After four public events, engaging 200 Glynn County residents, and meeting 17 stakeholder organizations, One Hundred Miles has collaborated with our partners to create a list of strategies that represent what we learned through Glynn County COAST. The resulting list of policies and programs have created a policy platform for Glynn County and Brunswick. These solutions can be divided into the 5 categories below. Click here to learn more about how our community plans to prepare for sea level rise and population growth.
Glynn County COAST in the Community
Development In The Right Places- The first step to preparing for sea level rise and population growth is implementing responsible land use policies. That means building further from our waterfront, encouraging redevelopment over new development, and allowing for efficient mixed land use. The Glynn Avenue Design Framework does exactly that by creating standards for new development along this corridor that protects our community gateway from haphazard, irresponsible development.
The framework also implemented a 45′ setback along the adjacent salt marsh to (1) preserve the potential for a future marsh-walk trail and (2) account for the impacts of sea level rise. The Brunswick City Commission voted to adopt the Glynn Avenue Design Framework in November of 2018. One Hundred Miles joined community residents, the Glynn County Chamber of Commerce, our partners at Glynn Environmental Coalition, and the City of Brunswick staff to ensure this overlay district was implemented and its design integrity retained.
Insight provided through COAST has also been used to guide OHM’s advocacy work and involvement in the Brunswick’s and Glynn County’s comprehensive plans. These plans are a requirement for all local governments and are intended to guide land use and zoning until 2028. OHM contributed during the public comment period for the Envision Glynn plan and sat on the steering committee for Brunswick’s Comprehensive Plan. We are continuing this work by monitoring the rezoning process in Glynn County. Learn more about our recommendations through this short video or click here to watch our comprehensive plan webinar.
Mobility – The ability to move about town without having to rely on vehicular transportation is a major component to improving quality of life in Glynn County and Brunswick. Improving mobility by implementing complete street policies, connecting our communities, and incorporating multi-modal routes will provide social and environmental benefits while helping our community cope with expected population growth.
One Hundred Miles has worked closely with the City of Brunswick to address mobility concerns. Beginning with our walking audits in 2016, OHM has expanded our mobility projects to include advocating for the installation of a footbridge to offer students a safer route to school and the incorporation of bike lanes in downtown Brunswick to connect waterfront resources. Click here to learn more about our efforts to improve mobility around Brunswick, GA.
Soil, Air, and Water Contamination – One Hundred Miles is working on several issues regarding contamination in Brunswick and Glynn County. We continue to work closely with our partners to monitor Superfund site cleanups (i.e. Terry Creek, Hercules, LCP), submit comments on cleanup plans, and hold the responsible parties accountable for remedying the contamination’s impacts. Click here for more information on Terry Creek and to watch our action webinar on the issue.
Contamination in our community is also found at Brownfields, which are former industrial or commercial sites where redevelopment is inhibited by either real or perceived contamination. OHM is excited to have partnered with the City of Brunswick, Glynn County, UGA Marine Extension, and The Georgia Conservancy to apply for funding from the Environmental Protection Agency to address brownfield sites. The grant is intended to initiate redevelopment for some of the County’s and City’s most promising brownfield sites.
Coastal and Inland Flooding – Flooding is a major concern for all of Glynn County and Brunswick. Many of the best solutions are linked to our land use decisions. Infill, or choosing to redevelop our land rather than clearing and develop green space, is a primary solution. OHM monitors this through county rezoning applications and speaking during public comment at Commission meetings. In the City of Brunswick, OHM advocated for the passage of the stormwater utility fee which is assessed annually to generate funding that will address drainage and infrastructure concerns specific to stormwater management.
Access to the Waterfront- A major theme observed through the COAST workshops was the desire for more access to the waterfront throughout Brunswick and the County. Many solutions for this issue are nested within land use and zoning decisions. One Hundred Miles is working to incorporate this concern into our recommendations for zoning and land use (e.g. Glynn Avenue Design Framework and brownfield redevelopment). Additionally, we are collaborating closely with the City of Brunswick to ensure new bike lanes are incorporated to road improvements in order to connect Mary Ross Waterfront Park, Liberty Harbor Park, and Marshes of Glynn Overlook Park.
How Can Glynn County COAST Help Our Community?
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