The Florida Times-Union
March 7, 2008
By Brandon Larrabee,
The Times-Union
ATLANTA - A proposal that would have restricted new development on Jekyll Island's beachfront and set up new standards to protect its traditional role as an affordable getaway essentially died in committee Thursday.
But supporters, convinced that the measure reflects what Georgians want for "the people's island," said they would scramble to find another way to push the regulations through the General Assembly, perhaps by tacking the measure onto another bill before the legislative session ends in early April.
"The citizens have spoken," said Rep. Debbie Buckner, D-Junction City, who sponsored the measure. "We haven't listened. The island belongs to the people of Georgia, and as a landowner, they should be able to have a voice on what happens on the island."
Under House Bill 1289, an open beachfront on the Atlantic Ocean side of the island would have been largely shielded from development. And at least 50 percent of new hotel rooms built in an effort to revitalize the island would have to have rates "comparable" to the nightly rate state employees get for hotel rooms when on official business, or about $128.
Citing a lack of time before a crucial legislative deadline, a House subcommittee set up to consider H.B. 1289 decided to take no action on the measure.
Members of the panel said it would be too late to get the bill through the full State Institutions and Property Committee and to the House floor by Tuesday, the 30th working day of the legislative session, when bills must either pass one chamber or die.
"Day 30 is Tuesday," said Rep. Mike Cheokas, D-Americus. "And we won't be able to make a committee meeting until after Day 30."
A similar measure was killed last week by the Senate Economic Development Committee.
The Jekyll Island Authority, which manages the island for the state, has argued that the measure would kill a planned $352 million development by Linger Longer Communities, developer of the posh Reynolds Plantation resort on Lake Oconee.
Instead, committee members said the House might be willing to consider a nonbinding resolution urging the Jekyll Island Authority to follow some of the standards Buckner's bill would have put in state law.
Supporters of Buckner's measure accused the subcommittee of intentionally moving slowly, delaying the subcommittee meeting for several days before taking it up Thursday.
"They dragged their heels on setting a date for the subcommittee," said David Egan, head of the Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island, a grass-roots organization that has been critical of the Linger Longer proposal.
But the battle over Jekyll isn't completely over, Buckner said, noting the end of the session doesn't come until the close of the 40th working day.
"I'm not going to give up hope yet," she said. "We have at least 10 legislative days."
brandon.larrabee@morris.com, (678) 977-3709.
This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/030708/geo_254596943.shtml.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
03/04 - Opponents set sights on 'the people's beach'
The Florida Times-Union
March 4, 2008
By Brandon Larrabee
The Times-Union
Image (top): CHRIS VIOLA/The Times-Union: On the beachThirty-year residents of Jekyll Island Ann Stephens (left) and Fran Cerrato take their daily walk on the beach past the Jekyll Island Convention Center on Monday. Both said they wanted to see the development of commercial properties including hotels and a shopping center, but they are concerned that beach access might be limited by the condominiums.
Image (bottom): Brandon Larrabee/The Times-Union: Sen. Jack Murphy, R-Cumming, holds up an aerial photograph of Jekyll Island and a sketch of Linger Longer's planned development along a popular beachfront. The beachfront is at the center of this year's battle over Jekyll redevelopment.
ATLANTA - In the fight over the direction of Jekyll Island redevelopment, the battlefield keeps shifting from one part of the barrier island to another.
Last year, the focus for those who wanted to shield the island from overdevelopment was the ecologically fragile south end, where sea turtles nested and where a 4-H Center and nationally known soccer field were located.
This year, ground zero has shifted to a patch of beach that is one of the first sights that visitors to the island see and is at the center of Linger Longer Communities' $352 million plan to revitalize Jekyll's sagging tourist infrastructure.
Sen. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick, chief sponsor of a measure aimed at prohibiting additional development along that beachfront, said he and supporters thought they were dealing with most of the land that needed specific protection when they pushed through legislation shielding the south end.
