2/07
Spanish
·
Eastern Shore Centre is a 500,000-square-foot
"lifestyle center" filled with upscale tenants which opened in 2004.
It is
o The 200 acre site was developed by Charlie
Trotman of
Montgomery, David Foshee of Foshee Realty in
o Anchor tenants include
Dillards and Belk. Junior anchors are
Barnes & Noble and Bed,
o Eastern
Shore Centre also includes the 250,000 square foot
·
Spanish Fort Town Center is a 800,000
square-foot retail center planned at I-10 and U.S. 98, anchored by a
140,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shop. PR 11/26/06, PR 4/3/07
o Cypress Equities in
o
o The latest plans for
o
o
Daphne Commercial
Development
·
o Aronov Property Management's agreement
with Daphne, approved in April 2006, called for Aronov to accept $8.8 million
from Daphne for infrastructure.
·
The Renaissance Center is 69-acre retail center adjacent to
the
o The city's Planning and Zoning
Commission recently denied a
o The Daphne City Council approved
economic development agreement that commits the city to backing a bond issue --
likely about $8 million -- to construct roads and infrastructure for the
·
Foley Commercial Development
·
The Tanger Outlet Center on
·
Foley
Retail Center, a
32,170-square-foot center next to the
·
Colonial Pinnacle Craft
Farms, a lifestyle center on
o In 2004, the Gulf Shores City Council
negotiated a deal with the developers of Colonial Pinnacle in which
o Lifestyle centers have an open-air
design, and tenants include upscale retail chains, local specialty stores and
one or more big-box retailers. The lifestyle center differs from a mall in that
shoppers can drive up to the storefront where they want to shop.
o Colonial Properties Trust sold most of
its interest in the mall for $53.8 million. It will retain a 15 percent stake,
and will continue to manage and lease the space. Langley Properties Co., a
private
o Colonial also has an 8-acre parcel at
the corner of
·
The Gulf Shores City Council approved a $20 million
revenue-sharing agreement that will lead to development of a medical center and
outdoor mall on a tract north of the
o
o
The property, 37.5 acres arranged in a backward
"L" shape at the southeast corner of Baldwin County 4 and
·
The
office market at the Gulf has been scarce, but it is starting to emerge,
according to Leonard Kaiser. He couldn't find an existing building for his new
office, so he bought the land on
·
Small businesses have had trouble staying open along
·
Spanish
Fort Mixed-Use Developments
·
The Highlands of Spanish Fort is an
11,000-acre development on land owned by International Paper Realty. Plans
include 26 residential neighborhoods, three multi-family areas, 10 spots for
churches, six school sites, four public parks and three emergency services
centers. PR 8/20/07, 9/16/07, 11/22/07, 1/6/08
o
Each
neighborhood contains spots for shopping and parks within a half-mile of every
home. The landowners envision 9.7 miles of new roads, 168 acres of parks and
pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly pathways. The entire project could take as
many as 50 years to complete.
o
IP
will build the roads and infrastructure, and will sell the land in 70- to
1,200-acre tracts to developers who will construct the homes, churches, schools
and commercial space.
o
There
are 2,248 acres of wetlands on the property, and IP plans to protect more than
that by requiring a 20-foot buffer between all the home sites and wetlands.
o
Developers
for each subdivision would first approach an International Paper architectural
group, known as the Development Review Committee, with rules that meet the
city's standards, and then present those plans to the city.
o
The
landowners envision a new 9.6-mile main traffic artery, called Highlands Trace, that would run towards Bay Minette.
o
Commercial
is priced at $80,000 per acre and residential land is $25,000 per upland acre.
