Facing ongoing strain on sewer infrastructure and city services, Robertsdale officials have enacted a six-month moratorium on several types of high-density residential development.

The pause in new building, which began in January and will run through July, marks Robertsdale joining a growing list of municipalities in Baldwin County that are slowing growth to reassess long-term planning. The move halts approval of new multifamily housing, certain subdivisions, rezoning requests that increase residential density, mobile home parks and RV parks.

City leaders say the pause will allow time to upgrade utilities, evaluate land use regulations and guide development more deliberately.

 “Our sewer infrastructure has been behind for years, and we are always trying to catch up,” Mayor Ruthie Campbell said. “Entering into this moratorium is going to give us time to avoid overloading our system so existing homes and businesses are not impacted.”

Campbell emphasized the moratorium does not affect projects already approved or individual building permits within existing subdivisions.

 “Anything previously approved will proceed as planned,” she said. “This is about slowing down just enough with anything brand new so we can get on our feet and make a difference.”

City officials are working on multiple sewer upgrades, including lift station improvements, higher-capacity lines and a new line leading to the wastewater treatment plant, supported in part by grant funding. Building Inspector and Code Enforcement Officer Mark Fincher said the city is also taking a broader look at how and where growth should occur.

“We’re going to step back and take a look at our land use ordinance,” Fincher said. “We want to guide development in a way that’s better for our citizens, better flow and better for our economy.”

Fincher said the city is exploring changes such as larger lot sizes, zoning adjustments and potential downtown overlay districts to support revitalization efforts.

 “We want to do responsible development,” he said. “Environmental impact is a big part of our design — runoff, pollution in streams and respecting farmland coming under development.”

Rapid, sustained population growth has been seen throughout Baldwin County, and while Robertsdale was one of the slower-growing municipalities in comparison — the county’s eighth-largest city had the 10th-fastest rate of growth from 2010 to 2024 — its 36% growth during that period still places strain on a smaller system of government amenities.

Smaller cities in Central Baldwin have seen even higher growth rates. Loxley expanded by 173% from 2010 to 2024, while Silverhill grew its population by 189% from 2020 to 2024. In the region’s largest city, Foley added 10,821 people from 2020 to 2024, a growth rate of 70%, according to U.S. Census data collected by the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance.

Foley officials enacted moratoriums beginning Oct. 1, 2025, halting subdivisions, rezoning and multifamily developments through Jan. 1 to create space for comprehensive planning as growth surged, according to city planning staff. Planning Manager Shawn Mitchell said the temporary pauses allowed the city to update its comprehensive plan, subdivision regulations and zoning framework into a more coordinated system designed to limit sprawl and concentrate density in strategic areas.

“We adopted the new comprehensive plan because we’ve experienced such dramatic growth,” Mitchell said. “The last one was in 2008 when Foley had about 7,500 people. Now we have about 28,000.”

Mitchell said Foley’s new “place type” approach focuses higher-density development around downtown and designated nodes while gradually decreasing intensity toward the city’s edges. “We want growth to be strategic and compact,” she said.

 “Infrastructure is a long-term investment, and we want to avoid premature extension into remote areas.”

The moratoriums have since expired after city leaders implemented major regulatory updates.

In South Baldwin, Orange Beach extended its residential building moratorium in March 2025. The pause, which initially ran through December 2025, has since been extended into 2026 to allow additional time to complete a comprehensive growth plan focused on zoning, infrastructure and long-term development strategy.

According to previous reporting by GCM, consultants presented multiple growth scenarios showing the city could potentially add thousands of new housing units and tens of thousands of residents under current zoning rules. The planning process has emphasized environmental protection, infrastructure capacity, transportation improvements and development controls. Orange Beach officials have said the moratorium is intended to give planners time to shape future growth rather than halt it permanently.

Meanwhile, the Fairhope City Council unanimously voted to extend its moratorium on certain housing developments to allow more time to evaluate and implement amendments to zoning ordinances and subdivision regulations. The pause, which began in February 2025 and was originally set to expire in November 2025, was later extended through March 19, according to previous GCM reporting.

The moratorium applies to multifamily projects and subdivisions creating smaller residential lots, with city leaders citing growing strain on public utilities, roads and infrastructure as development accelerated. Officials have indicated the moratorium could be extended further if regulatory updates are not completed within the current timeline.

The development slowdowns come as Baldwin County continues to experience some of the fastest population growth in Alabama. According to data from the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance referenced during Orange Beach’s comprehensive planning process, the county is projected to add roughly 30,000 residents over the next five years and reach nearly 334,000 residents by 2037.

Orange Beach alone has grown nearly 60% since 2010, with steady increases continuing in recent years. Local leaders across the county say that growth, while economically beneficial, has outpaced infrastructure planning in many communities, particularly sewer systems, road networks and public services.

In Robertsdale, officials see the moratorium as a reset.

 “This is about making sure six months from now, we’re in a better place than we are today,” Campbell said. Campbell previously served on the city council before being elected as the city’s first female mayor in August 2025.

Fincher, the city’s building inspector and code enforcement officer, echoed that goal.

 “We don’t want to stop growth,” he said. “We want to guide it responsibly so the city grows in a way that works long-term for residents, infrastructure and the environment.”

Gabriella Chavez is a Report for America corps member who writes about growth and development in Baldwin County and our natural spaces for Gulf Coast Media. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://tinyurl.com/yaf8yf5n.