"But no one had any idea that, now, they were going to move and build condos on the most popular public beach area," he said.
The reason the beach is precious, supporters say, comes from its position. The beach is the one most open to the public along the Atlantic Ocean side of Jekyll. Go south, and there are hotels and the protected south end. Go north, and the beach narrows and gets swallowed up during high tides.
"There just isn't another place to go like that," said David Egan, head of the Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island.
Opponents of restrictions on the beachfront say it would hamper Linger Longer's efforts and prevent the developer and the Jekyll Island Authority from moving the "footprint" of buildings in a way that might end up more favorable for Jekyll.
And the plan will only take up about 8 percent of the beachfront on Jekyll, while the beach on the other side of the buildings will still be just as open to the public.
"It's pure nonsense to think that you're going to have a beach accommodation but you're not going to have any structures on the beach," said Steve Croy, a member of the authority board who spoke at a recent Senate committee hearing where Chapman's bills were voted down.
Egan counters that there are already more beachfront rooms being added on other parts of Jekyll, and that the size of the land doesn't matter as much as its worth to the public - and others.
"There's something real special about it to the developer as well as to the visitor," Egan said of what's called "the people's beach."
Efforts to pass legislation like Chapman's aren't officially dead. A similar measure by Rep. Debbie Buckner, D-Junction City, is now in a special House subcommittee, though it would likely fare little better in the Senate panel than did Chapman's. Sponsors could try to amend the restrictions onto other legislation if they can find a bill that would make the amendment relevant.
This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/030408/geo_253374600.shtml.
03.25 - Sneaky tactic affects Jekyll Island's future
Sneaky tactic affects Jekyll Island's future
Date: March 25, 2008
Section(s): Commentary
It is a common practice among politicians, but that doesn't make attaching unwanted amendments to popular legislation right. It's a sneaky, back-door tactic that is tantamount to trying to shove something distasteful and unnecessary down the throats of Georgians.
This is what Rep. Debbie Buckner, D-Columbus, is doing. She's resorting to this old-time political trick after running into a brick wall when trying earlier this session of the General Assembly to get legislation through that would throw a wrench into plans by Linger Longer Communities to rejuvenate Jekyll Island.
Rep. Buckner tacked her bill in the form of an amendment onto legislation that would extend the life of the Coastal Zone Management Act by removing the act's expiration date.
Because of the amendment, the legislation narrowly escaped defeat in the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee Thursday, passing 9-8. Now, those who depend on the Coastal Zone Management Act for funding to protect coastal resources are apprehensive about the future of CZM.
Rep. Buckner's amendment seeks to block certain development from certain areas of the Jekyll Island waterfront. It's built upon the pretense that the public will no longer have access to the beach if the $342 million revitalization plan is allowed to go forward as is.
To begin with, no one knows what the final version of the plan will be. Secondly, why would anyone spend or invest $342 million in a project that would deny people access to the one drawing card that Jekyll Island has, which is the beach? It just wouldn't make sense.
What Rep. Buckner is attempting to do is micro-manage the repair and long-overdue overhaul of Jekyll Island.
Jekyll Island has gone nowhere but downhill over the past two decades. It will continue the current rate of descension unless politicians stop trying to crush or maim every plan that professional consultants come up with to improve the island.
Date: March 25, 2008
Section(s): Commentary
It is a common practice among politicians, but that doesn't make attaching unwanted amendments to popular legislation right. It's a sneaky, back-door tactic that is tantamount to trying to shove something distasteful and unnecessary down the throats of Georgians.
This is what Rep. Debbie Buckner, D-Columbus, is doing. She's resorting to this old-time political trick after running into a brick wall when trying earlier this session of the General Assembly to get legislation through that would throw a wrench into plans by Linger Longer Communities to rejuvenate Jekyll Island.
