STOCKTON — Residents of Stockton's Planning District 3 voted Tuesday to place the area under Baldwin County's planning and zoning jurisdiction, approving a resident-led referendum supporters say will give the community a voice in future development decisions.

The movement gained momentum after community concern over large-scale projects, including proposed utility-scale solar facilities.

According to Baldwin County Probate Judge Harry D'Olive Jr., the referendum passed with 215 votes in favor and 161 opposed, with 376 total ballots cast.

The vote follows months of organizing by residents and advocacy from Friends of the Tensaw River, a local nonprofit that pushed for zoning after proposed solar developments raised concerns about how growth could affect the rural community.

D'Olive Jr. said results will be certified following the state's standard procedures.

The referendum does not immediately create zoning regulations. Instead, it places Planning District 3 under Baldwin County's planning and zoning authority, allowing the community to begin the zoning process. As previously outlined by county officials and reported by GCM, a temporary five-member board made up of Stockton residents will work with Baldwin County planning staff to develop a proposed zoning map and recommendations. Those recommendations will go through public meetings before any zoning regulations are adopted.

Supporters argued throughout the campaign that zoning would not stop development but would provide residents with earlier notice of proposed projects and an opportunity to participate in decisions affecting their community.

"We're excited that things have gone the way they have because we think it's the right way to go," said John Murphy, a Stockton resident and Friends of the Tensaw River board member. "None of these decisions have been easy, and we know that everything that we do is always a double-edged sword."

Murphy said supporters approached zoning cautiously after considering other options.

"I don't recommend something easily because we want to make sure it works out the right way," he said. "But we are very pleased. We're looking forward to going forward. We think that we can try to make a positive difference and we'll have a say so in our community, and that's what's important to us."

Murphy said the referendum was driven by the community's experience with large developments that moved forward before many residents were aware of them.

"Previously there was nothing," he said. "We didn't have any, and we saw what that got us. We had things that have affected us, and large things have happened that we weren't prepared for that we'd never seen before."

He said zoning will allow residents to learn about proposed developments earlier and participate in the process.

"Now we at least should have the ability to go in and have a say so," Murphy said. "We'll find out things earlier this time. Most of us didn't know anything until two years after it was already underway. So early notification is going to be great for us, having input, having people from the community that can have input, and having more information from the county commission is going to be helpful for us."

The zoning effort came largely from the introduction of proposed utility-scale solar projects in the Stockton area, which prompted residents to seek a bigger role in land-use decisions. Supporters have consistently said the referendum was about creating a long-term framework for managing growth rather than addressing a single development.

The primary project at the center of the debate is Silicon Ranch's proposed 4,500-acre utility-scale solar farm on private property in north Baldwin County. According to the county, the company has already submitted development applications that qualify for vested, or grandfathered, rights under county policy because they were formally accepted before the zoning referendum.

County officials have said Silicon Ranch received a subdivision exemption combining multiple parcels and has submitted a land disturbance permit application. Technical review of that permit has been completed, and it has received conditional approval pending permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. Under the county's interpretation of its code, any complete development permit application formally accepted before the referendum would not be subject to any zoning regulations adopted as a result of Tuesday's vote.

Silicon Ranch officials said the referendum does not affect the status of the proposed project but said the company intends to participate in the zoning process moving forward. 

"Although yesterday's referendum vote does not impact our project, Silicon Ranch looks forward to participating in the public process," Reagan Farr, the company's co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. "As a landowner and investor in the Stockton community, we are committed to promoting the long-term vitality of Stockton and the surrounding area. A significant portion of our projects across the country are located in zoned areas, and we look forward to additional engagement with the community on this matter."

Farr said the company's long-term goals for the project remain unchanged. 

"With regard to our project, the goal remains the same: to make sure Stockton and Baldwin County benefit from what we bring in the decades to come—whether it's the capital we invest, the taxes we pay, the jobs we create, the charitable contributions we make, the local businesses we support, the energy we produce, or the agricultural products we cultivate on our land," he said.

Friends of the Tensaw River has disputed that interpretation, arguing the county lacks the authority to grant grandfathered status based on the applications submitted and has said it is prepared to challenge the decision if necessary.

With the referendum approved, Planning District 3 will now begin the process of developing zoning recommendations, giving Stockton residents an opportunity to help determine how future growth and development are managed in their community.

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.