A wetlands acre is priced at $1,100 per acre.
o
Developer
Jeff Thompson's Stone Brook 250-lot subdivision will be the first of 26 to be built
in The Highlands of Spanish Fort. He paid $2 million for 80 acres.
o
University
of South Alabama economics professor Semoon Chang predicted that the
development would create about 162,000 jobs during construction, the total
output of construction is expected to be about $8.5 billion, and could generate
wages as much as $4.5 billion. He predicted that at the height of the project,
in 2022, The Highlands would provide jobs for about 7,000 people. Infrastructure
could cost more than $40 million. Chang said that the average price of a home
built in The Highlands would be roughly $200,000 and he expected that most of
the people living at The Highlands would be those employed by the new
ThyssenKrupp steel plant, EADS-Northrop Grumman air tankers and Interstate 10
construction workers. PR 5/22/08, 5/31/08
Loxley Mixed-Use Developments
·
Golden Triangle
residential community on 3,900 acres in Loxley is slated to have home
construction start in early 2008. The community -- billed as affordable housing
-- will also include schools, retail and homes for active adults aged 55 and
up. Atlanta-based PEC Development Group designs the planned community, builds
the infrastructure and amenities, and sells lots or parcels of land to builders
like Adams Homes, Mitchell Company and D.R. Horton. The group paid more than
$35 million for the property. The land is shaped like a triangle and bounded
west by U.S. 31, on the east by
·
Roans Creek:
International Paper is planning a mixed-use community on 5,600 acres in Loxley
between
Fairhope Mixed-Use Developments
·
·
Village North is a
108-acre development in Fairhope that includes 46 acres known as the
"Triangle," which is bounded by U.S. 98,
o
The
Triangle tract has been the subject of a legal and political battle between the
city and the Dyas family since Charles Dyas first attempted to develop it in
1972. The city sought to prevent commercial development on Fairhope's north
side.
o
The
council approved a planned unit development arrangement in 2002, clearing the
way for the Village North development. The lawsuits were either dismissed by a
judge or rendered moot by the council's rezoning approval.
o
In
December 2007, Fairhopes Planning and Zoning
Commission denied the developer's request for a 46,000-square-foot Publix grocery
store as an exception to the city's present cap of 30,000 square feet. The
Dyases later withdrew a request for a 54,000 sq-ft Publix grocery store PR
12/4/07
o
The
Dyases are suing the city of
o
Village North Schematic (PR)
·
Fly Creek is a planned 835 unit development at US 98 and Parker Road by
developer Arthur Corte on 213 acres owned by his family with a mix of single
family homes, condos, townhomes, street-level retail units with second-floor
apartments, smaller retailers and possibly a Publix grocery store PR 10/11/06
o
When
Arthur Corte applied for annexation into Fairhope of Fly Creek, he asked for
zoning that would permit a shopping center with a big traditional supermarket. He
needed no exception to land use ordinances to accommodate Publix at his site.
Pete Glezer, Lagniappe,
12/4/07
o Jacksonville, Fla.-based Regency
Centers acquired 11 acres at Fly Creek to develop the 85,000-square-foot
Shoppes at
Point Clear Mixed-Use Developments
·
The Colony at the Grand in
Point Clear first 56-unit condominium building is Bayview on 175 wooded acres
starting at the northwest corner of
Foley Mixed-Use Developments
·
The
Palms at Foley is a planned $175 million mixed-use development by
Nashville-based Woerner Holdings on 120 acres on Highway 59. The project will
contain 400,000 square feet of retail, a restaurant row, a hotel, and 425
condominiums and 425 apartments, all under a Mediterranean theme. Grand opening
for the project was tentatively scheduled for May 2009. Southeast
Real Estate Business, 9/06
·
The Wharf at Orange Beach is a 220-acre development with a mix
of more than 1 million square feet of retail and restaurant space, 1,600
condos, a hotel, a 208-slip marina, a 10,200-seat amphitheater and a 112-foot
Ferris wheel. The resort is anchored by a private clubhouse and will include
pools and nature trails.
o
AIG
Baker Shopping Center Properties is the
o
The
o
In
the 190-unit Levin's Bend tower at The Wharf, 33 buyers had filed lawsuits in
either state or federal court seeking to get out of deals to buy 37 condo units
worth $20.7 million. When the Levin's
o
Baker
purchased the Gulf Shores Golf Club in downtown
o
AIG
Baker has purchased 3.5 acres on the Gulf of Mexico, just west of Phoenix West
in
o
A
group of former and existing tenants at The Wharf's shopping district on the
Intracoastal Waterway in
·
Bama Bayou is a $300 million development on the
north shore of the Intracoastal Waterway, will span the Foley Beach Express
with five condotel buildings on the west side and on the east a separate
650-unit resort, a 68,000-square-foot convention center, a Gulf World Marine
Park, shops and a marina. PR 9/7/06
o
Joe
Raley Builders and The Mitchell Company are partners in the project, formerly
called
o
It
will include 440 units that are individually owned like condos but rented daily
like hotels.