Rep. Buckner tacked her bill in the form of an amendment onto legislation that would extend the life of the Coastal Zone Management Act by removing the act's expiration date.
Because of the amendment, the legislation narrowly escaped defeat in the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee Thursday, passing 9-8. Now, those who depend on the Coastal Zone Management Act for funding to protect coastal resources are apprehensive about the future of CZM.
Rep. Buckner's amendment seeks to block certain development from certain areas of the Jekyll Island waterfront. It's built upon the pretense that the public will no longer have access to the beach if the $342 million revitalization plan is allowed to go forward as is.
To begin with, no one knows what the final version of the plan will be. Secondly, why would anyone spend or invest $342 million in a project that would deny people access to the one drawing card that Jekyll Island has, which is the beach? It just wouldn't make sense.
What Rep. Buckner is attempting to do is micro-manage the repair and long-overdue overhaul of Jekyll Island.
Jekyll Island has gone nowhere but downhill over the past two decades. It will continue the current rate of descension unless politicians stop trying to crush or maim every plan that professional consultants come up with to improve the island.
03/22 - Fight flares anew to stop Jekyll plan
Date: March 22, 2008
Section(s): Local News
By ANNA FERGUSON
The Brunswick News
Jekyll Island and state officials are concerned about the impact an amendment attached to a House bill will have on the Georgia park and coast.
The amendment, attached to Senate legislation that seeks to remove the upcoming expiration date of the Georgia Coastal Zone Management Act, takes aim at the $342 million revitalization project planned for state-owned Jekyll Island by Linger Longer Communities.
Introduced by Rep. Debbie Buckner, D-Columbus, the amendment bars condominiums and other luxury accommodations - as proposed in Linger Longer's plan - on a half-mile section of beach on the island.
It would block from development the beach area at the existing convention center.
The House Natural Resources and Environment Committee narrowly passed the amendment in a 9-8 vote Thursday.
Buckner's amendment stems from some fears that the redevelopment project will block public access to the open beach area.
"I'm very concerned about (Jekyll Island) becoming overdeveloped," Buckner said. "It is a public beach and a public park. It seems to me since this is the only open public (state park) beach left on the Georgia coast, it should stay the way the people want it. And the people have spoken."
The amendment would not do harm to Jekyll, Buckner said. Instead, it could make Linger Longer rethink plans, which in her opinion, is not a bad thing.
"The only plausible thing it could do is make the developers go back to the drawing board," Buckner said. "And that's not a bad thing."
Measures introduced earlier in the session by Buckner and by Sen. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick, to accomplish the same objective were withdrawn or defeated. That's why Buckner decided to attach it to another bill.
Susan Shipman, director of the Coastal Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, is concerned about what might happen to extending the Coastal Zone Management Act if the legislation fails to pass because of the amendment.
"I am very concerned with the reaction to the bill from under the gold dome," she said, referring to state legislators in the Capitol. "Based on past Jekyll bill track records, bills (to halt renovation) have not made it very far. It concerns me greatly."
Created in 1997, the Georgia Coastal Zone Management Act allows the state to participate in and to receive funds from the federal Coastal Management Act. The act has a sunset provision and is set to expire in July 2009 unless legislators take action.
Under the act, area organizations receive funds to help conserve, research and rehabilitate sensitive areas of the coast, as well as work to develop outreach and education initiatives for 11 counties in the region.
"This act is multifaceted and very diverse," Shipman said. "It allows for better management of the coast and the federal grants provide a substantial portion of our annual funding."
Shipman is not the only one who is concerned. Linger Longer project manager Jim Langford said he is disappointed by Buckner's actions.
"It's unfortunate that the Coastal Georgia Management (Act) extension was encumbered by this Jekyll legislation, that it is an attempt to restrict our renovation efforts," Langford said. "It's not good legislation and it puts unnecessary restrictions on Jekyll."
