FOLEY – The Foley City Council has approved a temporary pause on certain types of residential development to allow time for updating key development ordinances that shape the city’s growth.
The move is aimed at protecting Foley’s small-town character while ensuring future development meets the community’s expectations for quality and design.
The ordinance places a temporary hold on residential subdivisions, multi-family housing, RV parks, mobile home parks, and rezoning requests that would increase residential density. During this time, the city will focus on refining its zoning ordinance, subdivision regulations, and other land development policies.
These updates will be closely coordinated with ongoing long-range planning efforts, including the update of the city’s Comprehensive Plan, to ensure a consistent and proactive approach to managing Foley’s future growth.
This effort directly supports the City’s 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, which outlines five strategic priorities. The first—Livable Community—states:
“We will manage and keep pace with our growth with well thought out plans and a regulatory framework that is fair, predictable, sustainable, and consistently applied to create and maintain a high-quality built environment.”
The plan’s implementation framework includes initiatives to review and modernize land development regulations. This temporary measure allows the city to carry out those efforts responsibly—ensuring that future growth occurs in appropriate locations and meets high standards.
“We recognize that Foley’s success and attractiveness as a place to live have brought substantial residential development, but this growth must be balanced with our ability to protect the character of our community,” said Mayor Ralph Hellmich. “This ordinance is a necessary step to give us time to update our plans and policies in a thoughtful, strategic way.”
The pause will remain in effect through Oct. 1, 2025, for new subdivisions and RV/mobile home park applications, and through Jan. 1, 2026, for more complex rezonings of residential and mixed-use projects.
This action reflects Foley’s commitment to preserving its unique identity while planning responsibly for high-quality, well-integrated development in the years ahead.
For more information, contact Wayne Dyess, executive director for infrastructure and development, 251-943-1200, wdyess@cityoffoley.org