A request to allow more multifamily development in north Godley Station received a recommendation from the Metropolitan Planning Commission on Tuesday, but not before some West Chatham residents and developers weighed in with concerns.
Property owner Gary Wiggin, represented by attorney Rusty Ross, had asked for a change of land-use designation for about 40 acres off Benton and Highlands boulevards, in Highlands Business Park, to multifamily and commercial from its current designation of public/institution.
The planned unit development is located within the even larger Godley Station planned development. The area has experienced tremendous growth, particularly among young families who have moved to that area, resulting in a boom in multifamily housing.
Ross said the demand for more housing necessitated the change, with a buyer already lined up to develop the parcel with apartments.
Dan Doyle, representing Parkside at the Highlands on Benton Boulevard, spoke against the change. He said his company bought their property in 2005 and stuck to the designation outlined in the Godley Station master plan.
Doyle said his company is just now finishing construction on their 317-unit complex with at least four other multifamily tracts nearby.
“It’s more out of convenience than necessity,” he said of the petition. “We stayed the course and followed the master plan.”
Another prominent West Chatham developer, Jack Wardlaw, also expressed opposition, citing
covenant restrictions and the master plan for an orderly build-out of Godley.
“We believe the covenant gives us all rights to approve changes to the master plan,” he said.
Resident Camille Jones of the newly formed Highlands Neighborhood Alliance said traffic and overcrowding of schools were already big issues because of the density of these multifamily complexes.
A representative from Savannah-Chatham Public Schools, Tammy Perkins, gave a PowerPoint to explain how the school system is seeking to accommodate this influx of young children in West Chatham.
Godley Station K-8 School was built for 1,200 students but currently serves closer to 1,600. Anticipating further growth, she said, the school system intends to relocate some children in the Port Wentworth district to Rice Creek School to alleviate overcrowding.
After public comment, Ross disagreed that local government was responsible for managing and growing infrastructure for an area, not private property owners.
“They’re not upset about another 300 apartments. They’re upset about the school system and about the roads,” he said.
The board voted 7-4 to approve the planning staff’s recommendation for the amendment. Site plans for the development would still have to be reviewed by the planning commission as well as the Chatham County Commission.
Residential density
Separately, a petition for a text amendment to the county zoning ordinance for increased housing density in the R-3 Multi-Family Residential district was continued Tuesday.
Attorney Harold Yellin, representing petitioner Ian Smith, said his client had previously purchased property off East President Street to build multifamily housing. His client is now interested in purchasing an adjoining property that sits just beyond the city border and is subject to a different set of standards.
He said the county only permits 24 units per net acre while the city allows up to 40 units. Since the two properties are in proximity and are appropriate for this type of development, Yellin said, it made sense to make them agree.
“We want to create an ordinance in the county that looks like the city,” said Yellin. “The actual density would still be determined by you when we come before you with site plans.”
Asked by commissioner Lacy Manigault why they didn’t just ask the city to annex the property, Yellin said he believed this was the path of least of resistance.
Commissioners decided to continue the petition to allow staff to reword portions of the text amendment.