Rock Creek, Fairhope – Commercial Site Plan Approved: 20,000 SF, Four Tenant Spaces

Rock Creek (Fairhope) – Commercial Site Plan Approved: My First-Person Take

My quick overview

The Fairhope City Council approved the Rock Creek Commercial site plan on roughly 2.23 acres along Rock Creek Parkway, just east of U.S. 98. The property is a long-standing PUD dating back to the 1990s and has been re-subdivided several times. This approval consolidates two platted parcels into a single lot and adjoins the existing bank building at Rock Creek’s main entrance.

Plans call for a 20,000-square-foot, two-story commercial building with four tenant spaces—three ground-floor retail/office suites and one 10,000-SF second-floor space. The architecture notes brick façades with upper-level balconies, and the site’s topography allows…

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Rowan Oak PUD, Daphne – Units Reduced to 545 and Mix Shifts Toward Multifamily

Rowan Oak (PUD) in Daphne, Alabama: What the Master Plan Change Means

My quick overview

The Daphne Planning Commission approved a modification to the Rowan Oak Planned Unit Development. The developer’s change reduces the planned homes from 585 to 545—a net decrease of forty units—while shifting the product mix to fewer single-family and townhome residences and an increase in multifamily. The community spans about 127 acres located southwest of the intersection of County Road 13 and Milton Jones Road.

From a planning perspective, this kind of rebalancing can improve feasibility in today’s financing and construction environment while creating a broader range of housing options.

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Edwin Oaks Subdivision in Gulf Shores – 7 New Construction Homes Near Little Lagoon

Edwin Oaks Subdivision, Gulf Shores: First Look at a Seven-Lot Coastal Enclave

My quick overview

The City has granted preliminary plat approval for Edwin Oaks Subdivision, a seven-lot single-family neighborhood on 2.47 acres along State Highway 180 West, just west of Mo’s Landing City Park in Gulf Shores. The site is currently wooded, including six heritage live oaks, and carries a BN (Neighborhood Business) zoning designation. Plans show home sites fronting both Highway 180 and Little Lagoon, served by a pervious brick paver driveway—a detail I love for stormwater and aesthetics.

The design preserves all heritage trees and sets a 30-foot natural buffer along a small wetland on the southern edge, with a conservation easement…

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Rayley Farms Phases 5 & 6 in Gulf Shores – Final 23 Acres, 51 Lots, Trails & Open Space

Rayley Farms (Phases 5 & 6), Gulf Shores: My First-Person Take on the Final 23 Acres

My quick overview

A preliminary plat has been approved for the final phases of Rayley Farms in Gulf Shores, located north of Coastal Gateway Boulevard (CR 8). These last phases add 23 acres to the community and are planned for 51 single-family homes—50 lots in Phase 5 and one lot in Phase 6—with a conditional R-1-5 zoning framework. Average density is noted at ~2.2 dwelling units per acre, with minimum lot sizes of 8,400 sq ft and minimum lot widths of 65 ft.

What stood out to me is the emphasis on open space and conservation. This phase is slated to preserve about four acres of wetlands and twenty heritage trees, and to designate ~31% of the…

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The Colony in Fairhope, Alabama – 432-Home Mixed Neighborhood: My First Look

The Colony, Fairhope, Alabama: First Look at a 432-Home Concept

I reviewed the Fairhope Planning Commission’s informal discussion of The Colony, a proposed 148-acre mixed neighborhood at Highway 181 and Highway 104, across from The Verandas. The early concept shows approximately 432 residences across a spectrum of home types—townhomes, cottage lots, manor homes, and estate lots—arranged around walkable streets, a large north–south wetland corridor connected to the Pensacola watershed, and about 51 acres of preserved open space including pocket parks, a central greenway, and a 3-acre “Colony Park” for active recreation. The item was informational only; no formal action was taken. Level Homes is named as the proposed builder.

