Council hears rezoning request for 19 Railroad Street; applicant proposes event and recreation venue

The Statesboro City Council held a public hearing on Oct. 21 on application RZ25-09-01, a request to rezone multiple parcels at 19 Railroad Street from Light Industrial to Central Business District to permit adaptive reuse of existing warehouse buildings for an event and recreation facility.

Justin (planning staff) told the council the parcels contain a group of dilapidated warehouses and that the applicant proposes to renovate and reuse the existing buildings. "The applicant seeks to maintain the existing buildings on-site and completely renovate them for this development," Justin said, adding that the proposal aligns with the downtown master plan and that the Planning Commission recommended approval at its Oct. 7 meeting by a 7‑0 vote. Justin also stated a staff condition: the zoning amendment does not itself grant the right to develop the property and all construction must be reviewed and approved by the city.

An applicant representative described the project to the council and members of the public. The applicant said the development would include a 15,000‑square‑foot indoor skate park, an indoor music venue and, in a five‑year plan, an indoor rock‑climbing gym and high‑ropes course. The applicant said the project intends to create green space and small water features and to extend an adjacent walking trail to connect to the property.

"We're really looking to build an event space that is a safe space for families and kids ... we're gonna be building an indoor skate park, which is the one building's 15,000 square feet," the applicant representative said. The applicant emphasized reuse of the existing warehouse structures rather than demolition.

After staff and applicant remarks, the council opened the hearing to public comment; no members of the public registered opposition in the transcript provided. The council then closed the public hearing and opened the matter for council discussion. Questions from council members focused on allowable uses under the proposed Central Business District zoning (retail, multifamily, adaptive downtown uses) and confirmation that the warehouse buildings would be reused rather than replaced.

The transcript records the public hearing, staff recommendation and applicant presentation; a final council vote on the rezoning is not recorded in the provided transcript.