FAIRHOPE -- Voters in two Eastern Shore planning districts approved zoning in their communities, while the proposal  was rejected in a third district in eastern Baldwin County, according to unofficial reports.

By a 9-vote margin, voters in Planning District 8 south of Fairhope appeared to have approved the creation of a zoning district in a referendum Tuesday, Feb. 15, according to unofficial reports.

The vote was 171 in favor of the referendum and 162 against, according to unofficial results posted at the polling location. The posted results did not include any provisional ballots.

Matthew Brown, Baldwin County planning director, said he had been told by residents that in District 37, east of Fairhope, voters  also approved the zoning referendum . In District 36 in the Seminole community, voters rejected the zoning proposal. Brown said he did not have totals on the votes in those two communities.

If the results are confirmed for District 8 and District 37, the county will appoint five registered voters from the district to form an advisory committee in each district. The committee would work with the county planning and zoning to study current uses, lot sizes and other factors, according to county reports. The committee would recommend zoning designations for each parcel in the district.

The county Planning Commission will review the recommendation and make its own recommendation to the Baldwin County Commission.  The Baldwin County Commission will make the final determination based the recommendations of the advisory committee and the Planning Commission.