Zoning is a “citizen-driven process,” Baldwin County Planning and Zoning Director Matthew Brown likes to say, and last week, citizens in the southeastern part of the county got something they wanted: proposed changes that would impose stricter rules on development.

On Thursday, the Baldwin County Planning Commission recommended changes to the zoning rules around Elberta and Lillian —at the request of members of the community.

“The purpose of these text amendments is that we feel like they will be more reflective of our community and more representative of the Baldwin County vision for growth,” David Williams, one of the residents who requested the changes, said at the meeting.

The Baldwin County Commission will have final say on whether to amend the county zoning ordinance to include the changes that were unanimously recommended in Planning Districts 22, 29 and 33.

These changes were also proposed for Planning District 32 but stalled after the zoning department and the citizens promoting the changes became concerned that there wasn’t enough citizen support in that district. If enough support appears before the county commission reviews the changes, they may still be implemented in District 32.