Gulf Shores has joined a growing list of municipalities in Baldwin County that have put a pause on certain building projects while leaders work on the city's comprehensive plan for future land use.

City council members unanimously approved a 12-month moratorium, effective immediately, on certain construction applications during their regular meeting Monday, March 23.

Lee Jones, assistant city administrator, said the suspension of applications is necessary during the planning process to ensure the “vision is laid out clearly” and that the city doesn't “make any missteps along the way.”

The moratorium will affect applications for rezoning, new planned unit developments (PUDs), conditional use permits (CUPs) for any land use and major subdivisions not within approved PUDs. It does not affect current entitlements, Jones said.

“Land is an asset here in our community,” he said at the March 16 work session. “… We really need to take advantage of the existing developable land that we have, and this comp plan will help us do that.”

Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft was absent for the meeting, and Councilman Phillip Harris filled in as mayor pro temp.

“This moratorium is way more than just trying to slow development or reduce densities,” Harris said. “It’s really just to make sure that when we do get the development opportunities that they’re in line with our vision — this community’s vision.”

Residents will be able to share input during the creation of the comprehensive plan. Public engagement sessions are set to begin by May.

The cost of the comprehensive plan was included in the city’s 2026 budget.

Both the work session and meeting where it was approved saw no public comment.

According to Jones, the most recent previous moratorium instituted in Gulf Shores was for six months in 2022. That freeze suspended the acceptance of site plan applications while the city amended its zoning ordinance.

Gulf Shores is not alone in seeking out ways to slow and manage growth in Baldwin County.

Orange Beach extended its moratoriums by nine months in November of last year; Foley’s temporary pause on certain residential development, approved in May 2025, expired at the beginning of this year; Robertsdale entered a six-month moratorium in January; and Fairhope extended its moratorium for the second time earlier this month.

Similar to how Gulf Shores aims to work on its comprehensive plan, all other municipalities currently or recently under a moratorium have focused on infrastructure assessments, pausing high-density developments, multi-family housing, mobile homes and/or RV parks.

“This is nothing out of the ordinary for Baldwin County,” Jones said. “There’s a lot of planning that’s going on. In order to plan, we have to take a step back and put some applications on hold in order to make it happen.”