If you only look at the statistics on the ST SIMONS letter, you might conclude that Chicken Little was right ... the sky is falling. But one item in particular this month reminds us that there IS a bigger picture.Sea Island Company has teamed up with two other developers to rezone a 7,800 acre tract of land in northwest Glynn County (see Glynn County Commission lead story). This is significant because Sea Island Company ALWAYS looks at the big picture. And they own the lion's share of this tract.
Sea Island Company is undoubtedly the most important influence in Glynn County and perhaps all of Southeast Georgia real estate. They own most of the developable land on St. Simons Island, their glistening image and super luxury products attract world class clientele, they landscape public intersections to enhance their surroundings, make land donations for the benefit of the community, and their obsession with quality rubs off on everything around them.
Knowing how brilliantly Sea Island Company grooms a single acre on Sea Island and St. Simons Island, seeing them involved in over 7,800 acres with a potential for over 17,000 dwellings over the next 30-40 years staggers the imagination.
A review of the Conceptual Master Plan reveals a broad multi-use plan. "The goal of the development is to produce a high quality, environmentally sensitive community." A minimum of 25% of the gross acreage will be maintained as open space.
So despite the slumping real estate market, and only a month after the announcement of a 25% cutback in their labor force, Sea Island Company is looking well into the future. They are in it for the long haul and their leadership is inpiring.
After all, what can have more intrinsic value than land? And where has more wealth been created by Americans than in land ownership and development?
Our real estate setbacks, if we choose to view them in those terms, are only temporary. And as we weather the storm, it's reassuring to know there are giants in our midst who visualize clearing skies ahead.
Chicken Little should pay more attention to the ground below his feet or stay out of the real estate business.
3 COMMENTS:
Love this article. And what a good point made! Could not agree more. As having personal interest in a development not far down off Hwy 99 myself, Cottage Grove, I am excited.
It always takes someone or some company to make a bold move and take risks. As the wife of a developer, I've been rich and I've been poor. But the market is on a pendulum, and it will swing back eventually. Just hope we can all hang on for the ride!
What Sea Island is doing is going to be wonderful for all of the surrounding counties and the whole state of Georgia.
I really appreciate your call to higher vision here. Also, your point of keeping our focus on working where we are, with things we can control. The only way out is 'through', and we owe it to ourselves and those around us to make the most of every circumstance.
Keep up the great work!
ta, SSI
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