A Counter to Senator Jeff Chapman’s Resolution



Senator Jeff Chapman is calling the people of Georgia to adopt his resolution to “preserve public access” to the beach at Jekyll Island. He claims that a proposed revitalization of a small portion of the island “threatens to severely diminish direct access to virtually all of the park’s main public beach.” To be kind, this claim is completely off the mark.

Under the proposed plan, every current public access point will continue to exist and the beach will be as open as ever to all visitors. In addition, changing facilities and restrooms will be upgraded to further accommodate everyone, particularly day visitors.

The revitalization is designed to bring more Georgians back to Jekyll, where visitation has declined more than 47 percent since 1990, due in part to aging facilities and infrastructure.

Sen. Chapman claims that the beach “would be blocked” by the proposal’s town center. In fact, the existing convention center currently blocks much of the view, and it will be moved further inland under the plan. It is also important to note that, of the nine miles of Jekyll beaches, the beach village site will border only about 4,000 feet, less than 10 percent of the total beachfront area. And every inch of this beach will continue to be just as available to the public as it is today.

Sen. Chapman quotes from the 1996 Jekyll Island Master Plan which states that the island’s

“principal attraction is the accessibility it provides to an unspoiled microcosm of the coastal environment. It is this unique opportunity upon which all future plans for the island’s viability should be based.” However, his resolution claims that accessibility requires maintaining nearly five acres of 1960s-era asphalt parking lots that abut the beach and sand dunes. Stormwater runoff from these lots can cause erosion and pollute the waterways.

Under the revitalization plan, these unsightly and environmentally unfriendly lots will be replaced with over 2,000 parking spaces on porous surfaces bordered by trees. These porous surfaces will ensure that nearly 100 percent of rainwater is captured and reused in an appropriate way that protects the natural environment.

In addition to the environmental improvements, parking will be spread throughout the town center and a short walk from the beach and other amenities. More than 700 of these spaces will be within a three-minute minute walk of the beach. Detailed maps of existing and proposed parking areas are available in the maps section of the website, www.rediscoverjekyll.com.

The essence of the plan is to enhance access to Jekyll while adhering to environmentally sensitive design and construction. Linger Longer Communities, which is partnering with the Jekyll Island Authority on the revitalization, proposes one of the first Earthcraft Coastal Communities on the east coast. This designation requires adherence to a rigorous scoring system, created by the Southface Energy Institute,that awards points for water management, landscape and habitat preservation, green building standards and provisions for pedestrians and cyclists.

Rather than utilize the town center area exclusively for development, Linger Longer considered how to establish a viable commercial hub for the island while enhancing the available green space in the area. The result is a net increase in the island's green space, with nearly 24 acres of new parks and natural areas. In some cases, developed areas are being repurposed as green space and wetlands.

Given the above, we offer Georgians a resolution in response to Senator Chapman’s: “Be it resolved, in view of the aging infrastructure and of declining visitation to Jekyll Island, that just 1 percent of the island's acreage, including land adjacent to just 8 percent of the island's total beachfront, shall be revitalized to the quality standards that Georgians deserve, without reducing public parking or beach access points, and with adherence to extensive and rigorous environmental guidelines to create one of the most accessible and eco-friendly communities on the east coast.”

Vote “Yes” on this proposed resolution by visiting www.rediscoverjekyll.com. Let Sen. Chapman know how much Georgians really care about Jekyll Island.



Jim Langford

Project executive

Linger Long Communities