Plans for a major golf community near Spanish Fort moved forward during a city council meeting last week.

The development, called Longleaf, which has been in the works for years, includes plans to build a community around an existing 18-hole championship golf course, with Baldwin County officials having already approved the 1,650-acre parcel as a subdivision.

The project will also include plans for other amenities such as a clubhouse with a restaurant and retail space, pickleball courts and townhomes. During the city council meeting last Monday, plans for an animal sanctuary were also announced that will cover around 400 acres.

Residents have previously brought up concerns over annexation, but no residents spoke during the public comment period of the most recent city council meeting. The developers have said that the annexation would apply only to the project site and will not apply to surrounding neighborhoods.

The city plans to hold more public hearings on the project, with Spanish Fort Mayor Brad Bass saying that city leaders are listening to public input from the community. Spanish Fort's planning commission previously held a public hearing on the project and gave a positive recommendation for the planned development and designation of the site.

There is no specific timeline for when the project will be completed, but Wade Oney, the project's majority owner, said they hope to open it to the public as early as spring once they complete the finishing touches on the golf course.