Jekyll beach development halted

The company chosen to re-develop Jekyll island state park, Linger Longer, decided not to build condos on a public beach area. Conservation groups had opposed the idea and had tried to pass legislation to block it.

That failed, but people started a lobbying effort flooding lawmakers with calls and e-mails in protest.

Today the company said it would not longer build on the beach and legislation was not necessary. The Jeckyll island authority now plans to turn the area north of the convention center into a green space.

It is currently a parking lot. Republican Senator Jeff Chapman who tried but failed to protect the beach by law called the company's move a win for the people and credited their lobbying effort.

Bills to halt Jekyll Island redevelopment fail

This week allegations were made over redevelopment at Jekyll Island.
At a Senate committee meeting earlier this week, things got tense as Republican Senator Jeff Chapman of Brunswick traded barbs with the head of the Jekyll Island Authority.

Recently, redevelopment at the state owned park has centered around Chapman's allegations that the Jekyll Authority has purposely under reported its revenue for more than a decade.

"He published in all the media that we had hidden $11 million dollars from the public and that is an absolute untruth and the senator knew it when he said so," said Jekyll Island Authority Chair Ben Porter."

Chapman responded by saying,

"If the Chairman of the JIA has issue with and is bold enough to believe that the state department of audits records aren't accurate, well, I'll let him deal with them."

Chapman also contends the group has been negligent. First by allowing property at Jekyll to fall into disrepair. Secondly, by accepting a redevelopment proposal that radically changes the footprint of property on the island. Not true, however, says Jekyll Island spokesman Eric Garvey.

"That's a misunderstanding of the conditions of Jekyll Island. Now, most of the properties were built in the 60's. They grew old ... about the same time, because they were built about the same time. So, to accuse Jekyll Island Authority previous administrations over mismanagement, I just think is not accurate."

In addition to accusing Jekyll Island officials of under reporting revenue, Chapman says the group has under counted visitors to the site, by as much as 1.5 million visitors as far back as 1995. Chapman says he was able to track the numbers by combing through state archives of the DOT, because park visitors pay a fee.

Chapman was the main sponsor behind legislation that would have prohibited new private residential housing on any state-owned land, and would have limited the style and character of any new structures built in state park property. And, while Chapman called the defeat of the bills a blow for the average Georgian, Island officials say the opposite is true.

"Pass these three bills and I will promise you, you have killed the revitalize initiative that's underway. If you don't want to stop that, you need to stop these bills," says Porter.

Two of the three bills did not make it past the Senate Economic Development Committee. However, Chapman has vowed not to give up the fight.

The redevelopment plan for the state owned park calls for a 64 acre site with more than 1-thousand rental units, including condominiums and time shares. Total cost for the plan is 352-million dollars.

Jekyll Island bill clears Senate with safeguards; faces challenge in House-UPDATED

A bill that could lead to more development on Jekyll Island cleared the Georgia Senate, but not before senators adopted amendments to severely limit growth on the island’s ecologically important south end.

The underlying bill simply extends the Jekyll Island's Authority lease to manage and oversee construction on the island, where the buildings are widely considered to be rundown.

But the Authority is considering development plans that could include new luxury condos that eclipse the public facilities on Jekyll's ecologically sensitive south end, where a soccer field and educational center now stand.

That could be an economic boon to the state-owned island, according to Sen. Don Balfour (R-Snellville). He says convention planners have told them they bypass Jekyll in favor of seaside resorts in Florida that have better facilities.

"The average Georgian isn't going there," he said.

But another Gwinnett County senator, Renee Unterman (R-Buford) warned against rampant growth.

"Here in north Georgia, it looks like New Jersey," Unterman said. "Do we want take those same standards and put them on coastal Georgia?"

She noted that lobbyists representing developers, including those with ties to the Ritz-Carlton Lodge in Greensboro, were on the other side of the chamber door, awaiting the vote.

"The alligators are out there and they’re snapping…because there's big, big, big money involved," Unterman said.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers successfully pushed through a series of amendments that would give lawmakers a greater say over the Authority’s plans, and forbid more people from moving permanently to the island.

"We have the opportunity to protect something we don't have the money or manpower ever to recreate," said Sen. Jeff Chapman (R-Brunswick), who sponsored the amendments.

This version of the bill differs dramatically from the version that passed the House a few weeks ago.

Note: Early Friday afternoon, the House disagreed with the Senate. A conference committee will try to hammer out a compromise, which both chambers will vote on.