o
The
development's water park will be built along the western edge of the Foley
Beach Express.
o
The developers agreed to buy the 144-acre site from the
city. The land was originally purchased by
o
The
developers of Bama Bayou have asked the City Council to help them finance a $35
million convention center and hotel planned for the property by creating a
special district that will allow them to collect an extra 2 percent sales and
lodgings tax and then rebate to them 2 percent of the sales and lodgings taxes
generated by the project. That $35 million would be part of the $200 million in
tax-free bonds allocated to Bama Bayou by the state through the Gulf
Opportunity Zone Act PR 9/30/07
·
Blackwater, also developed by AIG Baker, will be
a 3,400-acre development on woodlands about a dozen miles north of The Wharf.
The property will have retail, restaurant and hotel projects along with some
small office buildings, and 1,600 homes that will range from $200,000 to $2 million.
The Perdido and Blackwater rivers come together at the site, giving access to
the Gulf.
·
East
of the Dr. W.C. Holmes Bridge on Alabama 59 is Lulu's Landing, a 6,000-square-foot restaurant owned by Lucy
Buffett, sister of singer Jimmy
Buffett.
Adjacent is the 27-acre site for Homeport
Marina. A few dozen condos are also planned for the property, which is
owned by former Krispy Kreme executive Joseph A. "Mac" McAleer Jr.,
city officials said.
·
Colonial Traditions
is
a mixed-use development which will include 25 acres of commercial development
and as many as seven residential villages. It is on the site of the former
188-acre Woodlands golf course off
·
Gulf
Shores Mixed-Use Developments
·
Envision
Gulf Shores
calls for a pedestrian-friendly business district centered on the municipal
beach. The plan, developed after hurricane Ivan, envisions city block-sized
resorts that combine condos, hotel rooms, restaurants, shops and hidden parking
lots interspersed with public spaces and wide promenades. PR 10/3/07
·
Developer
Shaul Zislin and his business partners, working as Beach Place Development LLC,
bought the 2.3-acre block of businesses on the beach side of
·
The
site, a city block known as
·
Plans
call for The Beach, a commercial district with shops, restaurants and
condominium units. Zislin had planned to build a 32-story tower there with
bottom floors filled with 90,000 square feet of retail and eateries, five
levels of parking and upper floors holding 225 condo units.
·
Zislin
told the Gulf Shores City Council in October 2007 that he plans to wait on
building a mixed-use tower and put a restaurant there until the market
improves. Zislin said it may be up to five years before the real estate market
will support such an endeavor.
·
o
The
developers, HSK Properties LLC, plans
include a 20-story hotel tower on a three-story base of restaurants, spas,
shops, and public parking.
o
o
Ray
Hix and Haymes Snedeker, who is also Fairhope's municipal judge, are partners
in HSK Properties with three people from
o
Park
Place will also kick start another component of the Envision plan by forcing
closure of part of East Second Avenue, which runs down the middle of the
project site. In exchange, the developers will give the city an equal amount of
property to the north of the resort on which to reroute
·
Colonial
Properties Trust is building a mixed-use community on the former Woodlands golf
course at
·
Production
has slowed for most builders in
·
As of January 2007 more than 2,340 residential lots are
set to be developed in
·
In 2006, the Foley Planning Commission gave preliminary
approval for subdivisions that included 2,227 lots on 723 acres. Many of those
lots have not been developed, with city officials saying that developers are
waiting for the market to improve.
