Sea Palms West resident speaks to BOC
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By Pamela Permar-Shierling
House on 104 General Oglethorpe Rd. that would be renovated and turned into a medical clinic and include a 700 sq. ft. expansion.
During the public portion of the July 2 Glynn County Board of Commissioners meeting, Eric Jacobs, a Sea Palms West resident, asked the BOC to deny the 104 General Oglethorpe Road rezoning application that apparently has been scheduled for a BOC August meeting.
The rezoning application for 104 General Oglethorpe Road from R-12 residential to Planned Development (PD) was passed by the Islands Planning Commission at their June 23 meeting. The owners of Halcyon Health, Drs. Lauren Whitley MD and Justin Whitley MD, requested the rezoning to allow them to move their medical clinic to 104 General Oglethorpe Rd. The property is owned by Joy Bell.
Jacobs lives at 108 General Oglethorpe Rd. which is next door to the planned medical clinic. Jacobs said he was speaking for a group of Island as well as Brunswick residents who were at the meeting and opposed to the rezoning application.
Jacobs said after studying the various proposals proposed by Halcyon as well as the 2023 Glynn County Comprehensive Plan, that he was surprised he had to be worried about the rezoning.
“Our objections are not about the business or the people running it. It is about zoning,” he continued.
“The residents on General Oglethorpe Rd. as well as the majority of the Sea Palms West residents are opposed to this rezoning,” he said. “We are also against alternatives that would not be considered rezoning such as a special use permit. We are opposed to any alternative that would allow a general medical practice to operate on General Oglethorpe Rd.”
He said there was opposition to the rezoning request throughout the island; that residents fear the precedent that would be set for their neighborhoods.
The reasons are rational and have strong legal grounding, he said. Reasons, he said, include changing the character of a neighborhood, rezoning is contrary to the zoning ordinance and codes, inconsistent with the Comprehensive Plan, would cause increased noise and traffic, and create a traffic safety issue specific to the property.
Issues with signage and lighting and decrease in neighborhood property values were stated as well.
“It’s also about what the property can become under Halcyon as well as other owners,” he said. “Their first plan was nothing close to what they were telling people publicly. And while the second plan is scaled back, it still has the potential to be much larger in scope than what they are describing.”
“What happens if Halcyon changes its mind and starts to grow?” he asked. “Or if their business does not succeed and they need to sell the property?”
Once this property is rezoned, he said, it opens up all of General Oglethorpe Rd. and other residential areas on the island to potential commercial rezoning for businesses that prefer converting residential space rather than buying or renting vacant commercial space.
“We respectfully ask when this or another unvetted substitute comes before you for a vote, that you deny any and all requests which would permit commercial or office use of this property,” he said.
