Fairhope Council to Weigh Fourth Extension of Residential Development Moratorium
An ordinance on the June 29 agenda would extend Fairhope's pause on higher-density residential and subdivision applications — in place since February 2025 — by one month, through Aug. 16. That is a shorter step than the city's earlier extensions, even though the zoning overhaul behind the pause isn't expected to take effect until 2027.
The Fairhope City Council is set to consider an ordinance that would extend the city's temporary suspension of certain residential development applications for one more month when it meets Monday, June 29, listed as item 10 on the agenda.
Agenda memorandum recommending the ordinance to extend the development moratorium — Jun 29 meeting packet.
Ordinance extending Fairhope's residential development moratorium, page 2 — Jun 29 meeting packet.
According to the meeting packet, the current suspension is set to expire July 17, 2026, and the proposed ordinance would extend it one additional month, through Aug. 16, 2026. Planning Director Hunter Simmons recommended the council adopt it, the agenda memorandum shows.
The pause applies to multiple-occupancy project applications containing three or more residential dwelling units and to subdivision applications with three or more residential lots smaller than 10,500 square feet each — the higher-density categories the city has targeted from the start. Its stated purpose, the ordinance says, is "to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of the people" of Fairhope while the city evaluates traffic, parking, and water and sewer capacity and weighs amendments to its zoning ordinance.
A pause that began in early 2025
The measure is not new. Fairhope first adopted the development pause in February 2025, approving a nine-month moratorium on new multiple-occupancy and certain subdivision applications. City officials said the goal was to give Fairhope time to catch up on infrastructure — particularly water and sewer capacity — and to revise its comprehensive plan and subdivision regulations amid rapid growth, according to coverage from WKRG and Gulf Coast Media.
The pause has always been scoped rather than total: it targets the higher-density categories above, while single-family homes and other applications outside those categories have continued to move forward.
The council has extended it three times since — in late 2025, again in early 2026, and a third time in March 2026, according to reporting by the Fairhope Times and Gulf Coast Media. The June 29 ordinance would be the fourth extension.
Why the extensions keep coming
The recurring extensions are tied to an unfinished zoning overhaul. The city has been working on revisions to its zoning ordinance — including proposed limits on new residential uses in commercial districts and tighter rules on apartments and mixed-use projects — that have drawn public comment but have not yet been adopted. Until that work is complete, the council has repeatedly opted to keep the development pause in place.
What stands out about the June 29 measure is its length. The council's previous extension, approved in March, ran four months — the 120-day window that set the current July 17 expiration. This one runs a single month, to Aug. 16. The packet does not explain the shorter window, and the overhaul the pause is meant to bridge is far from finished: the city has said the new zoning rules are intended to take effect Jan. 1, 2027, according to earlier reporting. A one-month extension would carry the city only to mid-August — well short of that — meaning the council would have to take the moratorium up yet again, or let it lapse, before the zoning work is done. Council President Jack Burrell has said at past extensions that the pause could be continued if the city was not ready.
Fairhope is not alone
Several Baldwin County cities have reached for the same tool as the region absorbs rapid growth. Gulf Shores approved a 12-month moratorium in March 2026 covering rezonings, new planned-unit developments, conditional-use permits and major subdivisions while it writes a new comprehensive plan. Robertsdale enacted a six-month pause on high-density residential development in January 2026, citing strain on its sewer system.
And Daphne is weighing one of its own: the City Council gave a first reading on June 15 to a 180-day moratorium on new multi-family development, tied to a comprehensive overhaul of its Land Use and Development Ordinance, with a vote expected in July (our coverage). Foley adopted a similar residential pause in 2025, but it has since expired.
Developers or property owners with applications of the affected types may want to attend the June 29 meeting or contact the city for details, including the exact terms council members or staff discuss.
The council is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chamber at the Fairhope Municipal Complex, 161 North Section St.