Subdivision is the first to be approved under new
Planning and Zoning Department guidelines

Wednesday, February 16, 2005
By PENELOPE McCLENNY
Staff Reporter

BAY MINETTE -- A 3,500-acre subdivision planned north of the Lillian community received final approval Tuesday from Baldwin County commissioners.

The panel unanimously approved a rezoning request and concept plan for Blackwater Plantation, a 1,600-lot development geared toward emphasizing the natural features of the eastern Baldwin property, which includes numerous wetland areas and miles of waterfront on the Blackwater and Perdido rivers.

"It is a very low-density project unlike anything you've ever seen before," Allan Chason, a Bay Minette lawyer representing developers Pinnacle Communities LLC, told commissioners Tuesday.

The property sits north of Lillian and just south of the Seminole community, with a portion of the land in Planning District 22 and the northern section outside any zoning district.

The rezoning of the District 22 area increased density for that tract from rural agriculture, which allowed one home per three acres, to a single-family designation, which allows one residence per acre. Under the original zoning, the developers would only have been allowed to build about 700 homes on the southern, zoned portion of the property.

The northern, unzoned section was not affected by Tuesday's rezoning approval, and there are no density regulations in that area.

Before the vote, Chason and Pinnacle President Stan Farrell presented a slide show that included photos of the site as well as examples of the types of facilities planned for the project. The private community will boast about 25 miles of walking trails as well as canoe paths, horseback riding and areas for hunting quail and other wildlife, Farrell said.

The property also includes the mile-long Reeder Lake, which can be used for water sports and fishing, he said.

Blackwater is the first subdivision to be approved under new county Planning and Zoning Department regulations created for projects larger than 1,000 acres. The process allows developers to get initial approval on a general plan that includes the entire project, then resubmit specific plans in phases. Chason said Blackwater would likely be constructed in five phases, and estimated it will take 10 years or more for the entire community to be completed.

The new process governing large-scale plans made it easier for developers to work with members of the community during the planning stages, Chason said. As a result, the developers have agreed in the conceptual plan not to send wastewater to a Fort Morgan or Spanish Cove treatment facility, worked with family members to protect a cemetery on the site, increased the minimum house height to address flooding concerns and agreed to pave some dirt roads in the area.

"What is absolutely remarkable to me is that we've gone through this process with a minimum of controversy or opposition to the plan," Chason said Tuesday.

Compared to some of the more controversial high-density projects reviewed by Planning and Zoning Commission members, few people have spoken against the Blackwater plans during public meetings.

County Commissioner Frank Burt also praised the new application process for large-scale developments, saying it allowed flexibility for builders but "still works to keep Baldwin County what we think people want it to be."

The commissioner also noted that the subdivision was as large as some cities, but had low density. "It's a good project," he said.

Source: Mobile Register