STAPLETON, Ala. — Residents of rural southern Alabama are campaigning for a local amendment to achieve landmark district status.
Baldwin County’s Local Amendments 1, 2 and 3 define landmarks spanning Stapleton, Bon Secours and Whitehouse Fork that determine whether their land is incorporated into the surrounding city limits. Residents’ rights are maintained.
WEAR News visited multiple farms in Stapleton where property owners are working hard to get Baldwin County residents to vote yes on these amendments. Residents say they have been fighting for more than two years to get the amendment added to the ballot.
The proposed constitutional amendment would prohibit the annexation of any property without the property owner’s approval.
Michelle White lives on several acres in Stapleton. She told WEAR News that she and her neighbors have been working for several years to stop annexation, and that she and her neighbors don’t want to be forced into a different lifestyle.
“All of us who live in Stapleton intentionally moved there, so it really became a mission,” White said. “We weren’t left in the countryside. We moved here to live a rural life in Baldwin County, and the area for that is becoming smaller and smaller, and that’s what we want to preserve in Stapleton.”
In addition to Mr. Stapleton, Mr. Bon Secours and Mr. White House Folk are also on the ballot. White argues that voting against the amendment would be detrimental to property owners.
“These are three small rural communities,” White said. “Giving us Landmark District status not only gives us an identity on the map, but also protects us from annexation of our neighborhood by neighboring cities.”
“This landmark district status does not change zoning, land use or tax policy,” she said. “(It) does not have a detrimental effect on others, but if a neighboring city wants to annex their property, property owners can choose whether they want to remain in that county. .”
Despite many landowners in the area opposing annexation, White says voting in favor of the amendment doesn’t mean your land can’t be annexed. This amendment only ensures your right to have the final say.
“A landowner still retains the right not to respond to an invitation to annex,” White said. “We can prevent forced annexation.”
“We are seeing cities getting closer and closer on all fronts,” she said. “I live in Stapleton, but our area borders Loxley, Spanish Fort and Bay Minette, and the development is fantastic. We are grateful to the municipality and all they do. But we want to preserve Baldwin County’s rural areas.”
Stapleton residents plan to hold a town hall Thursday to discuss the details of the proposed amendment. Baldwin County residents will have one week to vote starting Tuesday.
