By Eric Curl
Feb. 20, 2023 – Nevermind. We’re good.
That appears to be the Savannah Economic Development Authority’s sentiment when it comes to rezoning the 632-acre Savannah Chatham Manufacturing Center located about 15 miles west of downtown Savannah.
SEDA recently dropped its pursuit to rezone a majority of the manufacturing park from light industrial to heavy industrial, following community opposition and rejection from Savannah’s zoning advisory board.
President and CEO Trip Tollison informed the Chatham County Commission on Friday of SEDA’s decision to abandon the rezoning plans, while providing a status update on the voter-approved sales-tax funded development site located off Interstate 16.
Tollison’s announcement came about four months after the Metropolitan Planning Commission recommended the city deny the proposed 513-acre rezoning that had been opposed by area residents concerned about increased truck traffic, environmental impacts, health issues and decreased property values.
Tollison said the rezoning was sought to help market the site, but SEDA has since decided to withdrew the petition completely after postponing an appearance before the Savannah City Council for consideration in November.
Under the current zoning, the site is already attracting interest. Two manufacturers are preparing to locate facilities there and Tollison said a third would be announced in late February or early March.
Site work has already begun for Igneo Technologies, an electronic waste recovery business constructing a facility at the park that is expected to create 150 jobs. In addition, SEDA recently submitted plans to clear about 31 acres at the park to expedite the construction process for Seoyon E-hwa, following Governor Brian Kemp’s announcement earlier this month that the global auto parts supplier will be establishing a facility at the site. While not divulging the name, Tollison said, like Seoyon, the third pending business is also a supplier for Hyundai Motor Group. The South Korean automobile manufacturer is building an electric vehicle plant about six miles west at a 2,100-acre “mega site” in Bryan County that is expected to create about 8,100 jobs.
The Seoyon and Igneo manufacturing facilities are not dependent on the site being zoned heavy industrial, according to SEDA spokesperson Angela Hendrix.
To further alleviate concerns of residents about the site, beyond the zoning, Commissioner Dean Kicklighter suggested that SEDA try to get the state to invest more in road improvements in correlation with the manufacturing projects.
“People aren’t going to want to move here and they’re not going to want to work here because the traffic is so bad,” Kicklighter said. “When you land a major one, you need to land a major road deal to go with it.”
Tollison said that the state has about $250 million in road improvements planned for the corridor, but agreed that more would need to be done.
Read about some of the road projects and traffic concerns some Bryan County residents have regarding the regarding the Hyundai project and mega site in Latrice Williams’ Savannah Morning News article.
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