North of Bay Minette, the Vote That Decides What Gets Built Next Door

On June 30, 2026, voters in Stockton brought their planning district under Baldwin County zoning, 215 to 161. The project that set off the vote is still moving. Before anyone voted, the county had already accepted Silicon Ranch's applications for its solar development near I-65 and Highway 59, and accepted applications are protected from rules adopted later.

That sequence matters to anyone pricing rural land north of Bay Minette. In the unincorporated communities of Stockton, Rabun, Tensaw and Lottie, the zoning status on the map tells only half the story. The other half is the calendar: when a district voted, and what had already been filed by that day.

The Filing Date Beat the Ballot

Silicon Ranch, a Nashville-based solar developer linked to Meta, bought nearly 4,500 acres of timberland and wetlands for two large solar fields that will connect to Alabama Power's grid. The 4,500 acres is the whole property. The solar arrays themselves are planned for about 2,000 acres.

AL.com reported that the county had formally accepted two applications before the vote. One was a subdivision exemption, already issued, that lets Silicon Ranch combine the parcels it owns. The other was a land-disturbance permit for part of the site, which had passed technical review and received conditional approval. That approval still depends on permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.

County spokesperson Jessica Waters explained how that works:

"Any complete development permit application that has been formally accepted by the County prior to the zoning referendum vote shall be deemed to possess vested, grandfathered status. Accordingly, such permits would not be subject to any zoning ordinance or regulatory requirements adopted as a result of the referendum, should the referendum be approved."

Residents found out about the project after developers had been working on it for nearly two years, according to a Stockton board member of Friends of the Tensaw River who spoke at a Lottie town hall. Alabama Power's project page says construction is expected to start in 2027, with operation by 2028.

Here is the 2026 sequence:

Why the Gap Between Petition and Map Matters

Zoning in unincorporated Baldwin County has to start with citizens. Under Alabama law the county can't impose it. The county's Zoning in Baldwin page lays out the steps:

1. Residents send the County Commission a letter of intent. Staff checks the statutory requirements, and the commission decides whether to issue petition forms.
2. Petitioners get 120 days to collect signatures from 10% of the district's registered voters.
3. The probate judge has 45 days to certify the petition. An insufficient petition gets 60 more days to be completed.
4. Once a petition is sufficient, the commission asks the probate judge to schedule an election within 90 days. A simple majority yes vote brings the district under county zoning.
5. The yes vote starts a 180-day moratorium. A five-member advisory committee of registered voters then works with county staff on a zoning map and ordinance, and the Planning Commission and County Commission make the final call.

Add those steps up and a district can spend most of a year moving from letter to finished map. During that time, a properly submitted development application is excluded from the moratorium. So the rules for a given parcel depend on where its district sits in this sequence, and on whether a large project nearby filed before or after a given step.

Each parcel's starting designation depends on the advisory committee too, which looks at current uses, lot sizes and similar factors before recommending a map. Stockton's moratorium began June 30, so its 180 days run to about late December 2026. As of this writing, the county's Advisory Committees page lists no active zoning advisory committees. We found no public report of a draft Stockton map yet.

Where Each North Baldwin District Stands in October

Gulf Coast Media splits the area north of Bay Minette into three planning districts. Each one is at a different stage.

• District 3, Stockton. Voted for zoning June 30. Under its moratorium, the map has not been drawn. The Silicon Ranch applications went in before the vote and are grandfathered.
• District 2, Rabun. The county accepted Rabun's letter of intent in May. NBC 15 reported on June 25 that organizers did not yet have enough signatures for a referendum. The county's election listing shows only a District 3 election, and we found no later public update on Rabun's petition. The Silicon Ranch project crosses both District 3 and District 2.
• District 1, Tensaw, Lottie, Blacksher and Little River. Described in June as exploring zoning. The May town hall in Lottie covered two proposed solar sites: a 3,431-acre project involving timber company Rayonier and EDF Renewables, and a separate site of about 1,129 acres tied to NextEra Energy. We found no reporting since May on whether either one has advanced.

