Jekyll Island

[colfax]

I started going to Jekyll Island with my family when i was a baby. I saw on the news that Gov.Roy was trying to sell it out to developers,cutting off access to the beaches and other nice things. Anybody else see that ?

[goldenislander]

It's a good thing! Jekyll Island needs nice places to stay and good places to eat. The law keeping 65% percent of the island undeveloped is still in place, and the area of the town center will give the island 3 gorgeous hotels and a convention center that will allow Jekyll Island to continue to raise money (since it gets no money from the state!). This area is only 1% of the entire island, by the way. This revitalization is absolutely necessary to keep Jekyll Island a great place for generations to come to visit.

[colfax]

goldenislander,
My only concern is that this is only the tip of the iceberg,the last day trip I took to jekyll they have just about closed all the public parking that you used to be able to use.
The thing that makes the Georgia coast special is that it is'nt very developed and its only a short drive to s.c. or fla. to get that but i guess thats what makes America great is that we can all agree to disagree. Goldenislander,i'm not toatally against having nice places to vist on our isles but when you start making it where the average family can't afford the hotel or have access to the beach then i have concern.

[goldenislander]

Well, I should reveal that I do work for Jekyll Island. And we have not closed any public parking. In fact, the parking lots at the beach are often less than 1/4 full (really!). We know that Jekyll Island is special, and we want to keep it special. But if we don't revitalize, it will just be a bunch of dumpy shops with moldy hotels that no one wants to stay in. Believe me, I hear the complaints now. Imagine it in 15 years if nothing is done. The Jekyll Island Authority has already done a great job in preserving the natural environment, and will continue to hold the developers to the same standard. We love that we are known for our birding, and we started the Georgia Sea Turtle Center! The plan that Linger Longer has put forth is wonderful, environmentally friendly, and beautiful, but it is still in its preliminary stages where we are accepting public input. Honestly, the plan is to include all kinds of housing on Jekyll Island, and with all the input we've had requesting more affordable hotel rooms, I'm sure there will be plenty. That's what the "public input" sessions are for. I can understand why people are scared, but the reality is that Jekyll Island has to be revitalized if we are truly going to "Save Jekyll." I hope this helps. Feel free to ask anything else.

[colfax]

Thanks for the info. I've really looked into this for the last couple days. I've even read that new development would be better for the enviroment because of improved plumbing and more effecient electrical devices etc.... as opposed to the 40 yr old hotel/motels that we have now. I'm big enough to admit that I may have jumped to conclusions. Lets just do it right if it has do be done(: