As with all communities, businesses here are coming and going.  Here’s some of the latest things going on around St. Simons Island and Brunswick.

First of all, anyone coming on and off the Island recently knows that the barrier construction is fully underway.  For those of you unaware, they are building a barrier along the length of the Causeway.

Here's a shot from my car...

Personally, I think if a barrier had to be built for safety purposes, why not a grassy median with some trees or something nice.  Instead, it looks like they will be simply ugly concrete barriers like the ubiquitous ‘Jersey blocks’ running down the center of the Causeway.  My main problem with this is:   Accidents on heavily trafficked roadways are bound to happen.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve driven down the Causeway, only to have to make a u-turn because there was an accident blocking all outbound lanes.  Without the barriers, all you had to do was simply make a u-turn and go back.  Now, when there is the inevitable accident or other traffic snafu, we will be stuck.  Sure there will be a few areas open for access to either lanes, but the ease with which we could turn around and get out of the soup will be gone.

Plus, they started construction just in time for our tourist season… good timing Glynn County!

Other things going on: St Simons Island…

There is going to be a new traffic light on St. Simons Island.  For most people, that’s not such a big piece of news. Around here, it IS a big deal.  St Simons Island has only about eight or so traffic lights.  Traffic circles have been installed in an effort to keep traffic lights to a minimum on the Island… and yet…

So now, there is going to be a light at the Harris Teeter entrance to the Shops at Sea Island, just yards away from the major light at the Frederica/Sea Island Rd. intersection.  This is to accommodate the new shopping center under construction on the north side of Sea Island Rd from Harris Teeter where a new CVS is being built as we speak.

It’s official.  The mid-island’s first fast food joint is coming. Another big deal? Yes, it is.  For years, the access path to Sea Island has been all pretty and nice… and now – a fast food joint right on the path to Sea Island nirvana?  Heaven forbid!  Well, sarcasm aside, all of our fast food places have stayed on the south end in the Demere Rd. area.

It too will be across the street from Harris Teeter in the opposite lot from the new CVS.  As of this week, construction on the foundation has begun!

Back down on the south end, next to St Simons Drugs located in what had been referred to as the ‘Piggly Wiggly’ Shopping Center , the local appliance/electronics store H&H Lifestyles is apparently moving in.  They are closing down their larger store in Brunswick to relocate here to the Island.

Out on the mainland…

Rumors of a Red Lobster opening and an Olive Garden opening are finally confirmed.  Apparently, it will be a combination of the two with the restaurants sharing the same kitchen.  This concept has been tried in Flagler County, as shown in this photo below – I think.  It seems to be working – a way to cost effectively bring the chain into a smaller market like ours.

It’s supposed to be in the empty space beside Starbucks… so we shall see!  So we have a Dunkin’ Donuts/Baskin Robbins combo… and now this.  But, alas, only Taco Bell and Pizza Hut combos have a song of their very own. Curious?  Take a listen/look! - it’s kind of funny.

Thanks Hank Paulson, Jr.  St Simons Island is lucky to have friends with deep pockets…

In the disintegration of the Sea Island empire… one of the victims was an untouched, beautiful 600 acre tract of land called Cannon’s Point on the north end of St. Simons Island.   Property owners across Jones Creek from Cannon’s Point had always rested easy knowing that if and when Sea Island Co. developed Cannon’s Point, they would, in all likelihood, develop something tasteful and non-offensive.  When Wells Fargo became the owners… that likelihood was no longer guaranteed.  Things could have gone very differently.

Well, according to Bloomberg.com:

The San-Francisco-based bank and the Bobolink Foundation, whose trustees include former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. and his wife Wendy, said on Monday that the land, known as Cannon’s Point peninsula, will be set aside as a public preserve. A deal for conserving the undeveloped property was reached with the foundation, A.D. (Pete) Correll, the former CEO of Georgia Pacific, and the Saint Simons Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, other community members and agencies.

Click here for the entire article…

As a little background – this isn’t Mr. Paulson’ first foray into St. Simons Island preservation.  According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Paulson and his wife owns three fourths of Little St. Simons Island – a small private island east of Cannon’s point and north of Sea Island once owned by the founder of the Eagle Pencil Co. and his descendants and home of the Lodge at Little St Simons – through a holding company, Whimbrel LLC. While different owners might have viewed the small island known as one of the best birding spots on the East Coast with an eye for further development, it has been said that the current owners want to keep the quiet, low-keyed, natural feel of the island as it is.

My in-laws have a view of Cannon’s Point from across the marsh and Jones Creek.  I’m sure they’re relieved to know that view will be protected for the foreseeable future.  I know I’m glad that I’ll be able to enjoy their view as well!

