MPC approves industrial zoning for Hwy 99 and Hwy 32
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Property location map for Hwy 99 / Hwy 32 BI rezoning
By Pamela Permar-Shierling
On a unanimous vote Glynn’s Mainland Planning Commission approved a rezoning application for a 461 acre property from Forest Agricultural (FA) to Basic Industrial (BI) during their Tuesday, Oct. 6 meeting.
The eastern portion of the property is located close to the intersection of Highway 32 and Highway 99 and runs west along Highway 99. It is bordered on the north by CSX railroad.
Staff comments include:
• The zoning decision has potential to produce an excessive or burdensome use of existing streets, transportation facilities, or utilities. However, these impacts are unknown as an end user and exact use is not known. There are a variety of allowed uses in Basic Industrial. Impacts to schools are not applicable as this is not a residential proposal. As such, no adverse uses are anticipated at this time.
According to the Character area designation for the 2023 Comprehensive Plan: This area includes rural unincorporated Glynn County defined primarily by the lack of water and sewer infrastructure to facilitate more intensive development. This area contains a mix of uses but is primarily rural residential with extremely limited commercial and industrial development along the major thoroughfares. There are major timber and agricultural operations in this area and significant wildlife preserves associated with the Altamaha River corridor. There is not significant development pressure due to the lack of infrastructure, and there is unlikely to be any pressure in the next decade.
However the Character Area Map lists eight zoning classifications as compatible for this west Glynn area and BI is one of them.
J&T Georgia Holdings LLC is the owner of the property purchased this year on August 26 according to the GIS.
Joey Hiers, owner of J&T, told the MPC he did not know specifically what would be put on the property. “It will be some kind of storage; rail cars, aggregate or warehousing,” he said.
Two residents spoke against the rezoning citing environmental concerns.
Angel Snyder, whose property borders the western edge of the J&T Holdings property, asked if anything would be put on the property that would harm the soil. “I would rather have an industrial park than a neighborhood on this property but I am concerned about the soil,” she said.
Hiers told her that as owner of the property he tried to put himself in his neighbors shoes and would not put anything harmful on the property.
“I can’t imagine that in 2026 anything that would harm the environment would be put out there,” he said.
Ms. Snyder said there was a tidal creek between her property and Hires’ property, and Hires said he thought that would be well protected.
Jessica Murphy, another neighbor, was concerned about anything toxic leaking into their well water. She said battery storage could become hazardous. “We need to know exactly what is going out there. But just to say storage, that’s just left wide open.”
Ms. Murphy also said the railroad crossing gates get stuck down all the time. She said she has helped CSX hold up the crossing gates so trucks can pass by.
“What’s going to happen when a warehouse is put out there? The road is only a two lane highway. A lot needs to be done,” she said.
“Look at the Highway 32 / Highway 99 intersection, how many accidents have happened there? What is being planned to secure safety for other drivers on that road? Will the road be three or four laned? Then more of our property will be taken to four lane the road,” she said.
“I’m not against this but we’ve got to protect our family land that’s been in our family for four generations. Our land backs up to this property. So how are we going to be taxed? How is our safety going to be affected pulling out of our driveway with all these industrial trucks coming in and out? What is the safety of our future generations going to be?”
Ms. Murphy said, “We are in the country to enjoy the wildlife. If we didn’t want that, we would move.”
Commissioner Neal Boatright made the motion to approve the rezoning which will move forward to the Glynn County Board of Commissioners for consideration.
After the vote Boatright took the opportunity to tell Ms. Snyder and Ms. Murphy that there was nothing the MPC could do about the roads, the traffic, or the railroads. “All of that will be done through the engineering of this property,” he said. “This is just a recommendation from us that goes to the County Commission.”
Boatright said he was only speaking for himself. “This is a prime piece of property for this rezone. I feel for you. I live in an area similar to this. We enjoy the wildlife as well. I do have concerns but the only thing we can do and the County Commission can do is try to protect you to the best of our abilities. And there are things both boards can do to do that. But today is not the day to say you’ve got to four-lane highway 99 and straighten out the curve.”
In other business the MPC approved:
• a rezoning from R-12 One Family residential to Highway Commercial (HC) at 501 Beverly Villas Drive to allow for commercial development of an office, showroom and storage area for a flooring company, Ernest R. Knight, property owner.
Beverly Villas Drive is located off Altama Avenue directly across from Buckingham Place.
According to the staff report the requested rezoning will not be detrimental to property or persons in the area because the adjacent properties to the west, east, and south are all Highway Commercial.
The property to the north is residential, but that property owner has granted an access easement and is in favor of the project.
The Development Plan for the rezone was also approved.
• approved a rezoning request from Medium Residential (MR) to Planned Development (PD) for a seven lot subdivision on half an acre on Village Circle and owned by Jose Ortiz-Gonzalez, Golden Management Enterprises, LLC.
The PD text allows a minimum lot area of 3,000 sq. ft. (MR minimum lot size is 4,000 sq. ft.) The PD allows reduced lot widths ranging from 28 to 32 ft. Minimum setbacks allowed in the PD are 20 ft. – front yard; 2 ft. – side yard with a minimum of 9 ft. between adjoining setbacks; 10 ft.-side street yard; 7 ft. rear yard. Maximum impervious coverage of each lot is 60%.
The maximum size for each dwelling is 1,034 sq. ft. with the footprint of 22 ft. by 47 ft.
• approved a multi-family Development Plan for 6735 New Jesup Highway for 128 townhomes and 104 duplexes. The property received prior site plan approval and one extension but did not submit for building permits before extension expired had to come back for approval.
Note: site plan is now called development plan in the new ordinance.
This project is north of Oak Grove and owned by Scott Laravea, Executive Real Estate.
• approved a development plan for approximately 170 units multifamily patio style home style apartments at 1128 River Ford Rd. and 1262 Henslows Landing. The location is off Canal Rd. close to the Glynco Parkway intersection.
The type A buffer was removed along the Canal.
