Lifelong Ellabell resident Scott Dyer recalls the familiar faces that frequented the local convenient store. Those warm, smiling personalities are hard to find these days. Dyer feels like he is in unfamiliar territory.

“It’s not home anymore,” said Dyer. “There are people that have only been here for five months and they are voicing their opinion and complaining about different things. I don't know anybody when I go into a store around here anymore.”

He fears industry growth in Bryan County will drive a wedge between new residents that are disengaged from country living and townsfolk who were born and raised there.

Industry growth around the I-16 corridor is expected to bring nearly 20,000 laborers in the coming years. That number evokes fear into residents concerned about the amount of 18-wheelers barreling through their community.

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Residents like Dyer wonder how much longer they can call Ellabell home. Leaving their community behind is a gut-wrenching decision, as some are second and third generation landowners. “I’m looking for real estate,” said Dyer. “I am ready to sell out. I don’t want to live in the city. I am going further west.”

Industrial developments are not new to the county but Hyundai’s plant, coupled with numerous warehouses near I-16, have residents wondering what Bryan County will look like in the future.

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The Bryan County Development Authority (BCDA) has positioned itself to generate an abundance of economic wealth while providing residents with a plethora of job choices.

“There has been well over $632 million invested,” said Anna Chafin, CEO of the BCDA. “With the announcements we have had recently, that number will grow to over $7 billion.”

A nine-member crew had the foresight some 20 years ago to turn the area into an industrial hub.

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One of the most notable industrial properties is Interstate Centre Park. Just off Highway 280, U.S. 80 and I-16, the site boasts more than 1,000 acres and is home to three facilities – Interstate Centre, Interstate Centre II and Interstate III. The park houses companies like CZM (Interstate Centre II), who specializes in foundation drilling equipment and ammo manufacturer Norma Precision (Interstate Centre III).  The south end of the county is home to Xebec and Medline. Both are located in Belfast Commerce Park with plans for more to join them.

“The Highway 280 corridor and I-16 has taken off,” said Stephen Ezelle, who specializes in land acquisition for Cushman and Wakefield. “The story of that particular interchange not only includes the entire Hyundai site, but essentially five other large tracts of land that had been purchased and entitled, zoned more or less and brought water and sewer over the past four years.”

And there is more room for other developers to set up shop.

“There’s about five million square feet existing at the interchange of light industrial distribution warehouse and at build out of what's currently entitled in these five projects, there will be 28 million square feet,” said Ezelle. “That's probably going to take anywhere from 5-10 years to build out but it will happen rapidly as a result of Hyundai coming.”

Three years ago, Ralph Forbes, vice president and regional director for Thomas and Hutton, was approached with the idea to rezone a small track of land on Highway 80 and Eldora Road. Bryan County Commissioner Noah Covington took it a step further and proposed rezoning existing land around it.

With land filling up in Chatham County, Forbes jumped at the opportunity.

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“I thought that was a pretty good idea,” said Forbes. “At the time, the megasite hadn't even been bought yet. We saw the natural feel that people were going to start moving to the west and Bryan County was certainly the next spot. We knew if we could put something together, we could probably attract private developers.”

From there, the county and staff members from Thomas and Hutton worked to rezone 2,500 acres now known as the northern industrial corridor. The site features several developers and projects including the Georgia International Commerce Centre. Co-developed by Chesterfield and SJP properties, the park will feature 12 buildings and is just minutes away Hyundai Metaplant America.

Competition for industrial properties is a common theme in Bryan County because large swaths of land already zoned for industrial use are hard to find. In addition, developers are not deterred by the hefty price tag that comes with labor supplies and construction costs.

“It is very competitive,” said Ezelle. “There's been an incredible amount of institutional grade developers that have come into the Savannah market in the past five years. Historically, it was controlled more by regional or local developers that were delivering the warehouse product. As the market began to re-emerge, that is where we saw more of the larger, national institutional grade developers. Savannah is an excellent opportunity to come and build spec warehouses to support the growth of the port. As a result, it's become a competitive landscape.”

Almost none of the industry growth in Bryan County would be possible without the uptick of business coming through the Georgia Ports Authority. The GPA saw a record-breaking year in 2022, moving more than five million containers.

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“Private logistics operators are being drawn to the greater Savannah region for its proximity to major markets, the ease of doing business in Georgia and the connectivity achieved through the Port of Savannah’s vast transportation network,” said Chief Commercial Officer Cliff Pyron.

Companies like Webstaurant and KISS Cosmetics took notice and have committed to investing millions of dollars into manufacturing facilities in Bryan County. They attribute growth at the port as a key factor in their decision. Real estate firm Rooker saw progress at the port too and jumped at the opportunity. The company’s property is a 797-acre development located at Olive Branch Road and Highway 80, five miles away from the megasite.

The Class-A industrial space can accommodate more than seven million square feet.

