New housing on bayou in coastal Alabama hopes to minimally impact environment
Developers of a new community in Orange Beach hope to have a minimal impact on the environment, creating new homes that blend in with the natural landscape in Long Bayou.
A heron strides through the marsh in Long Bayou in Orange Beach, Ala. on Fri. May 29, 2026. Almost all of the marshland along Long Bayou Preserve will be preserved, said developers Richard and Maury Cobb. The development is designed to be minimally impactful to the environment. (Photo by Margaret Kates/mkates@al.com)Margaret Kates
Richard Cobb, a developer who built the Fish Camp Lodge and Cottages, and his son, Maury Cobb, a Birmingham attorney, are developing Long Bayou Preserve, a gated development of primarily vacation homes.
“It’s special and unique, and I think we kind of take that as a responsibility to do something that fits with what it is,” said Maury Cobb.
First, a little clarification. You won’t see “Long Bayou” if you try to look for it on Google Maps. The bayou is off the Intracoastal Waterway, just west of Wolf Bay. The narrow body of water extends just a few miles inland and is still mostly undeveloped.
Long Bayou Preserve will feature 37 single-family home lots, plus a marina and lodge with a pool. The developers are also eyeing building 11 additional lots within the development that won’t be directly on the water.
The homes are designed to be vacation homes and won’t be used for short-term rentals, Maury Cobb said. The developers are now taking reservations for the lots ahead of construction.
Prices for the lots depend on location and size, but the range is from $700,000 to $1.2 million.
Construction will begin this month on the road that will lead from the Foley Beach Express to the development. Utilities such as water and sewer infrastructure will also be installed soon. The Cobbs said construction on the homes will begin in about a year. Water will be provided by the Orange Beach Water Authority and Sewer provided by the city of Orange Beach, Maury Cobb said.
The utilities will be connected to the site from the Foley Beach Expressway.
The Cobbs are trying to disturb the natural environment in Long Bayou as little as possible, they said. Most of the marsh habitat will be left untouched, as the homes will be elevated several feet.
Long Bayou Preserve is a “boating community,” Maury Cobb said. Certain lots will have piers out into the bayou, but most residents will access the water at the onsite marina.
The stretch of Long Bayou where the preserve will be is home to herons, osprey, dolphins, and even a resident bald eagle, Cobb said. The hope is that the new development won’t disturb the animals too much.
Hunting will not be allowed in the preserve, Richard Cobb said. It’s surrounded by undeveloped land held by the family that sold the property to the Cobbs, and immediately across the Intracoastal Waterway is a parcel of land owned by the federal government.
“We’ve gone to extreme lengths to work with the conservation part of it,” said Richard Cobb. “We want it to be wild, natural.”
Rather than aim for a typical beach house look, the Cobbs are going for more of a lake house look, inspired by homes in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. The intended color scheme is cool greens and grays, to blend in with the natural vegetation.
Buyers can bring in an architect to design their homes, or work with the developers on the design. But the exterior of each house will have to match the criteria set by the Cobbs and be approved by a “design committee,” Maury Cobb said.
The preserve is just a mile from the Foley Beach Express. West of the bayou is the forthcoming Margaritaville Resort in Orange Beach, which is across the Intracoastal from The Wharf.
Long Bayou Preserve has been years in the making. While the Cobbs just closed on the property last month, for the past few years they were working with the previous landowners, the Goodwyn family, on obtaining permitting and getting the land ready for development.
They have received permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, and the Baldwin County government.
And the concept has changed over the years. Initially, the developers applied to the Corps for a complex with 32 single-family houses, a two-story condominium building with 30 units, and a marina. Maury Cobb said they were even considering pickleball courts and other amenities.
The developers will dredge a channel in Long Bayou for boats to get in and out of the development.
Long Bayou Preserve is the first development in the bayou, but it comes at a time of rapid development in Baldwin County and its two beach communities. From 2020 to 2025, Orange Beach grew by 8.7%, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
Other developments in the city have drawn much more attention. Last year, the Orange Beach City Council enacted a nine-month moratorium on large-scale residential developments. And a push to de-annex certain properties last year led to two lawsuits.
The Cobbs say since these houses are primarily second homes, there won’t be the added strain on schools and traffic infrastructure that typically comes from new residential developments.