SPANISH FORT, Ala. (WALA) – A new golf and residential development, years in the works may be one step closer to becoming a reality. The Spanish Fort Planning Commission on Monday night, Oct. 13, 2025 voted to forward a positive recommendation to the city council.
The size of the development is one of the major concerns the surrounding community has. There are 702 lots to be developed just in the first phase.(City of Spanish Fort)
Longleaf is a planned development that’s been in the works for more than a decade. The golf community is to be built around an 18-hole, championship-caliber course which is already in place and has been maintained for many years. The county already approved the 1,650-acre parcel as a subdivision. The annexation of an adjacent piece of property on the south side of County Rd. 40 into Spanish Fort last year paved the way for this annexation bid.
“This is a landowner who has had that land for quite some time who has approached the city and said I want to become part of the city and therefore, steps have been taken since then to help him in that effort,” explained Spanish Fort City Councilman, Carl Gustafsen. “Like I said, earlier this year, or last year we did an annexation piece which made this part possible.”
The size of the development is one of the major concerns the surrounding community has. There are 702 lots to be developed just in the first phase. Traffic, schools, fire and police are all issues residents want to hear more about.
Notice of Monday’s public hearing has been posted at the property, but adjacent landowners said they didn’t receive written notice in the mail until the Friday before. Those who planned to speak out against annexation are hoping the city will delay a vote for now.
“We’re not part of Spanish Fort so we did not know that this was on the radar for the Spanish Fort City Council, nor for the planning board,” said White House Fork resident, Bill Jackson who is also a Captain with the White House Fork Volunteer Fire Department. Again, like I said, we just found out about it on Friday, and we would like to just slow things down a little bit and let us find out what we can do to work congenially, together.”
City leaders said the property owner, Long Pines, LLC has done its due diligence and while public input on the matter is welcomed, there is little that could stand in the way of a zoning change.
“Really, because a landowner has a right to develop that property and because this is something that they are wanting to develop, if they can secure the utility companies, saying we can service that area and they can get ALDOT to say the roads can handle that much traffic and if they can get the police and fire and all those types of things nailed down, then it’s up to the Planning and Zoning,” Gustafsen said.
With industry continuing to grow up the Highway 59 corridor and the Novelis aluminum plant to soon come online, Spanish Fort city leaders said developments like Longleaf will be a growing need in Baldwin County.
The City Council would first have to vote to approve the annexation, something the Planning Commission could recommend at Monday night’s meeting.
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