“The District” rezoning denied recommendation

POOLER, Ga. (WTOC) - Pooler’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-1 Monday to recommend denying a rezoning request tied to a major mixed-use project known as “The District,” citing concerns about traffic and the scale of the proposed residential buildout.

The request involves three parcels totaling about 116 acres near Pooler Parkway and Pine Barren Road. The applicant, Robert Forrest, is seeking to remove the property from the Jabot Planned Unit Development and rezone it to the city’s C-2 heavy commercial district.

City staff recommended denial in the agenda packet, writing that the proposal “does not comply with the required criteria for a zoning map amendment.” Staff also cited the existing cap on multi-family units within the Jabot PUD.

“The Jabot PUD, when approved, created a density allowance of 6,510 single-family dwelling units and 720 multi-family dwelling units,” the staff report said. Staff said 632 multi-family units have already been approved within the PUD, leaving 88 available.

The developer’s application outlines a multi-use development that would include about 1,060 multi-family dwelling units, 440 hotel rooms, a 100,000-square-foot grocery store, an amphitheater and other commercial uses.

Some residents says Pooler is growing too fast for a project of that size.

“I think we’re not ready for it. The traffic, just not ready for it. Pooler is exploding with growth and we’re just not ready for it,” Pooler resident Michael Bartusch said.

Traffic was a central issue in the staff analysis and among some residents.

The report says the proposed development “would introduce a level of vehicular and pedestrian traffic that would add excessive strain to the already traffic heavy Pine Barren Rd. and Pooler Parkway,” and could also strain the Galloway Drive and Memorial Drive intersection.

Staff also wrote that, “based upon the size of the development, additional congestion, noise, and traffic would most likely rise to an unacceptable level.”

The packet also includes materials from the developer arguing traffic could improve with roadway and signal upgrades, including level-of-service comparisons under different scenarios.

Former Pooler resident Curtis Faircloth said he believes the project could be a positive change.

“It just seems to me that this is a quality of life, upgrade for Pooler. I really can’t imagine the resistance to it,” Faircloth said.

The planning commission’s vote is a recommendation. The request is scheduled to go before Pooler City Council on May 4.

To read the packet, click here.