Glynn County approves rezoning for union hiring hall after heated public hearing over Exit 29 traffic
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Summary
After a lengthy public hearing, the Glynn County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a county‑sponsored rezoning to allow a union hiring hall near Exit 29. Residents pressed safety and traffic concerns; county engineers recommended a traffic study and GDOT would evaluate signal warrants during site‑plan review.
The Glynn County Board of Commissioners voted Jan. 15 to rezone about 7.17 acres on Highway 17 near Exit 29 from Freeway Commercial to Highway Commercial to allow development of a hiring hall for longshoremen.
The decision followed an hour‑plus public hearing in which neighbors from Royal Oaks and nearby subdivisions warned the site would worsen congestion at a busy commercial cluster that includes a Dairy Queen, QT and a new car wash. “This development simply put… will make a very bad situation in our area much worse,” said David Mills, a Royal Oaks HOA board member, urging the commission to reject what he called a spot‑zoning request. Residents cited stormwater, noise and safety issues and urged the board to consider alternate sites, including Colonel’s Island.
Stephanie Leaf, Glynn County planning and zoning director, told commissioners the county is the applicant this session and that the request had previously been denied six months earlier; county engineers provided updated crash data showing 37 crashes in the vicinity between 2018 and 2024 (about 57% angle crashes, 27% rear‑end and 16% sideswipes). Staff and project engineers said a full GDOT warrant analysis and a traffic study would be required during later site‑plan review if the rezoning moved forward.
Supporters including union representatives and local residents said the hiring hall would serve workers who already commute to the port and disputed projections that the site would generate three daily surges of 300 vehicles. “This is traffic that’s already out here,” said Karen Polite, realtor of record and a union member, asking commissioners to observe day‑to‑day operations before ruling.
Commissioners debated whether a traffic study should precede rezoning. Several said staff had attempted to identify alternate parcels and that no suitable location had been found; others emphasized safety and asked that GDOT and county engineers be engaged quickly. After discussion, the board moved and voted to approve ZM‑25‑36. Project engineers and the applicant team said they will complete the traffic study and coordinate any necessary GDOT signal analysis as part of the subsequent site‑plan and permitting process.
The county’s action allows the rezoning to proceed to site design and permitting; any required traffic mitigation, emergency access coordination and GDOT approvals would be addressed during those next steps.