As…

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Modern Gulf Coast Homes on Ono Island — Forward-Thinking Materials & Contemporary Construction

Modern Gulf Coast Living on Ono Island: Forward-Thinking Materials, Contemporary Lines, and Resilient Construction

Modern by Intent: What I’m Building Toward on Ono Island

When I talk about a “modern” Gulf Coast home, I’m not just describing a look. I’m describing a way of living that blends aesthetics with durability and ease. On Ono Island, contemporary design meets our marine environment every day—sun, salt, wind, and water. My role is to help you specify a home that exudes Gulf grandeur with clean lines, resilient materials, and a systems-first approach so your investment holds its value and your daily life feels effortless.

Meredith Amon is an expert real estate advisor on Ono Island in Orange Beach, Alabama.

The Envelope:…

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What Today’s Buyers Want in New Construction on the Alabama Gulf Coast—Now With a Boater’s Edge

What Today’s Buyers Want in New Construction on the Alabama Gulf Coast—Now With a Boater’s Edge

When I walk new construction sites in Orange Beach and on Ono Island, I’m constantly asked what separates a high-quality coastal home from the rest. After years of helping buyers and sellers along the Gulf Coast, it comes down to durable building envelopes, effortless indoor-outdoor flow, livable floor plans—and, for many of my neighbors and friends, serious boating functionality baked into the design. Below is how I guide buyers and builders to meet that bar.

Meredith Amon is an expert real estate advisor on Ono Island in Orange Beach, Alabama. Explore Ono Island homes, lifestyle, and updates: https://www.searchthegulf.com/ono-island/ and the…

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Ono Island Canal Etiquette & Waterway Tips — Smooth Navigation, Happy Neighbors

Ono Island Waterways & Canals: A Friendly Boater’s Field Guide

Welcome

I’m Meredith Folger Amon, a Gulf Coast real estate advisor and Ono Island homeowner. Neighbors and friends often ask how to be great stewards of our canals and connecting waterways. Below is the upbeat, plain-English guide I share so everyone enjoys smooth, courteous navigation from the first turn of the key.

Waterway Orientation at a Glance

• Old River runs along the south side of the island toward the Florida line.
• Bayou St. John and the Intracoastal Waterway sit to the north.
• Perdido Pass is to the west, providing Gulf access.
• Bridge-locked canals include small sections of Turtle Key Drive, Sandpiper, Yellowfin Drive, and Sandy Key.

Canal Courtesy…

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Gulf Coast Garage Planning: Single Wide vs Multiple Doors and Taller Heights

Garage Doors on the Gulf Coast: One Wide Door vs. Multiple Bays and Modern Height Planning

I’m often asked whether a multi-bay garage should use one large door spanning all bays or individual doors for each bay. Below are practical notes shared with me by local Gulf Coast builders—paired with what I regularly observe around Orange Beach and Ono Island.

One Large Door (spanning all bays)

Advantages

• Maximum maneuverability: Easier to back in larger SUVs, trucks, golf carts, or a trailer without threading between posts.

• Flexible space use: Open span is ideal for workshop layouts, home gyms, or boat detailing.

• Cleaner facade: A single, wide door can read modern and simplified on contemporary elevations.

• …

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Perdido Key Beach Mouse & New Construction: Guide | Meredith Folger

Perdido Key Beach Mouse 101: What It Is, How It Affects New Construction, and What a “No-Capture” Letter Really Means

In My Words: What the Beach Mouse Is

I’m Meredith Folger, a Gulf Coast real estate advisor who helps people navigate coastal property from Orange Beach to Perdido Key. The Perdido Key Beach Mouse (often shortened to “PKBM”) is a small, nocturnal mouse that lives in the dunes. It depends on native dune plants, seeds, and insects—and on dunes themselves remaining intact. Because the population is limited and sensitive to disturbance, it is federally protected. Protecting this species also protects the dunes that buffer our islands from storms and erosion.

Why This Matters for New Construction

On barrier islands,…

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