What does future growth look like in Limestone County?
Published on December 2, 2025
The City of Huntsville is preparing for extensive growth in annexed areas in Limestone County, submitting a master plan to guide the anticipated changes that was recently approved by the Planning Commission.
Over the next 50 years, the City is forecasting approximately 2,200 new residential units and 2,400 new jobs annually in the Huntsville/Limestone region.
“As growth continues in Limestone County, we want to make sure that we are adequately planning for the new land uses,” Manager of Urban & Long-Range Planning Dennis Madsen said.
Huntsville leaders view Limestone County as a growth corridor for a city adding about 18 people each day and has grown to a population of almost 250,000.
The new master plan updates the original plan adopted by the City in 2011 and includes an area almost four times as large – about 45,000 acres made up of land within the city limits as well as unincorporated land.
Madsen said industrial growth in Huntsville-annexed Limestone County has been “explosive, it’s been very successful.” Companies operating in the area include Mazda-Toyota, Polaris and Amazon.
Recent annexations include developer plans for more than 3,000 housing units in Limestone County south of Interstate 565.
“One of the things we want to do is make sure that housing is keeping up with industrial growth in the area,” Madsen said. “You want to make sure a lot of supportive uses are co-located with that housing, too.”
Watch: Limestone County Master Plan Presentation to Planning Commission
The priorities for future growth in Limestone County also reflect priorities that have long been in place for the rest of the city.
“Schools and amenities are a big part of any growth area,” Madsen said. “We want to make sure that we have land for schools. We want to make sure that we’ve got the greenways and the parks and all the things that serve healthy neighborhoods.”
The master plan provides a comprehensive direction for expected growth in Limestone County. In addition to housing and jobs, the plan also anticipates 13 million square feet of office space, 74 million square feet of industrial development and nine million square feet of retail over the next 50 years.
In the more immediate future, Huntsville City Schools (HCS) has plans for its first school in Limestone County. Madsen said the City has worked closely with HCS and that collaboration played a role in including a new Limestone County school in the school’s capital plan.
“We want to continue creating a regional employment center,” Madsen said. “We want to develop communities, not just neighborhoods, but communities. We want to capitalize on the environment, maximize the value of land and create jobs – really take advantage of new economic opportunities and then create that sustainable and resilient network for growth.”
The plans in 2025, however, are certain to change in the years ahead.
“We know that this is going to have to change and it’s going to have to flex over time,” Madsen said. “We feel like we can put a plan in place that allows for some flexibility and growth.”