Commissioners approve adding 209 acres to Laurel View PUD, rezoning industrial land for housing

The Liberty County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a rezoning petition to add 209 acres to the existing Laurel View planned unit development, changing the parcel from I‑1 (industrial) to the PUD’s residential district.

County planning staff presented the petition and maps, and the project representative said the 209 acres are adjacent to the existing PUD. The petitioner told commissioners the change would remove development capacity for about 1,250,000 square feet of industrial warehouse and instead allow roughly 670 homes within the PUD, with the first homes expected to be built in 2026 and the development phased over multiple years.

Planning staff said portions of the 209‑acre parcel include wetlands and areas mapped as AE flood zone. The county’s planning analysis, referenced by staff, found the proposed use conforms with the Fort Stewart JLS study and the county’s comprehensive plan (which is being updated to a mixed‑use designation), and that the Liberty County Planning Commission recommended approval with standard conditions at its March 18 meeting.

During discussion commissioners and staff asked about infrastructure and traffic. Transportation staff said planned four‑lane improvements to Islands Highway (referred to in the presentation as the Islands Highway improvement plan) are intended to handle projected capacity and that signalized intersections are planned at Dorchester Village Road and the Trade Port East entrance. County staff and the project representative said they are in active coordination with the local industrial authority on water and sewer service; the developer said it expects adequate utility capacity timed with phased construction but acknowledged the project depends on staged infrastructure delivery.

The petitioner presented build‑out estimates prepared for the larger PUD (the entire approved development exceeds 1,200 acres). As presented, the combined PUD’s estimated build‑out value was cited at about $1.1 billion, with an estimated $19 million in annual property tax revenue and roughly $11 million in sales tax (the presenter summarized that as about $30 million in annual tax revenue countywide at full build‑out). For the newly added 209 acres specifically, the presenter estimated roughly $3.3 million in property tax revenue upon completion of those parcels.

Board members and staff also discussed environmental protections and public access: the petitioner said about 30 percent of the overall PUD acreage would remain preserved as wetlands/open space, and committed to bike and walking trails, public access to lakes and recreational areas, and phased construction starting from both ends of the site.

Commissioners raised a procedural point on the floor after the motion: although this item had been before the Planning Commission and carried standard notifications and signage, the chair asked whether the board had formally gone into a public hearing before voting. Staff confirmed the legal notice and signage had been published but the chair said the board should have opened a public hearing; the commission proceeded to ask whether any member of the public wished to speak (no one had signed up). The motion to approve passed by a show of hands.

The board approved the rezoning as presented; staff and the petitioner were asked to keep commissioners informed as specific subdivision, traffic‑study mitigation and utility service letters are produced.

The vote and the presentation materials were entered into the record; staff will incorporate the standard conditions noted by the planning commission into the final rezoning paperwork.