Overview
- Citing December 2022 rezoning materials, the Coastal Regional Commission concluded the package of plans for roughly 300 acres exceeded Georgia’s Development of Regional Impact (DRI) thresholds and should have been submitted to the CRC before the Pooler City Council vote.
- The CRC declined to impose penalties, called this Pooler’s first missed DRI, and met with city staff to explain which actions—such as rezonings—trigger the mandatory regional review.
- Pooler city officials accept the CRC determination and say they updated internal checklists and protocols to screen every rezoning, site plan, conditional use request and similar application for DRI triggers going forward.
- The project at issue is tied to plans for a large industrial complex of multiple warehouses totaling roughly 1 million square feet on about 300 acres, a scale that planners say could affect roads, infrastructure and nearby parks and neighborhoods.
- Under state rules, the CRC can report repeat failures to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, so a second lapse within two years could prompt formal state review and further action.