Bridle Creek: 344-Home Daphne-Area Development Heads to Public Hearing June 16
A developer is asking Baldwin County to rezone about 153 acres of farmland north of County Road 54 for a 344-lot planned community with a clubhouse, pool and an 8- to 9-acre lake. Neighbors on River Road North have written the county objecting to survey crews' use of what they say is a private road.
The Baldwin County Commission is scheduled to hold back-to-back public hearings June 16 on a pair of land-use requests that would clear the way for Bridle Creek, a 344-home planned residential development on roughly 153.5 acres of farmland in the Daphne area. The regular meeting begins at 10 a.m. at the Fairhope Satellite Courthouse, 1100 Fairhope Avenue.
The first hearing, item ES3, covers Case No. Z25-62, a request to rezone the Morgan property from Rural Agricultural to Residential Single-Family (RSF-2). The second, item ES4 (Case No. PRD25-09), seeks conceptual site plan approval for the development itself. The land sits north of County Road 54 and west of River Road North, according to the planning staff report. The property owner is listed as Millard Morgan of Bradenton, Florida; the applicant is Larry Smith of S.E. Civil Engineering & Surveying in Fairhope.
Staff report, page 1 — property details, acreage and zoning for the two cases.
The rezoning would raise the allowed density from 0.33 dwelling units per acre under the current agricultural zoning to as much as 2.9 under RSF-2, the staff report states. The plan proposes 2.24 units per acre — 344 lots, where up to 445 would be permitted — built in four phases. The lot mix runs from 192 lots at 53 feet wide to three at 120 feet, with requested deviations that include lot sizes starting at 7,155 square feet and six-foot side setbacks on the narrowest lots.
About 44.79 acres would be set aside as open space, including 26.04 acres for amenities: a clubhouse, pool, an outdoor pavilion, a playground, multi-use courts, and a dock and pier on an 8- to 9-acre lake. A separate 3.82-acre parcel would be donated to the Belforest Fire Department for a future fire station and training facility, according to the report.
County planning staff found the request consistent with the Master Plan's Moderate Development Density designation for the area and recommends approval of the rezoning. Final site plans would still be required for each phase before any construction begins.
Staff report, page 6 — staff comments and the recommendation of approval.
Not everyone is on board. One letter of concern is included in the packet, from Jeremy and Renee Chapman, who own property at the north end of River Road North. The letter contends that the unpaved portion of River Road North is a private easement maintained by adjoining owners, and says survey crews have used it with heavy equipment without permission. It also says a boundary hedge of trees has been partially cleared without the owners' consent, and asks the county to clarify the rights involved. The packet does not include a response from the applicant or developer.
The same session includes four other rezoning hearings — the Goodrich (Z25-53), Sweetwater Investments (Z25-55), Peturis (Z26-15) and GPS Land Company (Z26-17) properties — listed on the agenda by title only. Residents who want to speak at any hearing must fill out a speaker form before the meeting; comments are limited to three minutes per person, with five minutes for a group spokesperson.