Kingsland Annexing Approved

Planning and zoning commission votes to approve annexing 15,000 acres

By Ashley Smith

Heated controversy over the annexation and rezoning of nearly 15,000 acres of land did not stop planning commissioners from approving the request Monday at the Kingsland Planning and Zoning meeting.

Commissioners approved recommending the annexation and rezoning, which will more than double the size of Kingsland, with a three to one vote - Judy Smith-Burris voted no, while Scott Alexander, Kevin Dalton and Charles Ward approved the request.

The approval was contingent upon the developer coming before the commission prior to each building project with plans that fit city ordinances. The final decision on the annexation and rezoning will be made at the Kingsland City Council meeting Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Nearly 100 residents of Kingsland and surrounding communities attended the meeting, and many openly voiced their concerns about the annexation and the rezoning of the land from agricultural forestry (A-F) to planned development (PD).

The land, which is located west of Interstate 95 near U.S. 17 and Highway 40, was recently purchased by Charlotte, N.C.-based company Crescent Resources LLC, the parent company of LandMar. The developer plans to build approximately 40,000 residential units. It also plans to construct 13.5 million square feet of space for industrial development and 9.5 million square feet for commercial development.

The development will be called The Villages of Kingsland.

Residents of the county, including small communities such as Browntown, were concerned that their properties would be annexed into the city. However, Planning and Zoning Director Ken Kessler said under the current city ordinance, and according to state law, residents will not be annexed without consent.

Residents were also concerned that the development would rob them of their small-town, simple "country lifestyle."

Chris Johnson, a pastor at Browntown Baptist Church, moved to Camden County recently from Miami, Fla. He said he moved to the small Browntown community to get away from the urban sprawl and the loud, high-crime aspects of a large city.

He pointed out to commissioners that people move to small communities primarily to enjoy the quiet life, and referenced Genesis Chapter 2 of the Bible, which discusses being "good stewards."

He said the city is not being a good steward to the people by bringing in such a development. He, as well as several other residents, admitted that they expected growth, but that it needed to be a natural growth, not a development of this magnitude.

"There is a reason people live 10 miles out from this place right here and it's to get away from development. I honestly believe my church is going to grow, but I am not going to build an 100,000 seat auditorium, I am going to wait for natural growth," he said. "People are not welcoming this as much as you guys are. The City of Kingsland should be expected to support those who already live here."

Bob Morgan said annexation is cropping up all over Georgia, primarily out of greed, and is destroying the state. He does not want greed to destroy the lifestyle in Camden County, as well.

"These annexations are destroying the beautiful state of Georgia. All and all, if you let this go forward, you're killing this county and killing the people in this county. To destroy a way of life in the name of money is a sin to God almighty," he said. "This does not benefit Kingsland or Camden County ... and we are the ones who will pay for this."

He, as well as other residents, said the development would not only ruin the quiet, slow-paced lifestyle of the county, but it would cost the residents more tax dollars, it would ruin the natural resources of the land, destroy wetlands and dry up the shallow wells many in Browntown rely on.

Royal Purdee, of Browntown, received more than 100 signatures on a petition against the development. He pointed out that many pathways have already been cut across the surrounding wetlands and Catfish Creek, destroying the environment and killing animals.

"How can you turn 15,000 acres over to be done the same way?" he said. "I am representing a lot of people in Browntown ... we don't want this to happen to Browntown and Camden County. We vote no."

He also said that he and other residents of Browntown and surrounding small communities fear the development of the wetlands will cause their wells to dry up.

"We don't want any more of our wetlands draining to the ocean," he said.

Residents also voiced concerns on the type of people the development would cater to, and many said they feared it would simply bring in people from outside Camden rather then provide affordable housing and commercial areas for people already living in the county.

Furthermore, people voiced concern over the jobs it would bring to the county, and said the types of jobs in the commercial areas would not provide security for Camden, but merely minimum wage opportunities. Questions were also posed regarding the type of industry to be developed, particularly since Kessler had promised smokestacks or the like would not be implemented.

"If there is to be no smokestacks, then what? What are you attracting as far as industry? We don't need more houses, we need more industry and jobs," resident Mike Harris said.

Other residents were simply angry that they were not notified of the building of such a massive development in their area.

"My question to you is why weren't we notified? Why weren't we made aware that this was taking place?" Luther Walker said.

Kessler said that, by law, he only had to notify those living within 200 feet of the property, which, he said he did.

Resident Ken Stanis told Kessler that, by law, when an annexation doubles the size of an area, there has to be a referendum and vote, to which Kessler asked for proof and Stanis promised to provide.

"Do you guys work for the people of Kingsland and Camden County, or do you work for Crescent Resources? You are one of us, right? I hope so. This is our county; you should be making decisions based on what is best for the county.... I thought this was a U.S. democracy," he said.

The opposing residents all requested the county be allowed to vote on the issue.

"A development this size could change the face of Camden County and Kingsland forever," Judi Mryncza said.

However, Kessler disagreed with calling a referendum.

"There is no grounds for the county to call a referendum on city issues, and there is no ground for the city to call a referendum that allows the county to vote," he said.

Furthermore, in defense of the development, he said growth will be coming to Camden County, and nothing can stop it. The development, he said, is a strategic way to allow for slow and organized growth so that it does not occur in non-uniform land pieces.

Jeffrey Halliburton, an engineer hired by Crescent to work on the project, addressed such issues as well on Monday. He said the project will allow for cohesive planning of development that could take up to 40 years to complete, and assured residents that it would be environmentally friendly.

He first pointed out, as did Kessler, that residents of Browntown who receive water from the shallow wells do not pull from the same aquifer as the city, thus the development will not effect water levels in that capacity. Furthermore, Halliburton assured that there would be no piping directly into the ocean or river and retention systems would be created for storm water.

He admitted that the wetlands will be impacted, but not in a way that will be environmentally detrimental and cause the wells to dry up. He said that every acre of wetland developed will be mitigated by the Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Kessler said further that development on the wetlands, which is one-third of the land, will be minimal and will include only utility placement and road crossings.

Kessler also said that city engineers and Crescent's engineers are performing in-depth surveys on the land to make sure development is environmentally friendly. Also, a preliminary historical and natural resource study has already been implemented and a more expansive study will be conducted, he said.

He said that, yes, the development will cause an increase in utility bills, but that it would have occurred regardless of planned or unplanned development. He further pointed out that those in the area "enjoy some of the lowest utility rates in the nation."

He said that the cost of the infrastructure on the land will be the responsibility of the developer, and the extension of the wastewater treatment plant will be funded by capital recovery fees at "no net increase for city taxpayers."

He said that overall, more taxes will be collected, but the "tax burden will be shifted" to the commercial area, thus lowering taxes for current home owners.

"With the shift to commercial, the net cost to individual home owners in existing homes should go down," he said.

Kessler also said that he expects that because Camden is located between the ports in Jacksonville and Brunswick, the industrial development will initially be geared toward warehousing. He said this will provide relatively high-paying jobs for residents.

Furthermore, he said the developers will donate land for police and fire departments and a municipal building. There are also to be four reserved sites for schools, which will be offered to the school board at residential pricing.