AC repair in Pembroke, GA

There was a time when people moved to quiet and sleepy Pembroke, Ga. because they were seeking a small town where the daily pace was set by the railroad running through downtown.

With several developments now coming online, townsfolk will have to adjust to a new normal.

Pembroke City Council approved the rezoning and annexation of 227 acres for a proposed development of 2,000 homes Aug. 12. In all, the project site will comprise more than 500 acres, as more than 300 were already in the city limits.

The development would be built near Highway 67 and Sims Road and is estimated to be a $500-million-project.

“I feel they already had their minds made up about it prior [to] and the voices of our citizens weren’t taken into consideration,” said Pembroke resident Jennifer Lanier, who lives a few miles away from the site.

Lanier started a petition to block this development along with another that proposed to build another 560 homes, until certain conditions were met. The project that proposed 560 homes was denied by city council in the Aug. 12 meeting.

“I can tell you that the commission did recommend denial of that project,” said City Manager Chris Benson. “The feedback I’ve heard in the public meeting for the planning and zoning commission is that the property’s connectivity was a concern to its proximity to the growth and boundaries of the city limits. Those are not necessarily the viewpoints of staff but things that have been expressed by the planning and zoning commission.”

Benson said that it could take 18 months before construction begins, but that timeline is not concrete.

“Over the next 6 to 9 months, the developer will have his engineering firm do more planning and engineering work on the property - stormwater modeling, further transportation impact analysis [will be] conducted, as well as tree surveys on the property,” said Benson.

With council giving the project the green light to move forward, Benson said the only way the project would not move forward is if “it doesn’t align with the parameters approved.”

Still, with the green light from city council, Pembroke is about to experience a housing boom like never before - and there could be more on the way.

The Aug. 12 city council meeting also saw the first read for the Garrison tract, which would consist of roughly 228 homes on 76 acres, along with four acres of commercial development. The second reading of the ordinance will take place Sept. 9.

In addition, multiple projects are in the works. O’Riley’s Auto Parts is under construction and the city is expecting a Huddle House to go vertical later this year.

“Having these two commercial establishments move into your community can provide several benefits and opportunities,” said Benson. “Any time you can add opportunities for residents to gather and dine, meet friends and family, is a positive addition to the community."

The Georgia Department of Transportation has proposed a roundabout to help mitigate traffic woes in some of the busier portions of town.

“This improvement project consists of connecting Highway 119 to Highway 67 with a planned roundabout while realigning traffic patterns from Highway 280 to address turning movement conflicts that tend to cause backups and conflicts along other travel routes in the community,” said Benson.

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

A hotel, a drive-in bank, fast food joints and a whopping 2,000 homes are part of a massive, proposed development that could one day become reality in the historic railroad town of Pembroke in Bryan County.

Located on Highway 67 and Sims Road, the Warnell Tract would see 2,000 homes in a mix of single-family detached houses, townhomes and apartments. According to the site plan, 53 acres are dedicated for commercial use. The entire tract is more than 500 acres.

The developer is Warnell-GSL Cattle Company LLC. The project will go before Pembroke's Planning and Zoning Commission, 6:30 p.m., May 16, at Pembroke City Hall, 353 N. Main St.

The trip generation on the planned unit development application predicts more than 28,000 daily trips, including 16,636 from non-residential and 11,888 from residential. The development would need two new entrances on Highway 67. The document also states that "75% of outbound traffic would travel southbound on Highway 67 every day."

The land use application says the development would accommodate the area’s growing workforce. Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America is an 8-mile drive from Pembroke.

Pemrboke City Administrator Chris Benson said the location of the suggested residential and commercial properties is “ideal for this type of proposed development.”

“The way we build housing today is going to have an impact on everyone’s way of living whether you live in a city, suburb or rural area over the next several decades,” said Benson. “And unless something changes, we will continue to see the traditional subdivisions continue to expand. This development incorporates appropriate mixtures of housing types, along with needed commercial space.”

When asked what sticks out about the project, Benson said, “This proposed development integrates street design with pedestrian-friendly corridors throughout the development. It provides for a village-type feel with connectivity to the various housing types to the commercial components.”

Benson predicted full build out could take between seven to 10 or more years.

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

A ride through the countryside in the northern end of Bryan County shows just why residents enjoy calling rural America home.

Many homes sit back off the road under the cover of massive trees, offering peace and privacy that is hard to find in the city.

But with two subdivisions scheduled for build out in the coming years, Pembroke residents know it is only a matter of time before their rural community is unrecognizable as these developments add thousands of new neighbors.

Does Pembroke need more housing?

According to the U.S. Census, Pembroke's population is 2,513 as of the last count in 2020. At present, more than 2,000 new homes have been approved for development there.

Pembroke City Manager Chris Benson said the city has had low housing stock for years as some homes are older and showing their age. Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, which has promised to employ 8,500 in the coming years, is just minutes away from the city limits and with expanding warehouse growth in the area, a boom in housing growth in Pembroke was inevitable.

“We have an aging infrastructure when it comes to our housing stock that isn't being replaced at the same pace that we're losing it,” said Benson. “So when you talk about displacing families that are or have been occupying these structures, they're having to move to other communities because there aren't other housing options for them to stay in this community.”

The city is hosting coffee and conversation meetings every month, which will give residents an opportunity to chat with staff members regarding future needs. Residents are notified of the meeting via a newsletter and on the city's Facebook page.

‘Never be able to replicate what I have’

Kenneth Copi, who moved to Pembroke in 1998, spoke of the relaxed pace of life residents have enjoyed for decades.

“It didn't really change much,” said Copi. “When they brought in the Dairy Queen, that was a big deal. Everything was close. You wanted restaurants, theater, all kinds of shopping, whatever you wanted - Statesboro was 20 minutes away, and Pooler was 20 minutes away. You didn't have to go that far and then you could come back to your nice, quiet little enclave there and people enjoyed that.”

Copi said moving to another town could present the same challenges Pembroke is seeing now as it relates to growth.

“Are you going to go someplace else that still has that same kind of small town feel to it?” asked Copi. “Even if you do, the developers just keep moving further out. If you go 30 miles west to some little town, it could be 5-10 years before they go through the same thing.”

Longtime resident Alex Floyd lives with his wife and children and extended family on 750 acres in Pembroke. Not too far from his property will one day be GSL Cattle Company's planned 2,000-home development.

Still, Floyd said he is here to stay.

“I would never be able to replicate what I have anywhere else,” said Floyd.

He enjoys seeing familiar faces in the grocery store – one of the many things that helps small town folks stay connected to one another. But as important as those pleasant chance encounters are, Floyd said what his community really needs is proper planning of future growth.

“I don't think what we are seeing is responsible growth,” Floyd said. “We all knew these large vacant parcels in the city would develop one day. We just didn't think all at once, and we certainly didn't think on smaller lots. It's a shame because there's no reset. But like I said before, once it's there, it's there.”

'Not going to be as personal'

Floyd also spoke to the sense of community Pembroke provides.

“I grew up in the Pembroke Christian Church,” said Floyd. “I sat there every Sunday with my great grandparents, my grandparents, parents and me. My parents still go there and I wouldn't be who I am today without it.”

When asked what he is going to miss about small town living, Copi said just that – small town living.

“For me, it's a lot about traffic,” said Copi. “Roads that used to be nice and quiet might take 10-15 minutes to make a turn on the local road that you might have been held up for a minute before. And it's not going to be as personal. They keep accentuating the positive, ‘You’re going to have more restaurants, you're going to have more of this and you're going to have more of that.' Again, I don't care about that.”

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.