SPANISH FORT, Ala.—The Spanish Fort City Council in its Monday business meeting unanimously adopted an ordinance extending a moratorium on multi-family developments.

“It adds the words ‘manufactured mobile-home parks or developments,’” city attorney David Conner said, explaining the action’s affect on the prior zoning ordinance.

The new ordinance adds the ‘multi-family development’ designation to the measure, Conner said.

The one-year moratorium will allow city officials to analyze the impact of multi-family developments—including apartments, condominiums, townhouses and mobile homes—on the city.

The moratorium also gives officials time to discuss possibly implementing impact fees from new developments. An impact fee is instituted by a local government to help pay for future public improvements, including roadways, parks and city government buildings. Impact fees are often incorporated by a municipality to help the area deal with expansive population growth.

The council Jan. 26 unanimously voted to extend a moratorium on multi-family housing developments to study how they will impact the city and its zoning ordinance. The moratorium began Sept. 24, 2007 and lapsed from Sept. 24, 2008 until the council voted to extend it until Sept. 24.

In other business:

The proposed ordinance would change the zoning classification of property located at the northwest corner of Rockwell School Drive and Jimmy Faulkner Drive from R-1—low-density residential—to B-2, local business.

“Congressman Jo Bonner has invited us to attend and we have accepted,” Laurie Kelly said.

“The cost is about $10,000,” she said. “We’re here basically to appeal to the city for funding.”

Four of 12 court members attend Spanish Fort High School.