New URA member wants careful and intentional redevelopment in the city

Aug. 31—Newly appointed Brunswick Urban Redevelopment Agency members Denise Taylor and Taylor Ritz are excited about what the URA can do for the city.

"I had discovered it on my own a couple of months ago and trying to find a way to get involved in the city," Ritz said.

Taylor, the second of the new appointees, graduated from Camden County High School, Valdosta State and Southeastern College's School of Neuromuscular and Massage Therapy. She's worked for Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, opened several restaurants and owned Integrated Health and Wellness for 14 years. She moved to St. Simons Island in 2007 and to Brunswick 11 years later, moving her business to downtown Brunswick as well. Since then she's come to feel invested in the city and wanted to help, specifically addressing the issue of blight.

Ritz was a soccer player for Glynn Academy, graduating from the local high school before attending the University of Georgia and studying animal science, which is an academic way to say she studied how to be a zookeeper and train mammals.

"It was very fun," Ritz said.

But it wasn't what she wanted in the long term. She was never a fan of living in big cities — where most zoos are located — and often worked nights and weekends, as animals still need to eat outside work hours.

"It's lots of weekends and holidays, and I just wanted a 9-to-5," Ritz said.

Coming back to Brunswick, she worked a variety of freelance jobs and coached girls' soccer at GA before landing at Port City Partners, where she now works on the financial side, at least on paper.

"Port City is a small startup," Ritz said. "Everyone kind of does everything. My main job is managing the finances, so I'm like the bookkeeper finance manager. We also work with contractors on projects, doing property management, etc. It's kind of an all-hands-on-deck thing, which I enjoy because I get to learn all sectors of development."

Recently she's gotten into the real estate side of things, earning her Realtor license last year.

"When I found out (about the URA), I had already been involved in local real estate and felt like I could bring that experience to the board," she said. "It's a group of people who are very energetic and excited about the future of Brunswick. I think we can all agree downtown and Brunswick as a whole has just been growing."

The purpose of the group is in the name, she says. Developing and redeveloping parts of downtown Brunswick is important, but it can't be done haphazardly.

"I think one of the issues that comes with growth is gentrification," Ritz said. "That's a buzzword for a lot of people. It's important to improve our spaces for everyone but make sure you're not pushing out people who have lived here for a long time.

"Everyone wants to see Brunswick grow, but not at a cost that no one can afford."

The URA's primary focus now is evaluating proposals from private developers on how to use the Oglethorpe block and establishing a timeline for whichever development the city elects to pursue. While the city's administration has mostly taken over improving Mary Ross Waterfront Park, Ritz says she's interested in being involved in that as well.

"I'm excited about the opportunities for the Oglethorpe block. I'm excited about the URA's involvement in Mary Ross. I think it has a lot of potential and the plan is very exciting," she said.

Personally, she hopes to see the URA tackle blighted properties working with the city-county joint land bank to clean them up for redevelopment. It's one of Taylor's goals as well.

"This isn't my sole focus but it is primary," she said. "As we enrich downtown the focus on the surrounding housing communities should be just as intense. We should grow and thrive as an integrated community. I'm excited about all of the possibilities."