Commission rezones Highway 17 site for union hall serving port longshoremen

The Glynn County Mainland Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a request to rezone approximately 7.17 acres at 2688 U.S. Highway 17 South from Freeway Commercial to Highway Commercial to allow development of a union hall that will serve longshoremen and related port workers.

Senior planner Christina Wright presented the request and said the property is in the county’s Southwest character area, which the comprehensive plan describes as expanding commercial development because of proximity to Highway 17, I-95 and the Port of Brunswick. Agent Latasha Green Cobb told the commission the facility will be used primarily for business functions tied to port hiring and shift assignments and estimated daily users in excess of about 300 employees at different shift times. Cobb said the applicant has prepared a traffic memo and will work with county engineering on any required traffic analysis.

A local resident and real-estate professional, Karen Polite, spoke in favor and said the longshore workforce already uses the area and that the rezoning would allow them a permanent facility closer to their workplace. Commissioners asked about connectivity and whether an existing frontage road was dedicated to the county; staff noted a frontage-road dedication requirement applies in portions of the PD text and that a drainage ditch in the area complicates interparcel connectivity, but the county can require interparcel access unless topography or drainage makes such a connection infeasible.

The commission approved the rezoning on a 6-0 vote. The applicant said construction is anticipated to begin in early 2026.