SAVANNAH, Ga. — Voters in a coastal Georgia county have rejected a zoning change that would have allowed much larger homes on Sapelo Island, siding with Black landowners who feared the move would drive up property taxes in one of the South’s last remaining Gullah-Geechee communities founded by freed slaves.
The referendum on Tuesday reversed a 2023 decision by McIntosh County commissioners that doubled the maximum size of homes allowed in the small Hogg Hummock community.
FILE – A utility pole stands in the middle of a marsh at sunset on Sapelo Island, Ga., on May 16, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
Unofficial results showed about 85 percent of voters supported the referendum, according to county elections supervisor Doll Gale. Turnout was low, with about 19 percent of the county’s roughly 10,000 registered voters casting ballots.
For decades, strict building limits helped keep property taxes lower in Hogg Hummock, which is home to one of the nation’s most culturally distinct Black populations. The zoning change weakened those limits, alarming residents who said wealthy outsiders could build large vacation homes that would drive up surrounding property values and taxes.
Tensions between Black landowners and county officials have been building for more than 10 years, as more nonresidents buy land and construct vacation homes. Island natives worry higher-end development will price them out. County leaders have said changes in the community are partly driven by native residents selling their land.
Residents and their supporters forced the referendum after gathering more than 2,300 petition signatures and taking their case to the Georgia Supreme Court to secure a special election.
“I believe Sapelo is important to these folks and they’re sending a message to McIntosh County and saying, ‘Stop doing this,’” said Jazz Watts, a Hogg Hummock descendant and landowner who helped organize the referendum. “It makes a significant statement that I hope the Board of Commissioners and the entire county pays attention to.”
FILE – Jazz Watts, a resident of Sapelo Island, wears a hat that reads “I am Sapelo” outside the McIntosh County courthouse in Darien, Ga., on Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum, File)
The vote may not end the dispute.
County leaders have said that if the zoning change is repealed, they might argue that Hogg Hummock has no development limits at all, rather than returning to the restrictions that protected the community for three decades.
That position could spark another legal fight. Dana Braun, an attorney for the landowners, accused county officials of “pushing this ludicrous argument” to try to defeat the referendum.
Commissioners could also attempt to pass a new zoning law for the area.
“I do believe there exists a willingness by the Board to consider a moratorium on zonings and building permits,” Commission Chairperson Kate Pontello Karwacki told The Associated Press in an email. “However, the Board will have to collectively agree on next steps.”
At the same time, county assessors are considering updating property values in Hogg Hummock for the first time since 2012. Chief appraiser Blair McLinn said values for a half-acre lot could jump from about $27,500 to as much as $145,000.
McLinn said he plans to meet with residents but added that rising prices are hard to avoid.
“To leave it alone is not going to be an option, as far as revaluation goes,” McLinn said.
FILE – Cathleen Hillary, 93, the oldest resident of Sapelo Island, Ga. leaves a church service with her great granddaughter Milaika Ellison, for the 129th anniversary of St. Luke Baptist Church on the island on Sunday, June 9, 2013. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
Sapelo Island sits about 60 miles south of Savannah and remains mostly undeveloped. The state owns most of its 30 square miles, and there is no road connecting it to the mainland.
Hogg Hummock, also known as Hog Hammock, covers less than a square mile. About 30 to 50 Black residents still live there, in modest homes along dirt roads.
Gullah-Geechee communities stretch along the Southeast coast from North Carolina to Florida. Scholars say their isolation helped preserve African traditions, including a distinct dialect.
Hogg Hummock was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Still, residents depend on local leaders in McIntosh County for zoning and tax protections. About 65 percent of the county’s 11,100 residents are white.
“People worked hard to get this land on Sapelo and they worked hard to preserve who they are,” said Maurice Bailey, an island native who runs a program supporting local farming. “Without this land, all of our descendants lose their connection.”
Residents have fought rising taxes before. After steep increases in 2012, protests led county officials to roll back tax bills. A lawsuit followed, accusing the county of taxing residents while providing few services. A 2022 settlement froze property assessments through last year.
Island residents said they were caught off guard in 2023 when commissioners moved quickly to weaken a zoning rule that had protected them for 30 years.
That vote raised the maximum home size in Hogg Hummock from 1,400 to 3,000 square feet. Commissioners said the change would give families more living space and denied trying to push out Black landowners.
