Emma Griffin, Correspondent.
Noticeably less people gathered in the Richmond Hill City Hall building for this month’s city council meeting compared to August, which was understandably centered on the aftermath of Hurricane Debby.
With far less devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, the meeting was able to move past recent conversations around hurricane season to focus on future happenings; mainly concerns about a proposal for changes to the Richmond Hill Plantation Planned Unit Development (PUD).
However, Mayor Russ Carpenter made sure to address the recent storms, joking that “there’s a communication that none of us probably really need to hear” before reminding the attending audience that hurricane season ends on November 30, and urging residents to continue to follow official weather forecasts from the National Weather Service as well as local meteorologists and government pages.
At the start of the meeting, Carpenter awarded Nurse Laurie Melhorn with the Difference Makers Award. Since Melhorn is retiring, Carpenter highlighted her many contributions to the community, starting with her service as the Richmond Hill Middle School nurse and carrying on to her role as the lead nurse for the Bryan County Health Department.
“Thanks for making a profound difference with our residents’ health and our spirits. You are proof that laughter is really the best medicine, said Carpenter as he handed Melhorn her plaque.
Afterwards Amanda Styer, the Assistant Director of Planning and Zoning, introduced a petition filed by Josh Galbreath to revise the Richmond Hill PUD (planned unit development) from single-family residential to commercial within the Timber Trail area. While Galbreath was present at the meeting, he did not speak.
A concerned citizen, Doug Simpson, did address the council concerning the proposed changes.
“We like living in the neighborhood where it is walkable, quiet, with stars at night, that kind of thing. We didn’t come here for warehouses which are some of the four buildings that are being proposed,” Simpson said.
“I feel like I’m fighting the Battle of the Bulge, because we’ve got a bulge of commercial zoning being pushed into residential. We would have this bulge of commercial in the residential area.”
Simpson also mentioned walking around the area with his granddaughter. “ My granddaughter said if [the warehouses] were all painted a rainbow color that would be great, but I don’t think that that’s going to pass the architecture review committee.”
He noted his concern about who would be using this property, stating “we don’t know who those tenants are… whether they’re going to be operating impact tools, whether they’re going to be using paint spray booths.” Finally, he brought up his worry about soil revolution in the area, which he noted as “particularly concerning as this hurricane comes in, because I had flooding up to my doorstep not too long ago.” Simpson closed his sentiments by saying he wanted the council to think about “the expense of those of us in the neighborhood.”
Styer noted earlier that this was a first reading of the proposal, so there would be no vote about whether to approve or disapprove. After a final public comment from citizen Beatrice Shepard concerning her frustration with city trees overhanging her property, Carpenter and the rest of the council voted to adjourn, and Pastor Daniel Boyd closed the meeting with a prayer.
Emma Griffin is a freelance correspondent with the Bryan County News. She is based in Richmond Hill.