Effingham planning commission recommends denial of 1,300-home rezoning after residents raise flood, traffic and school concerns

On March 10, 2026, the Effingham County Planning Commission voted to recommend denial of a rezoning request by Stanley Martin Homes to change roughly 452–457 acres from AR1 (agricultural/residential) to R5, a new higher-density residential district, which the developer said would enable about 1,300 homes and a 15.8‑acre park donation to the county.

Planning staff summarized the application and recommended approval, telling the commission the site — on the Trower/Zitri/Midland corridor (parcels 374-18, 374-42 and 374-42A) — was consistent with the county comprehensive plan’s suburban node designation, is served by planned public water and sewer extensions, and includes a concept plan with internal roads, preserved open space and stormwater management. "Staff finds that the request demonstrates general consistency with the long-term growth framework," staff said during the hearing.

The applicant’s representatives, including attorney Josh Yellen and engineer CJ Chance, said the R5 rules are designed for projects like this one: walkable streets, smaller lots and preserved green space. Yellen said the plan preserves roughly 33% of the site as open space (above the ordinance minimum) and would include walking trails, pocket parks and a donated park for the county. Chance said jurisdictional wetlands would not be impacted and a hydrologic study and a pending FEMA Letter of Map Revision aim to show a no‑rise condition for flood elevations.

But the bulk of the hearing featured residents sharing detailed objections. Michael Woods and several neighbors said portions of the site provide narrow buffers to existing homes and that a 50‑foot minimum buffer on paper does not address privacy or drainage worries. "Where's the buffer going to consist of?" Woods asked, seeking specific planting and maintenance commitments. Teachers and school employees told the commission that South Effingham High School and school transportation systems are already stressed; a fourth‑year high school teacher and bus driver said some bus runs now carry dozens of students and expressed concern about adding thousands of daily vehicle trips.

Multiple speakers described historic flooding on nearby parcels, questioned the traffic study’s accounting for other nearby developments and worried that stormwater detention and new impervious surfaces would increase run‑off onto adjacent properties. "When you build 1,300 homes, that water has to go somewhere," one resident said.

Applicant witnesses acknowledged many concerns, saying final road and utility designs are a later stage of review and that the project is expected to proceed in phases. Candidate mitigation measures offered by the developer included phasing triggers tied to off‑site intersection work, preserved open space exceeding ordinance minimums, and design steps required by state and county permitting. "We have to prove that those things are done," CJ Chance said of stormwater and erosion controls that will be reviewed in permitting.

Commissioners weighed those assurances against the volume of public testimony. Members discussed possible conditions — including annual lot release limits, phased milestones tied to off‑site road improvements, and firm commitments on buffers — but concluded the submitted package did not resolve residents’ infrastructure and drainage uncertainties. After discussion, a commissioner moved to recommend denial; the motion carried. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Effingham County Board of Commissioners for final action on April 7.

What happens next: The county commission will consider the planning commission’s recommendation and the materials presented at this hearing. Any future revision of the concept plan, proposed phasing or mitigation commitments would be considered in the permitting and subdivision review process if the county commission approves the rezoning.