Similar thoughts about the amendment were echoed by the Jekyll Island Authority. As the agency that oversees island development and preservation, the authority sees the amendment as unnecessary, said Eric Garvey, senior marketing director for Jekyll Island.
"(We) hope that it can be stopped without affecting the Coastal Management Act, which is important environmental legislation," Garvey said.
The amendment faces obstacles. It's next stop is the House Rules Committee, which includes House Majority Leader Jerry Keen, R-St. Simons Island. Keen supports revitalization plans for Jekyll Island.
Chapman feels differently. If the amendment is not adopted, public access to the open beach will be lost, he said.
"It would be wise of Linger Longer to accept and embrace this amendment and move forward accordingly," Chapman said.
Chapman predicted that the amendment would easily pass through the upcoming floor and Senate votes to become law.
"My colleagues are all very excited about it," he said. "This amendment is the right thing to do."
Section(s): Local News
By ANNA FERGUSON
The Brunswick News
Jekyll Island and state officials are concerned about the impact an amendment attached to a House bill will have on the Georgia park and coast.
The amendment, attached to Senate legislation that seeks to remove the upcoming expiration date of the Georgia Coastal Zone Management Act, takes aim at the $342 million revitalization project planned for state-owned Jekyll Island by Linger Longer Communities.
Introduced by Rep. Debbie Buckner, D-Columbus, the amendment bars condominiums and other luxury accommodations - as proposed in Linger Longer's plan - on a half-mile section of beach on the island.
It would block from development the beach area at the existing convention center.
The House Natural Resources and Environment Committee narrowly passed the amendment in a 9-8 vote Thursday.
Buckner's amendment stems from some fears that the redevelopment project will block public access to the open beach area.
"I'm very concerned about (Jekyll Island) becoming overdeveloped," Buckner said. "It is a public beach and a public park. It seems to me since this is the only open public (state park) beach left on the Georgia coast, it should stay the way the people want it. And the people have spoken."
The amendment would not do harm to Jekyll, Buckner said. Instead, it could make Linger Longer rethink plans, which in her opinion, is not a bad thing.
"The only plausible thing it could do is make the developers go back to the drawing board," Buckner said. "And that's not a bad thing."
Measures introduced earlier in the session by Buckner and by Sen. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick, to accomplish the same objective were withdrawn or defeated. That's why Buckner decided to attach it to another bill.
Susan Shipman, director of the Coastal Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, is concerned about what might happen to extending the Coastal Zone Management Act if the legislation fails to pass because of the amendment.
"I am very concerned with the reaction to the bill from under the gold dome," she said, referring to state legislators in the Capitol. "Based on past Jekyll bill track records, bills (to halt renovation) have not made it very far. It concerns me greatly."
Created in 1997, the Georgia Coastal Zone Management Act allows the state to participate in and to receive funds from the federal Coastal Management Act. The act has a sunset provision and is set to expire in July 2009 unless legislators take action.
Under the act, area organizations receive funds to help conserve, research and rehabilitate sensitive areas of the coast, as well as work to develop outreach and education initiatives for 11 counties in the region.
"This act is multifaceted and very diverse," Shipman said. "It allows for better management of the coast and the federal grants provide a substantial portion of our annual funding."
Shipman is not the only one who is concerned. Linger Longer project manager Jim Langford said he is disappointed by Buckner's actions.
"It's unfortunate that the Coastal Georgia Management (Act) extension was encumbered by this Jekyll legislation, that it is an attempt to restrict our renovation efforts," Langford said. "It's not good legislation and it puts unnecessary restrictions on Jekyll."
Similar thoughts about the amendment were echoed by the Jekyll Island Authority. As the agency that oversees island development and preservation, the authority sees the amendment as unnecessary, said Eric Garvey, senior marketing director for Jekyll Island.
"(We) hope that it can be stopped without affecting the Coastal Management Act, which is important environmental legislation," Garvey said.
