Chatham County commissioners table rezoning petition pending GDOT fix for 18-wheeler U-turns

The Chatham County Board of Commissioners on March 14, 2025 left a rezoning petition on the table, saying the item cannot move forward until the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) addresses safety issues that allow 18-wheelers to make U-turns at the Silk Hope Road and Derrick Inn Road intersection.

Commissioner Kigle, a member of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, told petitioners and nearby residents that while the petitioners had agreed to multiple conditions, a lingering safety problem at the Highway 17 intersection requires GDOT action before the board will approve the rezoning. “Before I could recommend that this be approved ... it’ll have to be contingent upon y’all receiving some type of fix from GDOT or something from GDOT that will stop 18-wheelers from doing a U-turn at the intersection of Silk Hope Road and Derrick Inn Road,” Commissioner Kigle said.

The petition will remain on the table rather than being denied, a choice the commission said was intended to avoid a six-month wait and additional fees if petitioners had to refile. Kigle said petitioners had been “beyond gracious” in meeting neighbors’ requests and that the commission aims to protect both local residents and business owners.

Why it matters: The commissioners said the property under consideration would generate significant truck traffic tied to port-related operations on Highway 17. Commissioners and neighbors raised safety concerns about large trucks attempting U-turns at a nearby intersection, a problem county officials said was already occurring and visible in video evidence.

Details discussed and conditions described on the record

Commissioner Kigle read conditions that he said the petitioners had already accepted and that must be included when the petition returns to the commission: - The subject property must be buffered from Silk Hope Road with an 8-foot-high solid fence or wall, including masonry columns spaced 30 feet on center; the area between the fence and the property line parallel to Silk Hope Road must contain vegetative screening approved by the county arborist to obscure the fence or wall. - Access to the site shall be only from State Route 25/Ogeechee Road; developers must obtain an encroachment permit from the Georgia Department of Transportation for any new driveway access on State Route 25/Ogeechee Road. - There shall be no access to the site from Silk Hope Road; developers must record a 5-foot non-access easement along the rear of the property to prevent a future driveway from being constructed onto Silk Hope Road.

Commissioner Kigle told the room that the outstanding issue — truck movements at the Silk Hope/Derrick Inn intersection — must be remedied before he would recommend approval. He suggested possible GDOT remedies could include signage restricting truck turns, a lane configuration that prevents large vehicles from turning left there, or other infrastructure changes.

Discussion vs. decision

The board’s action was procedural: the rezoning petition was tabled (left on the table) rather than approved or denied. Commissioners explicitly separated discussion (concerns about truck traffic and neighbors’ objections), direction (conditions that must be recorded for future approval), and decision (to keep the petition on the table pending a GDOT solution). Commissioner Kigle noted that if the petition were denied, petitioners would have to wait six months to reapply and be required to pay fees again, so the board opted to keep the item open while pursuing a safety fix.

Next steps and implementation risks

Commissioner Kigle said county staff and the petitioners will work with GDOT to pursue a fix and that the petitioners had expressed willingness to comply with the conditions read into the record. Because final approval depends on GDOT’s actions, the item’s path to a vote is contingent on an external agency; the commission characterized that as the critical remaining implementation step.

Ending

Commissioner Kigle closed by saying the board would leave the matter on the table “until it’s resolved” or until the petitioners withdraw. No formal vote tally or final approval was recorded in the meeting transcript for the rezoning; the item remains pending.