Developers have a reason to look at this part of the county. At the Lottie meeting, residents pointed to the high-voltage transmission lines running through Tensaw and Lottie toward Atmore as the draw. Land near an existing transmission corridor is the kind of land utility-scale solar looks for. That puts the open timberland around Lottie in a different position from a wooded homesite with no lines nearby.

The October Pause Covers Less Ground Than the Headline

On October 6, the Baldwin County Commission voted unanimously for a 180-day moratorium on rezoning requests and new data-center and renewable-energy projects. That pause runs into early April 2027. It applies in county-zoned areas. District 1 Commissioner Jeb Ball, who made the motion, said staff were overwhelmed, with 14 rezoning cases already set for an upcoming meeting. The county also has no planning director right now and is still working on its Master Plan and Future Land Use Map.

District 3 Commissioner Billie Jo Underwood described the pause as preparation for growth, not a stop to it. She said that, to her knowledge, nobody had approached the commission about a data center in Baldwin County.

Since the moratorium applies only in zoned areas, the parts of north Baldwin that are still unzoned stay outside it. The same Gulf Coast Media report notes that projects properly submitted before a district's zoning moratorium can go ahead. The makeup of the commission is also about to change. At least three of the four commissioners will be new after the November election.

Across the Escambia Line, the Ballot Option Doesn't Exist

Baldwin's district-by-district process is unusual in Alabama. Alabama follows Dillon's Rule, so counties can only use powers the Legislature or the state constitution gives them. AL.com reported that few counties can hold a special election to bring zoning to rural areas.

Escambia County, AL is a nearby example. In May, Commissioner Brandon Smith said several sites in west Escambia were being considered for a data center, and that he did not support it. In June the commission passed a resolution opposing data center development, citing energy costs, water supply, noise, light, wildlife and effects on residential areas. AL.com reported that the resolution "lacks teeth," because the commission has no zoning authority and can't adopt ordinances that would keep a data center out.

For someone weighing land on both sides of the county line, that leaves three situations. Inside Bay Minette's city limits, the city's own zoning applies, since incorporated municipalities have zoning authority. In unincorporated north Baldwin, residents can vote themselves into zoning, but it only reaches projects that weren't filed before the vote. Across the line in Escambia County, a resolution can state the county's position but can't control land use.

What Zoning Changes for the Owner of a Homesite

The county's FAQ answers the practical questions:

• Property taxes. Baldwin County assesses taxes on how a property is actually used, zoned or not. Timber land zoned commercial is still taxed as agricultural. After a yes vote, a $10 per-parcel fee may be charged for two years.
• Existing homes and barns. Existing structures and uses are grandfathered. They lose that status if there is a change such as abandonment, severe damage or a proposed expansion.
• New building. A new house, barn or pool, or an addition, needs site plan approval from Planning and Zoning before the building permit application.
• A voice on neighboring projects. In a zoned district, rezoning requests go to public hearings before the Planning Commission and County Commission. In an unzoned community, large commercial developments get no public hearing. Subdivision proposals do get a hearing, but the Planning Commission can't weigh concerns about compatibility.

The county's Planning Maps page links to the Parcel Viewer, which shows planning districts and parcel zoning. Unzoned parcels have no zoning color. The county warns that the map is for information only and may not show recent rezonings. Because Stockton's map hasn't been drawn, a District 3 parcel can still look uncolored even though the district voted for zoning in June.

When land north of Bay Minette changes hands, the useful questions go beyond the parcel's own zoning. They include which district it sits in, how far that district has gotten through the process, and what large applications nearby were filed before each step. If you're looking at acreage around Stockton, Rabun, Tensaw or Lottie and want to talk through what's on file near a parcel, the team at PHD Realty brings years of local planning and zoning experience to that conversation, and we'll gladly look it over with you. Contact us.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.