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To Chairman Lovette and the Liberty County Commissioners and all other interested parties: 

East Liberty is one of the last bastions of Georgia's coastal beauty. 

As of late, it has been inundated by developers seeking to industrialize one of the last pristine exits left on Interstate 95, as Savannah seeks more storage and warehouse facilities for their ever growing port. 

The re-zoning of property from agricultural to industrial currently goes against the Comprehensive Plan of Liberty County, which was created in part with the help of the citizens of East Liberty, and as it pertained to their specific community. Liberty County, as you are aware, is currently seeking to amend the Comprehensive Plan in order to allow for more industrial zoning. Public Town Halls are being held, with a vote scheduled in the near future.

Recently, many re-zonings have been approved despite resident opposition and in disregard of the Comprehensive Plan. 

It is the intention of this petition to continue to inform more residents of what is happening in their community, as well as express disappointment, dismay and general disagreement at the direction in which the development of East Liberty is going to our County Commissioners. 

Warehouse development, on a one way in, one way out, two-lane rural highway creates significant safety and traffic issues for the residents, and contributes to the degradation of our infrastructure, environment, wildlife and ecosystem. 

Growth should be paused until concessions are discussed with the citizens in conjunction with developers regarding any future development, paused until infrastructure is completed, and paused until a cohesive growth plan is presented to the community. A growth plan that listens to the residents, provides useful amenities for the residents and benefits the residents directly in some capacity, and not just benefitting the developers and the county. The residents are the ones who will feel the brunt of years of road construction and industrial development and impacts on quality of life. 

As of late, the residents of East Liberty have repeatedly expressed their opposition, in multiple forms, to the incessant attempts at the industrialization of East Liberty and the destruction of its pristine coastal environment and tranquil surroundings.

The notion of paving under one of the last refuges of Coastal Georgia’s peace and natural tranquility to make way for endless warehouses is an abomination that we are all witnessing in real time.

4 properties have been proposed to be rezoned in 2022. Two have already been approved but two more are on the books. But they all have been in defiance of our current Comprehensive Plan.

A few concerns regarding the proposed BlueScope property:

First and foremost, we are compelled to mention that this particular property's rezoning request was unable to procure enough votes on the LCPC Board in order to recommend approval of this project to the County Commissioners. This re-zoning request is NOT going to the County Commissioners with an overwhelming nor unanimous approval recommendation by the Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission.

To move ahead with approval by the Commissioners would be in callous disregard for the wishes and well-being of the residents of East Liberty, not to mention the Comprehensive Plan.

Issues with warehouse development include, but are not limited to:

•Estimated 6690 NEW vehicle trips  a day from BlueScope and Liberty Logistics Park alone.

Numbers suggest that would be roughly 5 trucks per minute if these rezoning come to fruition.  6,694 trucks/24/60 = 4.65 trucks a minute, 291.66 an hour, so 5 trucks a minute. Roughly 50 trucks during a 10 minute commute from 95 to further down Islands Highway. 

• Additional semi-truck traffic use of Hwy 84. No other entrance.
• 10,000 lbs of waste per day
•Constant noise - the beeping of trucks backing in and out all day/night
•Constant light
•Stormwater issues – what prevents their wet pond from blowouts and washing onto the neighboring property? Also, where is the water leaving the site?
• NO Stormwater runoff prevention for the creek on the west side of the property.

•Diesel emissions
•Lack of sewage and water systems
•Roads not wide enough
•Barriers between development and residents is not great enough

The hidden danger: The BlueScope Parcel is only a portion of a larger undeveloped parcel.

There is more land to develop than just the 154 acres currently in question. Will there be a trickle-down effect with roughly 500+ acres available to develop, thus creating a massive INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX next to residential homes? This is simply untenable for those that live on Old Dorchester Village Road and the East Liberty side, in general.

Industrial development on Old Dorchester Road will not stop with this single re- zoning. This zoning, if approved, could decimate the quality of life for Old Dorchester Village Road residents and affect their property values.  None of this is acceptable. 

TOTAL RE-ZONING in 2022 for East Liberty County has created 10.6 million SF of WAREHOUSE space and will bring in over 6,694  semi-trucks, according to the traffic numbers in the past 4 Development of Regional Impact studies.