There have been rumors but now it appears to be true.  Apparently, Publix has an eye on St Simons Island for a new location. I’m told that years ago, they passed up the opportunity to be an anchor in the Shops at Sea Island because the space wouldn’t be large enough to fit their minimal footprint. That left the position open to Harris Teeter, whom, since the demise of the Pig – otherwise known as Piggly Wiggly – has been only one of two grocery stores on the Island – the other being Winn Dixie in the Retreat Plaza across the airport.  Now with  CVS’s upcoming move to the razed land across the street (see my previous post!), Harris Teeter is planning to expand once again to take up their space once it’s vacated.

One of my neighbors just called me to say that the lady who runs the little garden center/farmer’s market next to Bennie’s Red Barn told him that they were being evicted to make way for a Publix.   Never realized there was that much room back there for a whole strip mall complete with a Publix as an anchor, but what you do know!  I’m a bit torn on this subject. On the one hand, I love Publix.  It was my preferred grocery store in Atlanta. On the other hand, this is just what the Island needs right now… more retail/commercial space. (I’m being heavily sarcastic here… considering we have commercial development all over the Island post-real-estate boom – such as the one across from the airport on Demere, the new office building sitting empty near the proposed Publix site, and of course, the giant, fancy, pretty one behind SunTrust on Sea Island Rd that no one even knows about – but trust me, it’s huge and very, very unoccupied. There are  also plenty of vacant spaces at the Proffesional Bldg on Demere next to the Shops at Demere as well as the new buildings adjacent to and next to the movie theater behind Harris Teeter… just to name a few more.)

Well, the Publix thing isn’t a done deal yet.  Apparently, they will be going up for a zoning request on the 21st.  So if anyone is interested in learning more, supporting or protesting this zoning change request – then, well… I suppose you should plan to attend.  So mark the calendar for Sept. 21 and stay tuned for more.  And all this begs the questions:  Does the Island really need another grocery store? I’m sure the folks at Harris Teeter don’t think so!

Yes, more trees have been knocked down on the Island.  Now, I’m no tree-hugger, but there’s something a bit naked now when I pull out of the Shops at Sea Island (a.k.a. the Harris Teeter parking lot) and see nothing but dirt and construction vehicles where once I saw nothing but trees.

I’m told it’s a shopping center and one of the major tenants will be CVS, who currently resides next to Harris Teeter, but needs more room to have the now ubiquitous drive-up window for their pharmacy and their current location doesn’t allow for it. The photo above was taken a few weeks ago when the construction began.  Below is a pic from a few days ago from the same vantage point, as I’m pulling out from Harris Teeter onto Sea Island Rd.

This construction runs all the way to the old stables, which is in the process of being purchased by the St Simons Land Trust and is visible from Frederica Rd.

With second home buyers out of the market right now, many owners of properties in our second home/resort market are opting to cover their costs by renting.  Of course, many people own homes and condos here as investment, taking advantage of our area as a vacation destination. But for a lot of other people, they simply owned single family homes  for their own use, to enjoy on sporadic weekends or for entire seasons and are entering the rental market for the first time.

Well, the members of the Golden Isles Association of REALTORS® recently were  sent a friendly reminder from the Glynn County Community Development in regards to the ‘proliferation of single family vacation rental properties‘ and I suppose it’s with good reason.  They cite that:

These are being advertised as having a capacity in terms of the number of guests accommodated, but that number may exceed the capacity established by zoning limitations.

In vacation rental speak, we look at how many people can sleep in a given property. Say you have a three bedroom house in which you have a king size bed in one bedroom, a queen in another, and one twin bed and a bunkbed in the 3rd. You also have a full-size pull out sofa in the family room.  That house might be advertised as ‘sleeping 9′ and three couples with their combined three children sign on to rent the house for two weeks.  The problem here is that the house is zoned residential and is meant to be occupied by one family only.  In most cases, a three bedroom house would be zoned for a family of five or six: parents in one room, up to two children of the same sex in the next room and up to two children of the same sex in the other.  By three non-related families  occupying this house, they are violating the local zoning ordinance.

Dwelling units are defined as being intended for occupancy by one family. A family is defined as including any number of people who are related by blood or marriage, but limits to five (5) the number of people who are not related by blood or marriage. To clarify, if three people who are related by blood or marriage occupy a dwelling unit together with three other people who are related by blood or marriage, but the two groups are not related to each other, the definition of family is NOT met and the situation constitutes a violation of the Zoning Ordinance.

So if you’re a property owner in this or any vacation market, keep in mind that you many be violating local zoning ordinances.  Don’t say you haven’t been warned!  For more information, contact the Glynn County Community Development office at 912-554-7428.

As with any community, change is always in the air.   I’ve noticed changes occur most frequently in the restaurant business… so this post should bear no surprises when you see that it mostly has to do with places to eat…

Noticed the other day that the two empty store fronts next to Target was being combined into one space.  They had formerly been home to a mattress store and a discount shoe store.  I did a general Twitter call out to see if anyone knew what was going in and a friend said she thought it was a buffalo wing place.  Seems my friend might be right.    I just did a search of the Buffalo Wild Wings site and while Brunswick didn’t show up on their ‘Coming Soon’ section, I did find two job openings for a Buffalo Wild Wings ‘opening soon in Brunswick’ on Indeed.com, a job search site.  We’re always excited when there’s a new place to eat around here!

