Pave paradise, put up parking lots? Tybee using eminent domain to buy four-acre forest

This story has been updated with information and names for public commenters.

Tybee Island's last untouched acreage is soon to be developed.

The plans for the four acres of forest located on the island's north end remain a guarded secret.

The City of Tybee is buying the property through eminent domain. Considered Tybee's last slice of undeveloped land that is not part of a designated nature preserve, the site is bordered by Solomon Avenue, Estill Avenue and Polk Street.

The City of Tybee has detailed a variety of potential public uses for the property, including installing a deep well or desalination facility, expanding the neighboring campground and storing storm debris. The site also sits across the street from the city's wastewater treatment plant, which operates at full capacity during the summer tourism season and needs to expand.

Why are city officials mum on future use?

On April 13, during a special-called meeting, council voted unanimously to begin the eminent domain process.

According to city documents, the plot’s current owner, Joseph Christiansen, has rejected the city’s offer to purchase the property after a round of good-faith negotiations.

City officials declined to comment on the negotiations. City Attorney Bubba Hughes told the public that, until the eminent domain process ends, the property’s appraisal and offer values are not subject to open records requests, nor is the city required to disclose exactly what they want to do with the property.

"How can we as the public know whether to support this when (...) we don't even know what it's for?" asked Tybee resident Bernard McIntosh. Mayor Shirley Sessions said council isn't looking for support, but that once the property is acquired public comments would be sought for the fate of the tract of land.

Residents also raised concerns about property values declining if public works facilities are opened right next to residences, as well as noise and light pollution.

The property has a long history, once having served as a dumping ground. The site has frequently been mentioned as possible location for houses, a hotel or a resort. But its prime location next to Tybee's water treatment facility, which is consistently at capacity during summertime, makes it a convenient spot for the city to expand near preexisting public works.

Pave paradise, put up a parking lot?

A slate of neighbors and environmental advocates who live and work on Tybee Island called on council to preserve the property, referring to it as the last swath of untouched green space on the island.

The site is home to a maritime old-growth forest, a type of ecosystem higher than the dune areas but within range of salt spray and that can handle flooding. Old-growth means the forest has aged without being cut down or significant disturbance, yielding larger trees and a multi-layered canopy of native species.

"We have this small marsh ecosystem for many nesting birds, reptiles, turtles, whatever you want to name — a mink, or a random person from Huc-A-Poos," said Thompson Moore, a Savannah resident who has worked with the environment on Tybee in his capacity as a U.S. Coast Guard-certified captain and with the University of Georgia's research vessel the R/V Savannah.

He echoed the sentiment of many attendees who told council one of the reasons people move to Tybee Island is to appreciate nature, and that is cause for conservation. Delina Malinoff, who lives across from the property, stated she has watched migratory birds in the tops of trees on the forested property, sometimes up to 60 great egrets.

Council also heard from Allie Hayser, who spoke as a Tybee native but is also a shorebird biologist for a nonprofit that focuses on migratory birds and coastal ecosystems. Hayser spoke about the role maritime forests play in Tybee's future resiliency, stating that the ecosystem is important for housing wildlife and helping with rainfall, storms and erosion as Tybee will future feel the brunt of these challenges.

With resiliency projects, Tybee is looking to recreate what this land already does for the island.

"We can pave all of this paradise and put up parking lots everywhere," she said, "and it's only going to increase more problems for us as a community as we move forward."

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Tybee city council starts eminent domain next to water treatment plant