As warehouses pop up 'everywhere you look' in Bryan County, 11 more may be on the way
The status of a proposed project on the north end of Bryan County that could result in nearly a dozen warehouses remains a mystery.
Known as Stubbs Tract 1 and Stubbs Tract 2, the combined 400 acres of land that make up what would be 11 buildings across two parcels, sits empty.
Silverman Land Holdings LLC, which is listed as the applicant, could not be reached for comment. Coleman Company is the engineer for the project and declined to comment.
Both parcels were rezoned by Bryan County from agriculture to industrial on July 11, 2023, and according to Assistant Bryan County Administrator Kathryn Downs, the county does not have anymore information regarding the project. Coleman Company has not applied for permits yet, either.
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It appears conversations regarding the project have taken place for more than a year. According to the Traffic Impact Analysis by Robinson Transportation Consultants LLC, which was prepared for Coleman Company Inc., an email discussion with the Bryan County engineer regarding study limits for a traffic analysis of the area took place in September 2022. The Georgia Department of Transportation participated in the study as well.
Here is what to know.
Stubbs Tract 1
Stubbs Tract 1 is located at 1606 Warnell Farm Road west of Eldora Road. The proposed project calls for six warehouses that would make up 1.7 million square feet on 293 acres complete with 720 parking spaces for trucks.
According to the DRI report, the project is estimated to be worth $102 million. Yearly local tax revenues is estimated to be $1 million. It goes on to say, “The developer indicates that the regional workforce is sufficient to serve this development,” but that was before the Savannah Economic Development Authority’s workforce study showed the area does not have enough labor to support incoming industries.
According to the DRI, just 440 motorists travel Warnell Farm Road per day. If approved, that number is projected to grow to more than 2,700, to include more than 900 truck trips per day.
The increase in traffic will drive the need for future road improvements. The Traffic Impact Analysis recommends adding a roundabout at Warnell Farm Road and Highway 80.
During a county commissioner’s meeting last summer, Bryan County resident Mary Hamilton voiced her concern over Stubbs Tract 1, saying her father-in-law owns property on the same road.
“Everywhere you look there are warehouses going up in North Bryan County,” said Mary Hamilton. “The decision has probably been made before I even stand up here. The decision has already been made and the citizens are going through the motions. We don’t count anymore. I’m a lifer. I’ve been here all my life. To see these humongous buildings going up, it’s mind boggling.”
The planning and zoning agenda packet from June 2023 states the landowner wanted to rezone the parcel, “To allow for a warehouse type development to support the new electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer in Bryan County, along with Port of Savannah related growth.”
Bryan County is just area of coastal Georgia that is experiencing an explosion of industrial growth.
In Chatham, Effingham and Bryan counties, a combined 124 new warehouse facilities totaling nearly 52 million square feet have been added over the last five years alone, according to data gathered through an open source app developed by the group, comprised of One Hundred Miles, the Ogeechee Riverkeeper, the Savannah Riverkeeper, the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, Georgia Green and the Georgia Conservancy.
If the development were to come to pass, three access points would be developed on Warnell Farm Road, and water and sewer would be serviced by the county.
Environmental groups such as the Ogeechee Riverkeeper are concerned that the onslaught of warehouses could end up vacant down the road.
“The recent boom of warehouse developments and the unclear need for all of this additional space calls the necessity of the project into question…with such a rapid build-out of warehouse space, ORK is concerned that these spaces might never be used for their intended purposes,” said Ben Kirsch, legal director for the Ogeechee Riverkeeper in a statement to the Coastal Georgia Regional Commission of Georgia. “The incoming glut of warehouse space might result in an overbuild of the required need, leading to empty buildings and hundreds of acres of new and unused impervious surface potentially being left abandoned in the coming years and decades."
Stubbs Tract 2
Stubbs Tract 2, located on Highway 80, is slated to have five warehouses that would make up 1.5 million square feet. The project would also be in Ellabell.
According to the DRI report, the project is estimated to be worth $71 million. Estimated local tax revenues per year is $704,000.
The development would also see a significant amount of traffic.
Out of the 2,541 vehicles estimated to travel through the development per day, 834 would be trucks.
If the project is approved, the Traffic Impact Analysis report recommends roundabouts at the following areas:
Olive Branch Road and Highway 80
Highway 80 and State Route 119
Highway 119 and Old Highway 46
State Route 119 and Eastbound I-16 ramps
The study also suggests widening 11 miles of Highway 80 to four lanes.
The Ogeechee Riverkeeper pushed back on the Stubbs Tract 2 development as well, citing the same environmental issues as Stubbs Tract 1.
Both projects would be just minutes away from Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, adding even more jobs to an area that does not have the workforce to sustain it. But without more information from the developer or applicant, only time will tell if the projects come to pass.
Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com. John Deem contributed to this piece.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Bryan County development: Status of new warehouses uncertain
