SSI McKinnon Airport
Continued from Page 1
“I am opposed to that,” said Gusman.
Also speaking in opposition, Julian
Smith said he was not sure that the
airport is what the taxpayers need or
want as it is now.
Smith commented on a site plan
that had come before the IPC at the
May meeting that did not comply with
zoning regulations. Smith said, “That
was a bad project. It was too much on
too little land.”
Willis noted that that particular
application had been withdrawn.
Note: Smith and Willis were refer
ring to the site plan for Seaside Main
tenance that came to the IPC in May.
It was for a new 4,600 sq. ft commer
cial building for administrative and
sales offices, repair shop, and storage
for Seaside Maintenance at 104 Sky-
lane Court near the airport. Appar
ently it came out during the meeting
that in order to make the building fit
the property the buffer area would be
located in county-owned right-of-way.
Regarding the airport’s request last
week, Smith said, “This has to do with
whether we can trust the airport com
mission to come up with good projects.
Why add all these new uses after all
these years? Do we need more of these
businesses? They are of no use to the
residents. The government is going
into competition with private land
owners. Isn’t there enough private
commercial property on the island?”
He suggested that the airport was
turning this portion of Demere Rd.
into a strip mall.
Representing Donnie McCaskill, at
torney Mary Helen Moses also spoke
in opposition to the airport request.
Moses said that McCaskill was the
largest property owner in Tract B of
the airport property, he owns the St.
Simons Trailer Park. Saying they re
ceived a late notice about the airport’s
request on Friday morning (June 14),
she asked the IPC to defer the issue.
“This isn’t enough time for people
to research,” said Moses, “I’m asking
for a deferral, or you could just cut to
the chase and deny it.”
Referencing a comment by Airport
Commission Executive Director Rob
Burr about allowing a restaurant at
the airport, Moses pointed out that
the IPC’s concern should be whether it
would be compatible with the nearby
neighborhood.
Moses said this was the third time
in five years there has been a request
to put a restaurant here. She said res
taurants have not allowed in Tracts B
and C.
Pointing out that the airport com
mission’s request was now “a broader
plan for restaurants,” Moses cited a
comment from former IPC member
Stan Humphries regarding increased
traffic. She said the change only
serves the airport commission, not the
public.
Miriam Lancaster also spoke in op
position saying she had three issues
with the request.
“First, the amendments proposed
are overly broad and vague,” said
Lancaster, “the text as written ap
pears to allow conditional and special
uses without the necessity of obtain
ing a conditional use permit or special
use permit as currently defined in the
Zoning Ordinance. Surely this was not
the intent or intended result, but that
would be the interpretation. Changes
to the PD text that will allow condi
tionals uses and special uses without
independently meeting the current
requirements for such uses should be
deleted.”
Lancaster also pointed out that
the request exempts Tract A from the
Tree Ordinance.
“The Airport already has an exemp
tion in the tree ordinance for anything
related to the operation of the air
port,” said Lancaster, “including tree
removal, to meet Federal Aviation
Administration requirements. No ex
emption in the PD text is required to
satisfy operational requirements.”
“If general commercial activity is
developed in Tract A, it should be sub
ject to the requirements of the tree or
dinance,” said Lancaster, “This is only
fair to other commercial developers
who are developing on private prop
erty. The changes to the PD text with
respect to the tree ordinance are un
necessary and should be deleted.”
“Finally, the broad amendment of
a Planned Development text with
out any accompanying site plan is an
abuse of the PD zoning classification,”
said Lancaster.
“Good land use planning princi
pals call for the utilization of PD as a
method for cohesive development of a
parcel of land,” Lancaster continued,
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“The wholesale amendment of a PD
text, opening up development to a
wide variety of commercial uses with
out specific site plans and appropriate
responses to traffic and other impacts
of development, will endanger the es
tablished residential neighborhoods
surrounding the airport. It is the
IPC’s responsibility to protect these
established neighborhoods.”
“There is a big difference between
a restaurant being developed on prop
erty adjacent to the airfield and a res
taurant being developed on the prop
erty abutting the St. Simons Heights
neighborhood,” she said.
“What should happen is when a
specific use is identified - like a res
taurant - it should come before the
IPC with a site plan, public hearing
and notice to adjacent property own
ers to properly evaluate the specific
proposed use.”
“This amendment affects over 300
acres of prime real estate at one of the
Island’s busiest intersections, without
any plan or proposed use for the pub
lic or this body to consider. There is
no legal or logical justification for this
amendment and it should be rejected,”
Lancaster concluded.
A resident of the Island Townhouse
condominiums on Demere Rd. also
spoke in opposition.
Speaking in favor were Brad Brum-
bach, who developed Aviator Plaza
and wants to include a coffee shop in
June 24, 2019, The Islander, Page 5
his commercial area.
Brumbach called the airports re
quest “controlled growth.” “This is
clearly a commercial area,” he said,
“and there’s not a lot of places here for
a restaurant.”
“Some of the people who objected
to my building are objecting again to
day,” said Brumbach, “They said my
building would bring traffic, but that
has not happened.”
Martin McCormack also spoke in
favor of the request saying the airport
commission has been good stewards
of the property and would not do any
thing “nefarious.”
After some brief rebuttal comments
from Burr, Moses asked if a site plan
would be required if an existing build
ing was turned into a restaurant?
County Planning Manager Stefanie
Lief said no site plan was required if
the use of an existing building was
changed. Site plans are only required
for new buildings.
IPC member George Ragsdale was
concerned that the commercial “char
acter” of the area should be for “higher
end jobs” other than restaurants. He
said he’d like to see light industrial
uses come to the airport. “More res
taurants is the wrong focus,” he said.
Burr did say there was a possibility
of a restaurant at the location of the
Turn to Page 6
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