We have, and will continue to express our concern regarding the following in light of the massive amount of construction and industrial space anticipated:

•The condition of our roads and the wear and tear on them with the influx of industrial development and semi-truck traffic. Warehouse development will be done years before any road improvements are complete. This cannot happen for the safety of all residents.

• Massive increase in semi-truck traffic on a one-way in, one-way out, two-lane rural road.
• The condition of our bridge is FAIR, but without a traffic study we do not know what impact the increase heavy truck traffic will have on it. When was the last time the bridge was inspected? 

• Are the citizens holding the bill for infrastructure upgrades, as no impact fees have been assessed as of yet to hold developers accountable for any damages/ wear and tear on our county roads? WHEN WILL IMPACT FEES BE IMPLEMENTED?

• Warehouses receive tax incentives, while resident's taxes increase.
• Additional entrances/exits to Tradeport ( Safavieh entrance? ) further down the road will create safety issues for all that travel on Islands Highway. Wasn’t that supposed to be a closed road? Fire access only? Why is it going to be used as an entrance/exit now? Tradeport East should be the ONLY entrance/exit for semi truck traffic. 
•What is the ability of our Fire and EMS to be able to handle a large-scale emergency?
• ARE WE EQUIPPED FOR A DISASTER? Brunswick has had multiple warehouse fires and has had to call in Savannah and Jacksonville firefighters and equipment to put out these fires. A historically significant home on 84 recently caught on fire, and the fire was unable to be contained. The loss of the house,  its contents, and the emotional toll to the owners is incalculable. This house was roughly two miles from the fire station. That doesn't bode well for residents or warehouses up and down 84.  WILL THERE BE ENOUGH WATER AVAILABLE FOR FIRES? WILL THE EQUIPMENT WORK TO ACCESS WATER SOURCES?  Will we run out of water while fighting a fire? These are significant concerns. 

 •The safety and well-being of our citizens as they share the road with semi- trucks is at risk. Traffic counts are the only thing that has been done. A traffic study would be more relevant and still hasn’t been completed even after being requested by the public.

•Property values plummeting for some of the most impacted residents. •Warehouses in the backyards of many residents on Old Dorchester Village Road.

 •The destruction of our environment, wildlife, our ecosystem. What is this doing to our surface water and the rivers?
•WHERE IS THE WATER COMING FROM? This still hasn’t been confirmed to the public and it needs to be before approval.
•The inability of our infrastructure (water, sewage, safety services) to handle what’s coming.
• Disturbing the integrity of historical landmarks: The Dorchester Church, Old Sunbury Road, Ft. Morris Road, The Ripley Farm, and the Old Dorchester Cemetery.

The majority of the residents of East Liberty are and will continue to be opposed to the rushed attempts to industrialize our community. What and where are the benefits of warehouses to the residents? There are none. The benefit is directly to the developer and the county.  

Each and every Commissioner should make a trip to East Liberty before the December 6th vote. Ask yourself, does living this close to industry cause harm to the residents? Would I want to live here with semi-truck traffic on a two lane road, and warehouses in my backyard? 

Please visit Islands Highway and think about 6,694 semi-trucks a day on this two- lane rural road.

It’s 1.5 miles from 95 to the BlueScope property. 3,729 trucks from just ONE warehouse are anticipated. Visualize this.

It’s 0.5 miles to Tradeport East from 95. Take a trip through TE, follow Old Sunbury Road and see where it takes you. GPS takes truck drivers down Old Sunbury and to Ft. Morris constantly.

Picture these lost semi-trucks traveling this historic dirt road, dumping out onto Fort Morris and in Sunbury, a residential area, and then traveling all the way down Fort Morris to get to Islands Highway at Tradehill just to get back on the road again. It happens every day. 

This creates a significant safety issue and additional semi truck traffic further down Islands Highway then it needs to be. It’s encroaching on residential traffic and neighborhoods, endangering those in the immediate area.

Ride down Old Dorchester Village Road, a residential area, and ask yourself it you’d like an Industrial Complex behind your home? 

Industry will continue to impact all of these roads and the residents that live here. All of this is happening right now, but you only see it if you visit or live here and experience it every day.

I hope that these facts tell you to vote NO on rezoning the BlueScope property, as well as the Newbridge/Liberty Logistics property.

Enough is enough.