NAHUNTA — Three developers, two working together as a team, presented their ideas of developing property for the Satilla Plantation project.
Scott Spires, a contractor from Pierce County who has built apartment complexes and houses in Brantley County, was joined by the team of Roger McCants of Speedy Tostensen of Brunswick at the called Wednesday, June 18 meeting of the Brantley County Development Authority Board of Directors meeting.
The board convened to hear the ideas of how each would develop the property within Satilla Plantation and other areas, including Satilla Pastures, Pine Crest and Eagles Crest. They will render their decision Monday, June 30 and deliver it to the Brantley County Commission.
Spires and the team of McCants and Tostensen were the only contractor/developers to meet the $250,000 cash bid or alternative proposal for the project which also includes the posting of a $5,000,000 performance bond maintained for five years or until project completion if awarded the project.
The property is approximately 864 acres of dry land and 124 acres of wetland. There are approximately 225 private owners with lots ranging ½ acre to just over an acre.
The BCDA requested plans to include 3- to 10-acre parcels to allow mini farms and estate development.
The BCDA issued a Request for Proposal (RFP #043025) for the purchase of all undeveloped land owned by Brantley County in Satilla Plantation. The goal is to facilitate the development of these lands, which includes various phases and specific requirements outlined in the proposal specifications.
The Brantley County Development Authority Board of Directors will render their decision concerning the awarded developer during their Monday, June 30 meeting and present it to the Brantley County Board of Commission during the Tuesday, July 1 meeting.
Key requirement for the project in the first year includes a drainage plan to be completed and the repairing of all washouts and potholes, cleaning all roads and right-aways of grass, debris and small trees by mulching and bush hogging from the pavement edge to 20 feet or to the tree line and maintain the road edge until the HOA (Home Owners Association) assumes responsibility.
The buyer will provide an asphalt overlay of all sub-division roads after the heavy equipment work has been completed as the last infrastructure project to be completed.
Buyer will be responsible for the installation of new gates with shrubbery, flowers, decorative plants/trees and lighting at the Hwy. 110 entrance and Hwy. 259 entrance, a comprehensive road and right-of-way plan, and utility plans including power, internet and water services if community water is intended to be offered.
Homes will have a minimum size requirement of 1,400-square feet with an attached two-car garage (1,800 total square feet) on oneacre lots and a total projection of homes to be built with this minimum size.
Also, a minimum of 1520 homes are expected to be built in the first year. Buyer will be responsible for the formation of a master HOA association for maintenance of roads and common areas, and amendments to covenants allowing mini farm/estate development as per existing documents available on county websites.
There is a $250 payment for an impact fee per home sold.
Spires’ plan
Spires told the BCDA Board of Directors he would like to combine the four sub-divisions into one for HOA to run.
Houses would sell for $250,000 to $400,000 on 3- to 5-acre lots.
“I’m willing to build what someone brings to me,” said Spires. “It’s in the current covenant that you can have so many goats, so many chickens, and a pig farm on a 3- to 10-acre lot if somebody decides they want to put in a horse farm or a goat farm or whatever.”
He also talked bout the roads throughout Satilla Plantation and the one main road through it.
“I was recommended to completely grind it up and start over,” Spires said. “That’s going to cost $2 million and its three miles long. There are a lot of washouts and pot holes that keep coming back. We will repair and then come back and pave.”
Unlike the previous road construction done, the roads now have to meet GDOT (Georgia Department of Transportation) specs, according to County Manager Joey Cason.
Spires said previous covenants already had the easements established which will help with utility plans.
He will be using Ben Pierce Civil Engineers to help with the drainage.
McCants/Tostenson
Tostensen talked about the project being the last rodeo with McCants and leaving a legacy for his grandchildren.
“I want to do something Brantley County can be proud of and it be an asset,” he said. “I want to do 8- to 10-acre parcels in a gated community to give Brantley County something it has never had. This will give you a big tax base.
“There is no easy fix here. The roads have to be redone, but you have to start with the drainage issue.”
Tostensen said he would like to turn the wetlands into ponds and bowls accumulating water into ponds as well.
“The original owners were not developers and you can tell because of the drainage issues,” said Tostensen. “We’re also going to take the smaller lots and make them bigger. The worst part about it, you’ve got 318 lots speckled through that place owned by somebody.
“That ain’t nothing but a nightmare. It ain’t gonna be no easy fix, but we’ll take it on and get it done. I hope some of them will buy to where they have a bigger place.”
When Chairman Peggy Bowers asked about housing specs, Tostensen said, “We have to approve the plans. They have to meet the minimum of what we want. We already have builders interested in coming here.”
Tostensen added the drainage issue is being caused by the 43-foot elevation difference from Hwy. 110 to Hwy. 177.
“You have to have a 3 percent drop in elevation for water to run,” he said. “We’re going to get it to go to the Satilla River.
McCants added putting in pipe would help the water move along.
“Fixing drainage has to be first,” said McCants. “As soon as that’s taken care of, then you can fix the roads. One of the first things we’re going to do is put as many as five crews in there at one time, because the drainage and the roads have to be finished in the first year.
“We’re immediately going to fill in all the potholes, all of the bad areas, just to make it so you can drive up. All the roads will be finished and ready for asphalt immediately within the first year.”
McCants said their plan is to build smaller homes on the one-acre parcels and bigger on the the 3- to 10-acre sites. You will have to take one-acre lots and put them together to make the 3- to 10-acre lots. We’ve got to put these together in some kind of form or fashion.”
