Orange Beach, Ala. – (OBA) – In a move that started in 2022 with a zoning change from single-family to planned unit development is starting to take effect along the beachfront in Orange Beach. A change in zoning from single-family allowed Turquoise Place to build a four-story parking garage directly east of the towers to alleviate overcrowding and parking across the street in a gravel lot. In exchange for the hardship of looking up at a four-story parking garage, the city then rezoned the property next to it as PUD from single-family residential. Owners there are now seeking to subdivide four lots east of the garage into a 23-lot residential subdivision.

The request will go before the planning commission at its Sept. 8 meeting at 4 p.m. in council chambers at city hall.

At the time, the council struggled to make the change after a years-long pledge to not upzone any single-family residential lots in the city to “maintain the sanctity of neighborhoods.” In a 4-2 vote on June 21, 2022, the council voted to allow the change from single-family residential to PUD with councilmembers Jeff Silvers and Joni Blalock voting no and Mayor Tony Kennon and councilmembers Jeff Boyd, Annette Mitchell and Jerry Johnson voting for the change. 

Rodney Jones and Laurie Jones are listed as the owners of four lots east of the Turquoise parking garage. They are also the owners of Hudson Marina on Wilson Boulevard on Terry Cove.

During the meeting, the commission will also discuss:

• A plan to subdivide lot three of The Wharf Landing phase two into 12 lots for single-family homes in a gated community. This was deferred from the August meeting.
• Dividing one lot at the end of Oak Ridge Drive West into two lots in an area zoned mobile home subdivision.
• A request from Mark Smith to subdivide a lot at 5473 Pensacola Avenue into two separate lots.
• A request from Bayview Investments to use 3.3 acres at 22321 Canal Road as a laydown yard and outdoor storage area. The parcel is just east of the new bridge on the Intracoastal Waterway.
• A rezoning for 1.8 acres of beachfront formerly housing Romar Baptist Church to a planned unit development to convert the existing building into a 100-room hotel.