On May 12, 2026, the Enterprise Planning Commission looked at a plan for 150 to 200 homes south of Highway 134 and west of Boll Weevil Circle. Reeves Engineering presented it for Dexter Gilley Construction and the Oberry Family Revocable Trust. Ron Reeves told the commission the homes would go up over about ten years, at 20 to 30 units a year, and said that pace would not strain the city's sewer system. Public Works Director Barry Mott saw it differently. He said the area drains to the College Street Wastewater Treatment Plant, which "has limited capacity and is not ready for unplanned, high density residential growth at this time." The townhouse zoning failed, 1 vote to 7.
Fourteen weeks later, on August 18, the City Council annexed and zoned land from the same family trust 5 to 0. This time the approval came with a condition. The developer has to provide a development schedule, and the city will provide sewer capacity for phases 2 and 3 on a "mutually agreeable timeline."
If you're comparing new construction in Enterprise, that condition is the part to understand. How dense a new neighborhood can be, and when its later phases get built, now depends partly on wastewater capacity. A buyer who signs for a lot in phase one is buying into that schedule.
Same Land, Two Votes
Here is how the request changed between May and August.
| May 12, 2026, Planning Commission | August 18, 2026, City Council | |
|---|---|---|
| Residential acreage | 34.48 acres | 36.62 acres |
| Residential zoning sought | R-T, Townhouse Residential | R-4, Mixed Residential |
| Commercial pieces | 3.13 and 9.3 acres, B-3 | 3.14 and 6.76 acres, B-3 |
| Outcome | Denied | Approved 5 to 0 |
| Sewer language | College Street plant "not ready" | Capacity for phases 2 and 3 tied to a development schedule |
In August, City Planner Tim Milstead told the council the city does have the ability to provide services to the property if it's annexed. At that same meeting, the council annexed 6.94 acres and rezoned 19.19 acres at 400 Richland Drive for Galanco, Inc., both as R-1 Low Density Single Family Residential. Milstead said the city has the capacity to handle that land too. So low-density land went through with no sewer conditions. The denser mixed-residential plan went through only with its later phases tied to a schedule.
Two Plants, Very Different Sizes
Enterprise runs two mechanically operated wastewater plants and 18 lift stations. The city publishes these flow figures:
- Northeast WWTP, Porter Lunsford Road: average 2.333 million gallons per day, maximum 4.0 million
- College Street WWTP, College Street Extension near Pistol Road: average 0.495 million gallons per day, maximum 1.5 million
The page has no date and no figure for spare capacity. The gap between average and maximum flow isn't the same as room for new homes. The city also hasn't posted a service-area map showing which neighborhoods drain to which plant. The one thing the public record does show is that the city's own public works director called the smaller College Street plant limited when it came to high-density growth in May 2026.
What the City Is Doing About It
Work is underway. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management's ARPA sewer-project table lists Enterprise's "Wastewater Treatment Facilities Upgrades" as approved. The city applied for $3,840,000 and received $3,340,000 as grant or principal forgiveness, with a $500,000 portion left unfunded or as match. At the August 18 meeting, the council approved Schmidt Environmental Construction's Estimate No. 4 for $180,048 on "WWTF Upgrades/Project #2- Electrical." It also paid a Poly, Inc. consulting invoice for the wastewater treatment plants.
The bigger open question is a study. On May 19, 2026, City Administrator Jonathan Tullos told the Water Works Board the city had hired Ardurra for a comprehensive study of the city wastewater system. No cost, scope, schedule, or results have been made public. The public records also don't say which plant the ARPA upgrades cover, how much capacity they add, or when they'll be finished. Until the study comes out, nobody can say from the public record when that "mutually agreeable timeline" for phases 2 and 3 will arrive.