More on the food front, Pranzos has taken up the spot in the small retail center along Frederica by the Shops at Sea Island, behind Oglethorpe Bank at 44 Midway. It had been home to Frankie G’s, which started out with some promise for me but ended up being fairly inconsistent in their quality.  Some other restaurant went in and I can’t even recall the name – all I know is that it didn’t last very long.  So now, Pranzos has taken over that location.   I’m assuming they are expanding and haven’t closed their downtown Brunswick location which I really like.  But the one on the Island is much closer to home!

They’ve torn down the facade of the old Gisco Seafood building which was most recently the home of Southern Soul Barbecue which burned down at the end of March (See post).  Not sure what they’re doing with the place but I find it sad that the bit of character that old building brought to the ‘new’ traffic circle is gone.  I’m sure whatever the owners build on that spot will never have the campy charm that the old seafood shack turned into a bbq joint did.

Down in the Village, I’ve noticed the empty space where Subway used to be now has a sign saying that ‘John’s Pizza’ was coming.  Don’t know when… and don’t know who this John is.  Subway, by the way, moved into their new digs on Mallery sometime earlier this year or at the end of last year… under Rafter’s.  The space had been empty ever since.  I’m particularly intrigued as it’s in the building next to the one my office is in… so any decent lunch place in walking distance is always welcome!

So aside from my on-going gripes about the new entrance to the Island with the psuedo-traffic circle – which I’ve decided is more of a jug-handle turn (anyone from New Jersey out there?) than a circle… and the fact that no one seems to pay any attention to the yield sign as they merge from King’s Way… that’s all for now!

On the eve of the Annual Blessing of the Fleet in Darien, GA, several shrimp boats caught fire late last night.  According to my sources, officials are looking into two theories on how this fire may have started.  One theory is that someone may have left a generator on overnight which leaked gas and started the fire which spread to neighboring boats.  The other theory is that someone was welding on a boat and a spark may have landed on combustible material and smoldered for awhile before catching into a full blaze.  I don’t believe that arson is suspected though I’m sure they are investigating all avenues.

Here’s a photo sent by a friend of the fire last night…

The Darien Annual Blessing of the Fleet is a huge event for this small community located just north of the Glynn County line in McIntosh County and part of what is considered the Golden Isles.  It’s a full weekend event beginning today (Friday) with vendor booths of all types, helicopter rides, concerts, food, and a parade on Saturday morning.    Basically, it’s a big ol’ weekend party to celebrate their shrimp boat fleet…

Does anyone think it’s odd that two of my last four posts have to do with things burning down???  Well, the other two posts had to do with taxes…  hmmm.

This past weekend while in Atlanta, my husband called me and asked, “Guess what’s burning as we speak?”  How does one answer a question like this?  Of course, I asked, “What’s burning?”  It turns out Southern Soul, a barbecue joint on the Island that resides in the old GISCO seafood building at the very visible spot by the traffic circle at Demere and Frederica, was on fire.  Then my husband asked, “Do you think there are good eats in the smoldering embers?”  I’ve driven past it a few times and you really can’t tell it burned from the front… I was told it is an empty shell in the rear, but the facade is still there and they’ve covered the openings with tarp so you can’t see inside.  If I hadn’t been told it caught fire, I might have supposed they were renovating.  I always said that the place needed a good hosing down…

Here’s a video that gives you an up close and personal view of the fire and it’s end result… check it out!

Just found out that the construction going on the wedge of land between Demere and Hamilton right near the on-going construction of the new ‘traffic circle’ at the entrance to the Island is going to be a gas station.

First of all, I put ‘traffic circle’ in quotes because it is using the term loosely to call that ridiculous piece of engineering a traffic circle.  Traffic circles are about the continuous flow of traffic and the elimination of traffic signals to artificially stop and start traffic movement.  This one still has a light… and don’t get me started on the problems with the design.

But back to this gas station.  What a nice way for visitors to this Island to be greeted.  Why, everyone knows the best face a resort community can put forward is by presenting their newly arrived guests with a gas station/convenience store.   They already put one that the entrance to the Causeway years ago… on the opposite side of the street from the Welcome Center, there sits a big El Cheapo gas station. (El Cheapo is the actual name – classy eh? – and not a commentary on them, by the way.)

Years ago, the local arts association told me they owned land inside that wedge and were planning to build a new facility there.  When I saw the construction under way, I thought their plans were finally moving forward.  Perhaps it’s not their land at all that I’m seeing.  I had heard something about Sea Island Co. unloading more land they owned around the Island due to their recent financial difficulties… wouldn’t put it past them to sell this piece off too.  Whatever the case may be… it’s just seems crazy to me to put in another gas station right at this particular spot.

Maybe now the kids from the private school across the street will have someplace where they can conveniently pick up their smokes on their way to class…