The amendment faces obstacles. It's next stop is the House Rules Committee, which includes House Majority Leader Jerry Keen, R-St. Simons Island. Keen supports revitalization plans for Jekyll Island.
Chapman feels differently. If the amendment is not adopted, public access to the open beach will be lost, he said.
"It would be wise of Linger Longer to accept and embrace this amendment and move forward accordingly," Chapman said.
Chapman predicted that the amendment would easily pass through the upcoming floor and Senate votes to become law.
"My colleagues are all very excited about it," he said. "This amendment is the right thing to do."
03/05 - Attorney General OKs deal
Slugline Attorney General OKs deal
Date: March 05, 2008
Section(s): Local News
When the Trammell Crow development deal surfaced last year, state Sen. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick, had questions.
He was concerned about a possible $10 million tax abatement between the Jekyll Island Authority and the developers.
But what Chapman referred to as "abatement" turned out to be a mere rent agreement between the authority and the developers, the state Attorney General's Office said Tuesday.
Chapman had asked for the opinion of the Attorney General.
"It was erroneous of Sen. Chapman to call it an abatement," said Russ Willard, director of communications for the Attorney General's office.
"It was a rent agreement that is reflective of the base amount of rent. It's a standard rent plan."
- Anna Ferguson,
The Brunswick News
Date: March 05, 2008
Section(s): Local News
When the Trammell Crow development deal surfaced last year, state Sen. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick, had questions.
He was concerned about a possible $10 million tax abatement between the Jekyll Island Authority and the developers.
But what Chapman referred to as "abatement" turned out to be a mere rent agreement between the authority and the developers, the state Attorney General's Office said Tuesday.
Chapman had asked for the opinion of the Attorney General.
"It was erroneous of Sen. Chapman to call it an abatement," said Russ Willard, director of communications for the Attorney General's office.
"It was a rent agreement that is reflective of the base amount of rent. It's a standard rent plan."
- Anna Ferguson,
The Brunswick News
03/05 - Jekyll hotel construction set to begin
Date: March 05, 2008
Section(s): Local News
By ANNA FERGUSON
The Brunswick News
The building has been demolished and the blueprints have been submitted.
It's now a waiting game for Trammell Crow's proposed development on Jekyll Island.
"Everything is moving forward," said Eric Garvey, spokesman for the Jekyll Island Authority. "It's been a very normal, smooth process with the project."
Trammell Crow's new hotel, Canopy Bluff, will take the place of the Buccaneer, demolished at the end of 2007.
Groundbreaking on the new hotel is planned for April, Garvey said.
The only snag in the project came earlier this year, when original designs exceeded height restrictions of the Jekyll Island Authority. New designs have been created and will be submitted to the authority this week, said David Deshong, a representative of Global Accents and Trammell Crow.
"We're finalizing plans right now to submit new renderings of our design," Deshong said.
As it stands now, Canopy Bluff isn't much to look at. Mostly, it's a fenced-in field of fresh dirt stirred alongside downed tree limbs and leftover patches of landscaping.
The $120 million Canopy Bluff hotel will feature 301 rooms and 127 condominium rentals, plus a conference center, five swimming pools, a full-service restaurant and spa.
Affordability has been a top concern for most Jekyll Island redevelopment plans and was taken into consideration when planning on the new hotel began, Garvey said. Falling between a four-star and economy rate hotel, Canopy Bluff is slated to be one of the islands higher-end options.
"It's not set to be an economy hotel, but it also won't be exclusive," Garvey said.
Construction of Canopy Bluff is expected to take about 16 months, Garvey said.
Section(s): Local News
By ANNA FERGUSON
The Brunswick News
The building has been demolished and the blueprints have been submitted.
It's now a waiting game for Trammell Crow's proposed development on Jekyll Island.
"Everything is moving forward," said Eric Garvey, spokesman for the Jekyll Island Authority. "It's been a very normal, smooth process with the project."
