Glynn poised for boom in residences

Mon, Apr 30, 2007

By BRANDEE A. THOMAS
The Brunswick News

It's an exciting time for Glynn County.

Or so says Wayne Stewart, a member of the Glynn County Mainland Planning Commission.

Developers are petitioning the board for rezonings that will allow construction projects that will yield more than 9,000 new dwelling units by way of single and multi-family dwellings, apartments and condominiums.

The commission will take up the applications 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Historic Glynn County Courthouse.

It's a continuation of what's been happening for some time now, Stewart said.

"The past two years have shown unprecedented growth," Stewart says. "Most of the pending developments will be residential, with a vast majority of those being homes for full-time residents."

Stewart credits the growth to numerous factors.

"Water, climate and sunshine are a big draw," Stewart says. "One of the larger developers told me that many retiring baby boomers consider coastal living anything within an hour of a beach, so all of Glynn County is being affected by that."

Credit can also be given to county officials, who are encouraging planned developments.

"For the past few years, we've been looking down the road towards the next 15-20 years, not just the immediate future," Stewart says. "We are encouraging developers to put together planned development texts, which gives governing bodies a greater hand in the development of the future."

Planned development texts consist of site plans for every aspect of a given "super development." The site plans outline where every building on a given site will go and what its use will be.

Super developments are communities that are nearly self-sufficient and contain residential, commercial and industrial components.

One such proposed development is the Turtle River Community Improvement District. If approved, the developers plan to bring in more than 8,000 dwelling units to the area near U.S. 82.

"We are seeking to develop a workplace community," says John Carbonell, managing director of Turtle River CID. "(U.S. 82) provides a strategic location for technology based businesses. The highway has direct access to (Interstate) 95, which puts it in a convenient location to reach both Jacksonville and Savannah."

Carbonell also points out that U.S. 82 was a better choice for the development because it is already four-laned and could accommodate commercial traffic better than Georgia 99.

There is another upside to Community Improvement Districts, Stewart said. They tend to preserve more natural areas than other strictly residential developments.

"It's been our experience over the past two years that planned developments preserve more green space," Stewart says. "Planned developers are interested in building quality developments instead of just trying to squeeze the maximum number of homes on a given lot."

Although Stewart feels positive about the future growth of Glynn County, he feels there is a major obstacle that may stand in the path of progression.

"The big 'if' here are the issues with the water and sewer services, which all comes back to the water and sewer commission," he says.

City and county governments have not approved an operating agreement that would merger the two systems.