JEKYLL ISLAND DEVELOPMENT: Project strikes right balance for all
By Joe Wilkinson
During the gilded age of the late 1880s and until World War II, Jekyll Island was a place where Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, Astors, Morgans and Pulitzers would escape the cold New York winters.
More than a century later, however, many of Jekyll Island’s facilities are in disrepair —- so much that even some Boy Scouts trying to earn merit badges don’t find much appeal to this precious coastal asset. Numerous civic and professional groups have scratched Jekyll off their list for annual conventions.
The sad fact is Jekyll has suffered a 23 percent drop in tourism since 1989. It is in desperate need of revitalization, and now is the perfect time to undertake a major redevelopment while protecting the fragile environment as the foremost goal.
Earlier this month, the Jekyll Island Authority finalized a 25-year contract with Linger Longer Communities to revitalize the island. On Monday, the authority made a final amendment to its long-term master plan so redevelopment can proceed in January. For the sake of Jekyll and the people of Georgia, it is time to now move forward and to stop changing the rules and moving the goal line. With this plan for the state to partner with the private sector to carefully redevelop Jekyll, all parties have won.
As someone who has a second home in Glynn County, the future of this island is as important to me as it is to the residents of Jekyll and others who fear the word development. I, too, am an environmentalist. Yet I knew it was important to strike a balance between making Jekyll attractive to the public and not harming the ecosystem including loggerhead turtles and a variety of birds. I believe the state has struck that balance with this developer.
I applaud the Jekyll Island Authority for responding to public concerns and working with the developer to scale back original plans for the 10-mile-long island. It agreed to reduce the size of the 22-acre Beach Village, the largest proposed project.
Concessions include:
> A proposed 141,000-square-foot convention center has been changed to a renovation of the existing convention center at 76,000 square feet.
> A proposal for 725 new hotel rooms has been scaled back to 350 rooms. The original concept was to include three hotels; now there will be two.
> A plan for a 59,000-square-foot retail shopping center has been reduced to 30,000 square feet.
The state will also earn $20 million in the first 15 years of the lease —- money that can be used for beach renourishment or to make repairs to the historic village where the wealthy visitors lodged so long ago.
In today’s economy, Georgia taxpayers are fortunate to find a private partner to operate and build these new facilities at no cost. In addition, a new Jekyll will bring 700 jobs to Glynn County and $94 million in sales tax and $38 million in motel tax revenue to the state and local coffers. That’s not worth another hour of delay because of continued disputes over procedure or the concept of this project.
In 1947, the state bought Jekyll for a bargain, just $600,000. The purpose was to make it a place for all Georgians to revel in a piece of the Golden Isles. As a member of the board of the Jekyll Island Foundation, I believe no one can say they are a true Georgian unless they have experienced the marshes of the island, Jekyll’s dunes or the sea turtles that nest there. Fortunately for all of us, Jekyll will be a much more appealing place thanks to the work those who will give it another Golden Age —- this time, in the 21st century.
>Joe Wilkinson, a state representative (R) from Sandy Springs, is a part-time resident of St. Simon’s Island and a member of the board of the Jekyll Island Foundation.
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