·
The glut of condo units for sale at the Gulf has caused
some subdivision developers and builders to pull back, slow down or just stop
until the inventory is sold, agents said. PR 1/22/07
o An unused
building permit expires after one year in
o Baas had
sold almost 25 lots in Crimson Ridge on Baldwin 8 in
o For the
o All 106
new-home lots in the first phase of Craft Farms on Baldwin County 6 were sold
within 24 hours in December 2005. But some of the builders who bought in the
second addition have canceled, saying they have such a huge inventory of lots
o The
developers of Vintage Oaks, a 246-unit condo complex on the Foley Beach Express
south of U.S. 98 in Foley, sold enough units to start construction, but they
recently put a hold on building until some of the inventory is absorbed.
Stapleton Residential Development
·
Old Towne Commons, will be on the east side of U.S. 31,
about 1½ miles north of Stapleton. Housing is expected to sell for below
$150,000 each. It is proposed by Baldwin Ventures of Orlando, Fla., and
includes 1,416 housing units on 413 acres, including 383 apartments, 774
single-family homes and 47 acres set aside for retail and professional offices.
Bay Minette Residential Development
·
Dauer Walden, on the east and west sides of
·
Live
Oak Landing
on
Loxley Residential Development
·
Steelwood
is a 1460-acre private development and country club, which includes a Jerry
Pate-designed golf course and a 200-acre lake.
o Steelwood opened in 1997, developed by
Brewton timber magnate and developer Richard Miller who had bought the property
in 1992 from International Paper, which used it as its corporate hunting and
fishing lodge (and was owned by US Steel in 1954). The Miller Family also
developed TimberCreek and own T.R. Miller Mill Co., a timber company in
Brewton.
o Most of the 114 single-family lots in
the community were sold shortly after the development opened. In 2004, Miller
opened the development to builders and realtors.
o In 2006, Miller and his wife, Carol,
informed members and property owners of Steelwood Country Club of their plans
to sell their majority interest in the development.
Malbis Residential Development
·
Mitchell
Homes Landsdown, on Alabama 181
about 2 miles from Interstate 10's Malbis exit, has 62 lots with homes priced
in the $250,000s to $350,000. The one- and two-story homes range from 2,100 to
3,000 square feet.
·
Adams
Homes' 40-lot Rileywood subdivision
is adjacent to Landsdown on
Spanish Fort Residential Development
·
Spanish Fort Estates on
·
In
·
Whitehouse Creek subdivision off
·
Other
Spanish Fort Subdivisions: Blakley Forest; Blakely Ridge; Saluda Ridge; Westminster
Gates; Blakely Oaks; Falls Church; Stratford
Glen; Woodlands Spanish Fort; Wilson Heights has 1960s-era houses;
Spanish Village; Oakridge, Wakefield; the Lakes of Spanish Fort; Shenandoah,
Girdletree.
Daphne Residential Development
·
Developer
Trae Corte is developing the Bellaton
subdivision on
· TimberCreek golf course and subdivision were developed by the Miller family of Brewton and Allen Cox. It was annexed into Daphne in the 1990s.
·
Oldfield:
Four
homes are under construction and lot sales are under way in the 151-lot first phase of this development on
·
Fairhope Residential
Development
·
Rock Creek
o In 1876, A. A. Corte, an Italian
immigrant working as a miner in
o The land remained in the Dyas family
until 1992, at which time it was sold to David Head. Mr. Head and Kenny McLean developed
the Rock Creek subdivision as a planned unit development centered around a golf course designed by Earl Stone. The first lots
were sold in 1993.
o In the late 1990's, Jim Tanner
purchased the development company, Rock Creek Properties, LLC from Head and
McLean. The golf course was sold to Honours, Inc. in the late 1990's. The tennis,
swim and fitness club was sold to John and Beth Dotson in 2003.
o Control of Phases 1-4, was turned over
to the homeowners in 1998 as Rock
Creek Property Owners Association, Inc. Phases 5-7 were turned over to the
homeowners in 2004 as the Eastern Rock Creek Property Owners Association.
·
Quail Creek is off
·
Stone Creek is under construction on 330 acres
off
·
The Waters at Fairhope on
·
Benchmark's
82-lot Woodlawn on Baldwin County 44
in Fairhope has homes starting at $169,500. The amenities include a two-car
garage, a screened porch, 9-foot ceilings, stainless steel appliances and
garden tub.
