By Eric Curl
June 16, 2024 – The city of Tybee Island is set to buy about four acres of undeveloped land on the island’s north end as a way to potentially meet water demands and conserve the property, according to city officials.
The Tybee Island City Council unanimously approved the $2.4 million acquisition during a special called meeting on Wednesday, after council member Monty Parks described the purchase as the “perfect opportunity” to address water insecurity and protect the forested site from development.
“Year after year, election after election, people were asking, put some land aside for Tybee,” Parks said. “This has been a long time coming.”
City officials did not provide any specific plans for the site during the meeting, but Parks mentioned potentially building a well there. Aside from a deep well to the Cretaceous aquifer, a potential desalination plant, waste water treatment facility and expansion of the nearby campground has also been posed as possibilities when the previous city council voted to acquire the site using eminent domain last year.
Located on on the southwest corner of Solomon and Estill Avenues and Polk Street, the property’s current owner, Joseph Christiansen, had previously rejected the city’s offer for the site, which led the city to take the matter to Chatham County Superior Court. The city later dropped the eminent domain case and negotiated the agreement with Christiansen.
Council member Michael “Spec” Hosti lamented the fact the city did not acquire property for such purposes in the past, citing a location on 8th Street being developed now he said jumped from about $800,000 in value in 2007 to $4 million when it was recently sold.
“So lands not getting any cheaper,” Hosti said. “I’m glad we’re finally getting this done.”
The pending acquisition comes as Tybee seeks ways to meet its growing water demand and ensure groundwater withdrawals from the Floridan Aquifer do not exceed permitted limits. The city’s five-year withdrawal permit expires at the end of the year, but is expected to be renewed. However, Tybee will occasionally exceed the maximum limit during holidays and the busy summer season.
City officials have also been discussing a potential connection to the city of Savannah’s water system to serve as a supplemental source, as previously reported.
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