Editorial - No to Rezoning

Proposed Industrial Rezoning in Liberty County

By Amy Thurman Liberty County Resident

When most of us think of the Georgia coast, we picture wide expanses of marsh, winding estuaries, cool and shaded maritime forests, and the plethora of birds and animals that inhabit these unique ecosystems. We think of fishing and swimming in the creeks and rivers, time on the water with friends and family, fresh local seafood, blue skies, and quiet broken only by birdsong and the breeze. This stretch of coastline is one of the last undeveloped areas on the entire eastern seaboard and we (collectively) work hard to protect it and preserve it.

When something threatens it, many of us, myself included, tend to react a little like a mama bear whose cubs have been threatened. That gut-clenching reaction is exactly what I felt when I heard about the rezoning request for nearly 400 acres of land on Colonels Island, at the east end of Liberty County, to construct a wood processing facility, lumber mill and cross-laminate timber fabrication facility.

I honestly can’t believe the Liberty County Planning Commission (LCPC) is even entertaining the idea. Surely after all the work residents, non-profit organizations and government agencies have done since the early 70s to protect our coast, plopping a sawmill in the middle of a back barrier island can’t be considered a healthy or responsible endeavor?

In trying to see both sides of the coin, I’ll concede that it can be challenging at times to find a balance between nature and humans, between environmental protection and economic impact. But I’m really struggling with this one.

One argument put forth is that it would provide jobs for local residents. But in a time when nearly every industry is struggling with staffing shortages, how is this a benefit? If the goal here really is to provide something beneficial to the community, then why not turn the land into a nature preserve and education center, or a 4-H center, something that would benefit the community for generations to come? I suspect the answer to that question relates directly to what the sawmill company is prepared to pay for the property as opposed to the value of the land as a preserve. But maybe that’s just me being cynical.

It also occurs to me that this is privately owned land and the owner should be able to sell the land to the highest bidder. I don’t have a problem with that – I’ll be the first person to pick up the personal liberty flag and march down Main Street USA with it. The problem I have is when that high bidder wants to use the land in a way that negatively impacts the surrounding residents and/or the local environment.

Let’s take a look at those negative impacts.

To start with, the local infrastructure can’t support it. There is one road in and out of the location and there are no water or sewer lines out to the island, which means the road would have to be widened to accommodate traffic, and water and sewer lines would have to be run or facilities built to provide these services. Which in turn means the marsh on either side of the road would be impacted.

Pollution. While this parcel doesn’t sit directly on the water, it does sit on an island entirely surrounded by estuaries and marshland and there’s no way to guarantee there won’t be runoff. And where does the waste go, exactly?

In addition to water pollution and waste disposal, there’s also no way to prevent air pollution, and local residents will be forced to endure bad odors, constant noise, and light pollution at night. As one resident, Marcie Hamilton, put it, “‘I would love to live right next door to a toxic, pollution emitting, noise making, smelly, lumber facility,’ said no one, ever.”

Habitat loss. The east end of Liberty County is rural and has a large wildlife population. From apex predators such as American alligators and coyotes, to mammals, including mink, otter, deer, raccoons, and more. Birds are abundant as well, such as pileated woodpeckers, great horned owls, eagles, red-tailed and redshouldered hawks, and countless others, as well as herons, egrets, woodstorks and other water birds. 400 acres of lost habitat is significant and permanent.

Loss of property value. Local residents accepted the distance to the nearest amenities, the lack of county services, and even the potential for disastrous weather when they moved here, in favor of peace and quiet, closeness to the water, beautiful views, a lack of traffic and crime, and being insulated from industry and commerce. A facility like the one proposed would eliminate many of the benefits of living in the area. Ask yourself, how much would you pay for a piece of property next to a lumber mill?

If the LCPC recommends this rezoning and the county Board of Commissioners votes to do so, this is permanent. Those 400 acres will never be reclaimed for habitat, property values will never recover, damage from pollution will be difficult if not impossible to reverse. Colonels Island will never be the same.

And a precedent will have been set. If it can happen on Colonels Island, it can happen everywhere else in Liberty County, and if it can happen in Liberty, it can happen in any of our other five coastal counties. I can’t help but feel that this would be a huge step backwards for the Georgia coast.

Grant Porter, co-owner of Half Moon Marina, summed it up perfectly: “We have an obligation to our kids and future generations. That type of development is high risk. I appreciate the potential rewards, but that doesn’t outweigh the risks to our pristine environment.”