Trammell Crow's new hotel, Canopy Bluff, will take the place of the Buccaneer, demolished at the end of 2007.
Groundbreaking on the new hotel is planned for April, Garvey said.
The only snag in the project came earlier this year, when original designs exceeded height restrictions of the Jekyll Island Authority. New designs have been created and will be submitted to the authority this week, said David Deshong, a representative of Global Accents and Trammell Crow.
"We're finalizing plans right now to submit new renderings of our design," Deshong said.
As it stands now, Canopy Bluff isn't much to look at. Mostly, it's a fenced-in field of fresh dirt stirred alongside downed tree limbs and leftover patches of landscaping.
The $120 million Canopy Bluff hotel will feature 301 rooms and 127 condominium rentals, plus a conference center, five swimming pools, a full-service restaurant and spa.
Affordability has been a top concern for most Jekyll Island redevelopment plans and was taken into consideration when planning on the new hotel began, Garvey said. Falling between a four-star and economy rate hotel, Canopy Bluff is slated to be one of the islands higher-end options.
"It's not set to be an economy hotel, but it also won't be exclusive," Garvey said.
Construction of Canopy Bluff is expected to take about 16 months, Garvey said.
03/01 - Legislative hurdles to Jekyll plan flattened
Date March 01, 2008
Section(s) Local News
By ANNA FERGUSON
The Brunswick News
A House bill that could have halted redevelopment plans for Jekyll Island has been dismissed for now by a committee in the lower chamber of the Georgia General Assembly.
Introduced by Rep. Debbie Buckner, D-Columbus, House Bill 1289 faced a hearing in the State Properties and Institutions Committee Thursday and was promptly returned to sender when members said they had too many questions about the content and impact of the legislation.
The proposed legislation called for stricter beachfront building requirements. Were it to be enacted, it would greatly alter the $341 million revitalization plan proposed by the Jekyll Island Authority and Linger Longer Communities, said Eric Garvey, senior marketing director for the Jekyll Island Authority, which oversees the state-owned island.
The bill was the last of four measures introduced in the General Assembly that threatened to derail plans for Jekyll Island's revitalization that a legislative committee repelled Thursday. Three proposed by state Sen. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick, were struck down by a Senate committee.
The language in Buckner's legislation was strikingly similar to wording used in the three measures proposed by Chapman, who opposes the Linger Longer blueprints. All three measures were rejected by the Senate Economic Development Committee.
Buckner withdrew her measure, requesting that the House committee not vote on it. She said she wanted to rework the language.
The plan to revitalize the state park calls for new hotels, condominiums, a new convention center and town center.
Section(s) Local News
By ANNA FERGUSON
The Brunswick News
A House bill that could have halted redevelopment plans for Jekyll Island has been dismissed for now by a committee in the lower chamber of the Georgia General Assembly.
Introduced by Rep. Debbie Buckner, D-Columbus, House Bill 1289 faced a hearing in the State Properties and Institutions Committee Thursday and was promptly returned to sender when members said they had too many questions about the content and impact of the legislation.
The proposed legislation called for stricter beachfront building requirements. Were it to be enacted, it would greatly alter the $341 million revitalization plan proposed by the Jekyll Island Authority and Linger Longer Communities, said Eric Garvey, senior marketing director for the Jekyll Island Authority, which oversees the state-owned island.
The bill was the last of four measures introduced in the General Assembly that threatened to derail plans for Jekyll Island's revitalization that a legislative committee repelled Thursday. Three proposed by state Sen. Jeff Chapman, R-Brunswick, were struck down by a Senate committee.
The language in Buckner's legislation was strikingly similar to wording used in the three measures proposed by Chapman, who opposes the Linger Longer blueprints. All three measures were rejected by the Senate Economic Development Committee.
Buckner withdrew her measure, requesting that the House committee not vote on it. She said she wanted to rework the language.
The plan to revitalize the state park calls for new hotels, condominiums, a new convention center and town center.
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