A ride through the countryside in the northern end of Bryan County shows just why residents enjoy calling rural America home.
Many homes sit back off the road under the cover of massive trees, offering peace and privacy that is hard to find in the city.
But with two subdivisions scheduled for build out in the coming years, Pembroke residents know it is only a matter of time before their rural community is unrecognizable as these developments add thousands of new neighbors.
Does Pembroke need more housing?
According to the U.S. Census, Pembroke's population is 2,513 as of the last count in 2020. At present, more than 2,000 new homes have been approved for development there.
Pembroke City Manager Chris Benson said the city has had low housing stock for years as some homes are older and showing their age. Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, which has promised to employ 8,500 in the coming years, is just minutes away from the city limits and with expanding warehouse growth in the area, a boom in housing growth in Pembroke was inevitable.
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“We have an aging infrastructure when it comes to our housing stock that isn't being replaced at the same pace that we're losing it,” said Benson. “So when you talk about displacing families that are or have been occupying these structures, they're having to move to other communities because there aren't other housing options for them to stay in this community.”
The city is hosting coffee and conversation meetings every month, which will give residents an opportunity to chat with staff members regarding future needs. Residents are notified of the meeting via a newsletter and on the city's Facebook page.
‘Never be able to replicate what I have’
Kenneth Copi, who moved to Pembroke in 1998, spoke of the relaxed pace of life residents have enjoyed for decades.
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“It didn't really change much,” said Copi. “When they brought in the Dairy Queen, that was a big deal. Everything was close. You wanted restaurants, theater, all kinds of shopping, whatever you wanted - Statesboro was 20 minutes away, and Pooler was 20 minutes away. You didn't have to go that far and then you could come back to your nice, quiet little enclave there and people enjoyed that.”
Copi said moving to another town could present the same challenges Pembroke is seeing now as it relates to growth.
“Are you going to go someplace else that still has that same kind of small town feel to it?” asked Copi. “Even if you do, the developers just keep moving further out. If you go 30 miles west to some little town, it could be 5-10 years before they go through the same thing.”
Longtime resident Alex Floyd lives with his wife and children and extended family on 750 acres in Pembroke. Not too far from his property will one day be GSL Cattle Company's planned 2,000-home development.
Still, Floyd said he is here to stay.
“I would never be able to replicate what I have anywhere else,” said Floyd.
He enjoys seeing familiar faces in the grocery store – one of the many things that helps small town folks stay connected to one another. But as important as those pleasant chance encounters are, Floyd said what his community really needs is proper planning of future growth.
“I don't think what we are seeing is responsible growth,” Floyd said. “We all knew these large vacant parcels in the city would develop one day. We just didn't think all at once, and we certainly didn't think on smaller lots. It's a shame because there's no reset. But like I said before, once it's there, it's there.”
'Not going to be as personal'
Floyd also spoke to the sense of community Pembroke provides.
“I grew up in the Pembroke Christian Church,” said Floyd. “I sat there every Sunday with my great grandparents, my grandparents, parents and me. My parents still go there and I wouldn't be who I am today without it.”
When asked what he is going to miss about small town living, Copi said just that – small town living.
“For me, it's a lot about traffic,” said Copi. “Roads that used to be nice and quiet might take 10-15 minutes to make a turn on the local road that you might have been held up for a minute before. And it's not going to be as personal. They keep accentuating the positive, ‘You’re going to have more restaurants, you're going to have more of this and you're going to have more of that.' Again, I don't care about that.”
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: 'Not going to be as personal': Bryan County residents lament over future housing growth
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