“We have followed the impressive growth at the Port of Savannah and tenant demand from port-related users continues to be strong,” said John Rooker, CEO of Rooker. “We’re excited to attract high quality jobs and industry to Bryan County over the next several years at Seaport 16.”

Key industries in Georgia exceeded a whopping $13 billion as economic development maintained momentum through the first quarter of 2023 (July 2022-December 2022).

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No economic development was bigger than Hyundai’s commitment to invest $5.5 billion for an EV battery plant at the megasite. The county stands to benefit from those dollars too. Its budget grew nearly $200 million in just one year. Residents like Kathryn Roseen can see how those dollars will help the community in the long run.

“I think the new plant and growth are terrific,” said Roseen. “The opportunities they will bring are stunning: new, high paying jobs, new restaurants, retail, increased tax revenues to support infrastructure and recreation. This a dream come true. There will be some adjustments for sure but the future is golden.”

Just down the road from the megasite is Pembroke, a historic railroad town that has always been a small community. Although it saw a 3.3% increase from 2019 to 2020, the town’s population is 2,500. Most residents like it that way but according to Jon Seagraves, chairman of the Bryan County Industrial Authority, small towns need growth to some extent to thrive.

“You hear stories all the time about small towns that are falling off the face of the map throughout Georgia and having economic growth can help prevent that from happening,” said Seagraves. “At the same time, it’s important to be thoughtful about growth when it happens because you want to retain the aspects of the community that drew people there in the first place.”

Quality of life

The impact of industrial growth has weighed heavily on residents like Juanita Heard. Her ancestor Neil Jernigan purchased 200-acres of land in Bryan County that many of her family members still enjoy today.

“We all have individual wells,” said Heard. “If they start dumping from the plant, where is it going? We have vegetation and stuff going on here. We eat from the land. We don’t want our water tainted. We don’t know what their plans are. Are we going to be tied into the water system at the megasite?”

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Others see industrial growth as an eye sore in their community.

“I am not happy because we are losing wildlife and small-town living,” said Corina Puffer. “If we wanted to live in Garden City, we would already be there. Everything is going to change: schools, roads, traffic and pollution. Eventually, we will move away after being here for 30-plus years.”

Dyer echoes that sentiment, saying the big rigs on Highway 280 make traveling about town difficult.

“The traffic is unreal with these trucks and now they are adding all this here,” said Dyer. “They are forcing residents out of their homes because the taxes are going to go up. There are rural people, country folk that don’t know anything else. What are they going to do?”

Gayla Reffner said some road conditions are hazardous and hopes the Department of Transportation is looking ahead. “I hope that DOT and the state consider all of these areas that are going to impacted by this and not just in the immediate area of the site,” said Reffner.

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“Take a ride down 280 through Pembroke towards Claxton and look at the condition of the roadways. There are trees hanging over the road, ditches that aren’t draining and aprons that are full of holes which makes exiting the highway a hazard.”

The landscape of northern Bryan County will be forever changed in the coming years. The quiet, rural community is sure to see an increase in population and a high volume of traffic. Despite concerns, local officials believe they have the right plan in place to help the county get through what will be a stressful transition.

The financial gain from industries moving to the area will “have a tremendous benefit” for the community.

“This money translates to tax revenue that helps pay for schools, roads, emergency services, libraries, recreation and other services provided to the community,” said Chafin. “Similarly, the jobs that are created provide local Bryan County residents opportunities close to home so they don’t have to commute quite as far. These jobs can help people purchase homes, obtain health insurance, go on family vacations and do other things to increase their quality of life.”

What’s next?

Hyundai suppliers want to be within arm’s reach of the plant and other industries are attracted to the county’s proximity to the Port of Savannah and I-16. Chafin expects them to fill empty shells throughout the county.

“Moving forward, I think the majority of industrial activity will be centered around Hyundai suppliers and companies interested in moving into the buildings developers are building,” said Chafin. “To the best of my knowledge, there is not much property zoned for industrial use that is not already under development, so I think a lot of the activity will just be these developments continuing to be built out over the next several years.”

Residents like Taz Strickland are receptive to change.

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“I think an industrial expansion is the right move for an area like Bryan County,” said Strickland. “More businesses equal more jobs. I for one am not against it whether it affects traffic or not.”

The feelings surrounding growth varies. Some point to a lack of infrastructure and worry over traffic congestion on Highway 280. Areas once filled with oak trees and plush greenery have been replaced with concrete slabs.

One resident said, “I Just hope the Georgia Department of Transportation and Bryan County are ready. Now is the time to fix 280, not after everything opens.”

When asked if there is too much industrial growth, Seagraves said the county has defined a clear path to promote economical and manufacturing growth in a way where everyone wins.

“I think you have to be strategic about industrial development and I think that is something our authority has been very good at,” said Seagraves. “A lot of growth will happen regardless but to the extent we can help guide development toward creating those high-paying jobs, I think that’s a good thing.”

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: Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America ignites Bryan County GA growth