·
Magnolia Springs Residential Development
·
SweetBay, would sit along Baldwin County 49
about five miles south of Magnolia Springs. SweetBay's factory-built modular
housing units would range in price from $95,000 to $145,000, according to
Walter Bolton, president and chief executive officer of BES Inc., which
designed the development. The SweetBay development has 2,324 residential units
on 280 acres. Those units include 792 multi-family units, 416 duplexes and 949
single-family residences. The development also includes about 100,000 square
feet for commercial and office space. Samaritan Development, of
·
Live Oak Farms is a 120-lot subdivision that has
received preliminary county approval PR 7/22/07
Marlow Residential Development
·
A
development with nearly 630 residential units, winding walking trails, and
commercial businesses may become the first major development in Marlow by
Gooden Homes on 229 acres on the northeast corner of Baldwin County 9 and
Elberta Residential Development
·
Joe
Raley Builders of Orange Beach and investor partners paid $7.3 million for 255
acres known as Sandy Creek Farms on U.S. 98 near
Bon Secour Residential Development
·
Sunset Bay, on the
·
Pensinsula
was
developed in 1995 on 800 acres on
·
Craft Farms
was
developed in 1988 by R.C. and Robert Craft
o In 1953 R.C. Craft bought 870 acres of
farmland north of
o In 1988, the Crafts developed the
Craft Farms subdivision and convinced Arnold Palmer to design the Cotton Creek
golf course. In 1998, Palmer designed the Cypress Bend course at Craft Farms.
o In 1994, Craft bought the Woodlands
course which was under development by Japanese investors across Hwy. 59 (and
named the Links at Brights Creek). In
2005, Craft sold the Woodlands for $12 million to Colonial Properties trust,
who plan to create the mixed-use Colonial
Traditions.
·
Construction of the 490-unit Emerald Greens golf community on Baldwin County 6 is "is full
speed ahead and is being built no matter what happens with the market,"
said Chris Harrell of Lindsey Real Estate. More than 100 units have sold in the
past year at prices from $179,000 to $399,000, he said. The project includes a nine-hole
executive golf course.
·
Volume
home builder
o Brookhaven off Whispering Pines Road
in Daphne will have 135 homes with amenities and sizes similar to Landsdown,
with prices from the $250,000s to the $350,000s.
o Woodland Trace on Baldwin County 55 in
Loxley will have 82 cottage- and traditional-style homes in the $150s to
$200,000.
o Stonefield on Baldwin County 55 and
o Malbis on
o
o The Mobile-based company will market
the 70 lots in Audubon off
Orange Beach Residential Development
·
The
Retreat at Orange Beach features 112
single-family home lots and a marina on about 70 acres along Bay La Launch. The
land, just west of
·
Plans for The
Fountains on Canal were criticized by the Orange Beach City Council for
lacking green space. Proposed by developer Robert Orlich, the designs called
for 56 houses and 30 condo units on about 10 acres between the Twin Lakes
Condominium and the Sawgrass Apartments. According to the plans, only a section
of wetlands at the rear of the property, which couldn't be developed anyway,
was being set aside as green space. "There are plans that are just like Legos,
you just line up the Legos and try to get as many of them into a square as you
can. And then to use the wetlands as your green space ...,"
·
Portage
Creek Condominiums with 507 units were approved in 2005 for a tract along
the
·
The
·
·
A total of 1,611 condo units were scheduled to open at
the Gulf in 2006, but only 1,366 did; 1,027 new units are scheduled to open in
2007,
and more than 900 in 2008.
·
In 2006, large, new condo projects came on the market,
but in 2007 there are mostly small projects coming on line.
·
The
size and style of the new condo buildings has changed considerably. They are
adding larger, more modern, three-and four-bedroom condo units versus one- or
two-bedroom condos or suite hotels.
·
Condo
projects scheduled to close in 2006 included Caribe Resort's phase 3 in Orange
Beach, 200 units; Bella Luna, 132 units on Old River in Perdido Key; and
Crystal Tower, 170 units, and San Carlos, 150 units, both in Gulf Shores.
Spanish
·
There
are numerous high-end subdivisions on
·
The Blakeley at Cypress Point is a condo development on the west
side of