Port Wentworth issues warehouse moratorium for next six months
The City of Port Wentworth is the latest west Chatham County municipality to put a pause on industrial rezoning requests. For the next six months, the city will not be accepting applications asking to rezone property to industrial, the zoning designation needed for warehouses to be built.
The moratorium, unanimously approved by city council during Thursday night's meeting, will not affect existing applications already submitted and waiting to be heard by the planning commission. Rezoning applications are reviewed by the city's planning commission before heading to the city council for approval.
Port Wentworth leaders echoed the concerns heard in neighboring cities Bloomingdale and Garden City that have enacted their own moratoriums. Port Wentworth council cited a need to review the current city landscape in the midst of rapid industrial growth.
Over the years, Port Wentworth, which neighbors the Port of Savannah, has experienced an overwhelming amount of industrialization. The Georgia Ports Authority, which oversees the Savannah port, continues to experience accelerated growth due to global supply chain demands.
More: A second West Chatham city freezes industrial development. Why growth trends are troubling
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As a result, residential neighborhoods are feeling the encroachment. The city's older, downtown area is being squeezed by industrial development on nearly all sides. Neighborhoods in the northern portion of the city, where a majority of residents live, have also seen more warehouses pop up in their neighborhoods.
Last fall, former City Manager Edwin Booth said that about 5 million square feet of warehousing already exists in the city and that about 15 million to 20 million square feet are still in the works or being proposed.
Port Wentworth residents express concern over current projects
Several warehouse developments currently under construction are drawing ire from residents that will bear the brunt of construction and, eventually, truck traffic and loss of residential quality of life.
For Carolyn Mutcherson, the construction of a multi-phase warehouse complex along Monteith Road has already had dire consequences. The building site, which faced strong opposition from neighboring residents when it was rezoned to industrial in 2020, is currently having its infrastructure inlaid.
Due to inaccurate marking, developers hit a water pipe that services four to five households on Monteith Road. The disruption cut off Mutcherson’s water supply for several hours. Then, when it came back, the water was milky and has only gotten worse since June 14.
More: Port Wentworth Council approves rezoning of largest warehouse project in the city
“I don’t know if the water is contaminated, I don’t trust the water, it’s been two weeks,” said Mutcherson during the Thursday night council meeting.
City Manager Steve Davis said they are aware of the issue and will explore options to compensate Mutcherson and other affected households.
Still, other residents in the Monteith and Meinhard neighborhoods, which has traditionally been a rural agricultural area home to family farms and businesses, fear what will happen to their livelihood when the warehouses are complete.
Janet Hester, a longtime resident on Meinhard and current planning commission member, said she fought the rezoning of the parcels and the subsequent sale to warehouse developers for years.
“It wore the people out,” recounted Hester.
Port Wentworth Zoning map by savannahnow.com on Scribd
Davis said they’re going to use the six months of the moratorium to review their current zoning ordinances, building code requirements and fee structures and revisit implementing impact fees. The city plans to strategize how to better serve their residents.
“This will give us the chance to look at the growth that’s happening in the future and our transportation needs,” said Davis.
The city manager then mentioned that council and staff will also take a closer look at the goals listed in their comprehensive plan, which broadly outlines the city’s needs, characteristics, and ways to preserve quality of life. Davis acknowledged that the plan is not specific enough.
“We have a comprehensive plan, but we don’t have a plan for the plan,” said Davis.
Lauree Morris, a planning commission member, said the group has been overwhelmed with industrial applications over the years and that the city has not been following their comprehensive plan.
“We have been requesting for years to have our zoning ordinances looked at, revised, brought up to speed, and this will give us that start,” said Morris, “We must have stable, predictable and balanced growth for our city.”
To better assess the city’s current zoning designations – which typically falls broadly under residential, commercial, and industrial categories – the city may contract with a company called Esri. According to Davis, Esri’s software can essentially create a “sim city” of Port Wentworth to help officials better visualize what their city looks like and what to plan for.
Davis also pointed out that if the city needs more time at the end of the moratorium to complete their goals, it can always be extended.
Nancy Guan is the general assignment reporter covering Chatham County municipalities. Reach her at nguan@gannett.com or on Twitter @nancyguann.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Port Wentworth pausing industrial rezoning applications for six months
