New developments are on the rise in the northern end of Bryan County

There was a time when people moved to quiet and sleepy Pembroke, Ga . because they were seeking a small town where the daily pace was set by the railroad running through downtown.

With several developments now coming online, townsfolk will have to adjust to a new normal.

Pembroke City Council approved the rezoning and annexation of 227 acres for a proposed development of 2,000 homes Aug. 12. In all, the project site will comprise more than 500 acres, as more than 300 were already in the city limits.

The development would be built near Highway 67 and Sims Road and is estimated to be a $500-million-project.

“I feel they already had their minds made up about it prior [to] and the voices of our citizens weren’t taken into consideration,” said Pembroke resident Jennifer Lanier, who lives a few miles away from the site.

Lanier started a petition to block this development along with another that proposed to build another 560 homes, until certain conditions were met. The project that proposed 560 homes was denied by city council in the Aug. 12 meeting.

“I can tell you that the commission did recommend denial of that project,” said City Manager Chris Benson. “The feedback I’ve heard in the public meeting for the planning and zoning commission is that the property’s connectivity was a concern to its proximity to the growth and boundaries of the city limits. Those are not necessarily the viewpoints of staff but things that have been expressed by the planning and zoning commission.”

Benson said that it could take 18 months before construction begins, but that timeline is not concrete.

“Over the next 6 to 9 months, the developer will have his engineering firm do more planning and engineering work on the property - stormwater modeling, further transportation impact analysis [will be] conducted, as well as tree surveys on the property,” said Benson.

With council giving the project the green light to move forward, Benson said the only way the project would not move forward is if “it doesn’t align with the parameters approved.”

Still, with the green light from city council, Pembroke is about to experience a housing boom like never before  - and there could be more on the way.

The Aug. 12 city council meeting also saw the first read for the Garrison tract, which would consist of roughly 228 homes on 76 acres , along with four acres of commercial development. The second reading of the ordinance will take place Sept. 9.

In addition, multiple projects are in the works. O’Riley’s Auto Parts is under construction and the city is expecting a Huddle House to go vertical later this year.

“Having these two commercial establishments move into your community can provide several benefits and opportunities,” said Benson. “Any time you can add opportunities for residents to gather and dine, meet friends and family, is a positive addition to the community."

The Georgia Department of Transportation has proposed a roundabout to help mitigate traffic woes in some of the busier portions of town.

“This improvement project consists of connecting Highway 119 to Highway 67 with a planned roundabout while realigning traffic patterns from Highway 280 to address turning movement conflicts that tend to cause backups and conflicts along other travel routes in the community,” said Benson.

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: New developments are on the rise in the northern end of Bryan County