After months of discussions, city leaders introduced proposed amendments to zoning ordinances for a public hearing during the Fairhope City Council meeting on Monday, July 13.

For more than a year, the City of Fairhope has had a moratorium in place on new developments for certain residential projects while officials worked on adjustments and amendments to city zoning ordinances to address the rapid growth the area has seen. Mayor Sherry Sullivan said growth has been "the No. 1 concern" she has heard from residents during her tenure, saying they all have the same goal in the end: to "protect and preserve the Fairhope that we all love and call home."

"These proposed changes in the zoning ordinances are not about taking away property rights; they're about finding the right balance between individual property rights, economic development and the community's responsibility to preserve the character and the quality of life that makes Fairhope special to all of us," Sullivan said. "I think what people forget is we live here, too. We own property here, we raise our families here, so any changes that we make impact us as well."

Having first been implemented in February 2025, the moratorium, a temporary freeze on specified types of new development applications, was recently extended to August as a vote on the zoning changes looms later this month.

Split across nine ordinances, some changes include a new net-density cap on townhouses, impervious surface limits in single-family neighborhoods within city limits between 30% and 45% of the lot, tighter restrictions on rules surrounding apartments and PUDs and housing developments such as single-family homes, duplexes and townhouses being removed from the city's permitted use table within business districts such as B-1 and B-2.

Drafting the amendments has been a long process for Fairhope officials. The city's planning commission recommended its approval in September 2025, but the proposed changes were put on hold for further revisions following feedback from planners and residents who voiced concerns over how it would impact residential options.

The changes were split up into different ordinances so the city wouldn't hold back progress on the entire zoning ordinance. Councilman Jimmy Conyers said he hopes to get what they can approved if there are no issues and no debate. However, he also said they can hold any back if there are parts that need continued work.

Each ordinance will be up for vote individually during the next city council meeting, which will be Monday, July 27.