<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0x4RzG_0wKkxhDX00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0x4RzG_0wKkxhDX00" width="1242" height="1186" ></figure>For 20 years, the Hester’s fought to keep warehouse development out of the Monteith and Meinhard neighborhoods, where their family had lived and farmed there since 1871. When over two years ago that development moved into the eastern side of their neighborhood anyway, they knew it was time to sell.But, Steve Hester said during a recent city council meeting, they didn’t want to leave and not give something back to the community, if they could.If you ask a Port Wentworth resident what they would like in their city, a few answers always float to the surface: more grocery stores, childcare, restaurants, or things to do, a post office. The recent approval of a development agreement and the rezoning of the Hesters’ 12.2 acres from residential to commercial may soon deliver on the hopes and wishes of longtime residents, as well as prepare the city for new ones.“It’s pretty bittersweet,” said Hannah Hester, a real estate agent fifth-generation Hester who had a hand in getting the project off the ground and through council. “Most days it’s a lot of fun because it’s the work that I’ve always wanted to do, and of course it’s very sentimental, which makes it very special. When you think development in Port Wentworth, you think industry. We wanted services, we wanted things for people.”Located directly adjacent to the the Anchor Park development, the future home of the Ghost Pirates Training Facility, Meinhard Station already has confirmed tenants, including The Raddison Hotel, Topgolf, Contender e-Sports facility, The Learning Experience, an early education academy, and a sitewide solar energy microgrid powering it all. The plan also has room for 88,000 square feet of general and medical offices and 700+ parking spaces.“We’re looking at this hard and considering it hard because it’s right next to our park, and that’s going to the crown jewel of the city,” said City Attorney Scott Robichaux. “We wanted to make sure that all of the potential uses made sense, so we worked with the developer and the landowner to come forth with a development agreement to protect those uses - like no self-storage facilities, vehicle repair service station, car, washes, funeral homes…”Robichaux also mentioned that the current zoning ordinance requires that the new developments have two years to begin substantial construction, and LaRay Benton, one of the developers, said they’re aiming to break ground in the first quarter of next year.Benton's a lifelong resident of Port Wentworth, a friend of the Hester family and real estate developer since 2013. When he found out about the warehouse developments and that the Hesters wanted to sell their property, that’s when he stepped in and offered advice, investors and development partners.“We don’t want to be another Garden City,” Benton said. “We have enough warehouses. We need more commercial spaces, more retail spaces, shopping outlets, and avenues for our residents to retain revenues and dollars within the city. For decades all of our tax dollars and revenues have gone to other municipalities.”Benton said they’re envisioning something eventually similar to Ponce City Market in Atlanta, with space for national retailers, but also some for small businesses too.“LaRay [Benton] has done, I’m pretty sure, a miracle to get this where it is,” Hester said. “There’s just an astronomical amount of things going on right now in terms of building and infrastructure in Port Wentworth. You bring developers here and they’re like there’s just trees there, but soon there’s going to be apartments there. Now that we’ve got the rezoning done it’s back in our hands.”The rezoning and development agreement passed 5-1 through the council, with Councilmember District 3 Rufus Bright voting against the agreement due to Benton's history of suing the city. Benton has sued the city six times with one current outstanding lawsuit regarding his mother's land, according to Robichaux.Despite this, Mayor Gary Norton said that the project would be a "shot in the arm" for the city."We do need medical facilities, we've got a Class A hotel wanting to come here, and they're looking at bringing other small businesses here," Norton said. "I think it's a good thing for our city."This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Port Wentworth approves rezoning agreement for Meinhard development</div></body>

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After years of fighting development, Hester family embraces a new future for Port Wentworth

For 20 years, the Hester’s fought to keep warehouse development out of the Monteith and Meinhard neighborhoods, where their family had lived and farmed there since 1871. When over two years ago that development moved into the eastern side of their neighborhood anyway, they knew it was time to sell.