Sapelo’s Gullah Geechee propose own zoning law for Hogg Hummock community

The proposed ordinance is meant to “preserve the historic district’s character” and could be considered as early as Tuesday, when the McIntosh County Commission holds its monthly meeting. Another commission meeting specifically pertaining to Sapelo development has been announced for Feb. 20.

At that meeting, the commission will consider extending a 30-day moratorium on building permits, enacted on Jan. 22, according to a public notice published Friday.

Credit: Adam Van Brimmer/AJC

Credit: Adam Van Brimmer/AJC

The zoning activities come in the wake of a Jan. 20 citizens-led referendum that repealed a 2023 ordinance change. That revision more than doubled the allowable square footage of homes built on the island. Voters approved the repeal by an overwhelming 85% margin, prompting the commission to meet two days later.

At that meeting, a majority of commissioners vowed to support ordinance language favored by the Gullah Geechee. Commissioner Roger Lotson, whose district includes Sapelo Island, called on residents to “communicate with us.”

The Gullah Geechee’s ordinance proposal, e-mailed to all five county commissioners Monday morning, is in response to Lotson’s request. Contacted Monday, Lotson acknowledged he had received the draft ordinance and encouraged “all impacted by zoning on Sapelo to provide input into this process and to let their voices be heard during public hearings.”

Residents have not yet met with commissioners or county staff, although the county attorney has contacted a lawyer representing Sapelo’s Gullah Geechee about a discussion.

According to JR Grovner, a Sapelo Gullah Geechee community member, the Hogg Hummock Community Ordinance Draft Coalition is the right group to craft a law governing development in a place that’s “like part of my DNA.”

“I can’t stand the thought that outsiders are trying to tell us what to do with our land,” Grovner said.

The Gullah Geechee’s draft ordinance rectifies issues with the law that long governed development on the island before the 2023 ordinance revision — problems that contributed to the push for that controversial change. Under the previous zoning, owners were limited to 1,400 square feet of heated and cooled space but could build porches and other attached areas under the same roof.

In several instances, once a building inspector approved the home, owners would then enclose those spaces to create a larger house. The 2023 revision addressed that by redefining the square footage limits as “under roof” in place of heated and cooled space. But it also bumped the limit to 3,000 square feet, drawing outcry and eventually repeal.

The Gullah Geechee’s proposed ordinance features language limiting development to within a 1,400-square-foot footprint and enacting a height maximum, meant to close that loophole.

The draft also introduces other development-related restrictions, such as barring the issuance of building permits until hard liquor sales licenses on Sapelo are terminated. A bar and grill operated by an island resident who is not Gullah Geechee was granted an alcohol license in 2024 over residents’ objections. The restaurant is housed in a building originally constructed as a community center.

Credit: Georgia Trust

Credit: Georgia Trust

Other features of the proposal that could draw pushback are a requirement that building permits not be issued unless the applicant can prove clear title as well as a ban on demolition of structures without approval by a majority of residents.

Land ownership has long been an issue on Sapelo — title is the subject of several legal challenges, including at least one still in active litigation — while a demolition restriction would give the Gullah Geechee a say in who could buy an existing property, knock it down and build a new one.