Where the Lots Actually Are
Even with that constraint, Enterprise is approving a lot of new subdivisions. These are the named projects in city records from 2025 and 2026:
| Project | Location | What the record shows |
|---|---|---|
| Beaver Creek | North side of Old Salem Road, east of US 84 | Concept plan of 256 lots on 82.02 acres. Rezoned R-3 by Council June 16, 2026 |
| Fountain Crest, Phase VII | Reeves Engineering & Construction | 126 lots on 32.38 acres. Preliminary plat approved |
| The Legends, Phase III | Mulholland Drive | 39 lots on 55.63 acres. Final plat approved |
| Harper's Landing | 500 Doster Street | 56 townhomes, Hollyhand Development. Preliminary approval |
| Hickory Oaks | Chambers Street and Doster Street | 33.23 acres, AAA Home Builders. Final plat approved |
| Bella Woods Phase II and Greythorne Phase II | Off Shellfield Road | Plats approved. No lot counts in minutes |
| Azalea Commons, Phase II | Highway 27 and Boll Weevil Circle | Final plat approved for Thornbird Loop |
More is coming. The October 13, 2026 Planning Commission agenda includes a preliminary plat for Poplar Hill on County Road 700, a 66.15-acre R-1 rezone at 3283 Rucker Boulevard, and the final plat for The Mill on South Conner Street. The District at Midtown, 33.22 acres behind 606 Boll Weevil Circle, was postponed in May.
Beaver Creek shows that sewer isn't the only infrastructure condition. City staff recommended approval as long as the project gets two access points to public streets, ideally on Highway 51 and Highway 84, and said Old Salem Road will need an upgrade to handle the added traffic. The concept plan sets aside 35 acres of open space and keeps the wetlands out of the development. Two neighbors on Rocky Head Road came to the meeting. Neither opposed the rezoning, but both asked to keep the natural buffer along their property lines, and Mott said staff would work with the developer on it. If you buy early in a project like this, those road and buffer commitments affect your daily life as much as the floor plan does.
The Fort Rucker Review on Some Plats
Being close to Fort Rucker adds another layer of review that most guides don't mention. When The Legends Phase III came up on September 9, 2025, commissioners asked about lighting and height restrictions tied to aviation activity from the post. City staff confirmed that Fort Rucker's Airspace Officer had reviewed and accepted the plans. If you plan to add a tall structure, outdoor lighting, or a second story later, ask whether the subdivision's plans went through that review and whether it came with any restrictions.
The post also shapes demand. On August 13, 2026, the Army awarded the Flight School Next contract to M1 Support Services. It will provide initial rotary-wing training for 800 to 1,500 pilots a year at Fort Rucker. The Army says the current program trains about 1,250 new aviators a year, and the first task order covers a three- to four-year transition. That range includes today's number, so the award points to continuity at Fort Rucker. It doesn't signal a coming spike in households that new lots would need to absorb.
The Market These Lots Are Arriving Into
The latest regional numbers favor buyers who ask questions. In July 2026, the Alabama Center for Real Estate's Wiregrass report showed 507 listings, up 27.4% from a year earlier, and 3.9 months of supply. The median sales price was $232,000, down 2.5% year over year. Homes averaged 76 days on market, 12 days slower than July 2025. These figures cover the whole Wiregrass region, not Enterprise alone, and July is the most recent month published as of early October.
More inventory and slower sales mean builders and sellers have more reason to answer detailed questions before you sign. For new construction in Enterprise, many of those questions should be about the phase schedule.
Questions to Ask Before Buying in Phase One
- Which wastewater plant serves this subdivision? The city hasn't published a service-area map, so ask the builder, then confirm with Enterprise Public Works.
- Did the approval include conditions on sewer capacity, road upgrades, or access? These show up in Planning Commission minutes and Council ordinances, which are public on the city's website.
- What's the development schedule for later phases, and what triggers each one? On the Oberry property, sewer capacity for phases 2 and 3 depends on a schedule that still has to be agreed on.
- Will lots behind or beside yours be under construction for years? At 20 to 30 units a year, the pace Reeves described in May, a 150-unit plan takes five years or more to build out.
- Did Fort Rucker's airspace office review the plat? Ask if you're planning height or lighting additions.
Each answer tells you how long the neighborhood will feel unfinished and what it should look like once it's done.
A Few Common Questions
Does this mean Enterprise has stopped approving dense housing? No. Harper's Landing's 56 townhomes got preliminary approval in 2025, and the Oberry mixed-residential plan was approved in August 2026. What changed is that the denser plan was approved with its later phases tied to sewer capacity.
When will the wastewater study be finished? No date has been published. The city reported hiring Ardurra in May 2026, and no results are public yet.
Is the $232,000 median an Enterprise price? No. It's ACRE's Wiregrass figure for July 2026 and covers a wider region.
If you're weighing a lot in one of these new Enterprise subdivisions, Michael Dorriety can pull the Planning Commission and Council records for that project with you and go over its phase conditions before you commit. Schedule a free consultation, or get your instant home valuation if you're thinking of selling an existing home to build.
