Latest Jekyll plans call for mix of hotels, shops
Jekyll Island's latest redevelopment plan calls for a $75 million mix of hotels, shops and restaurants in the heart of the state park beloved by generations of vacationing Atlantans.
After numerous proposals the last four years, a failed deal with an Atlanta developer and the crippling recession, Jekyll officials were elated and relieved Wednesday to announce that construction on the scaled-back plan should begin in October. All projects should be finished by mid-2012.
Critics, though, questioned if the plans adhere to the coastal park’s mandate of affordability for all Georgians. Average room rates at one of the two new hotels, for example, would run $130 a night. Average rates at the nicer hotel: $170.
A previous deal with upscale developer Linger Longer fell apart late last year, a victim of the economy and conflicting completion dates. In the current plan, the Jekyll Island Authority (JIA) selected three developers. They’ll build:
-- A 200-room, full-service, beachfront hotel alongside a new, taxpayer-financed convention center. The four-story hotel will include a bar, restaurant, ballroom, spa, fitness center and heated pool. Owners of the Jekyll Island Club will build the $34 million hotel. The Authority expects $240,000 in yearly rental fees.
-- A minimum 120-room “limited-service” hotel in the retail center. Phelps Development of Colorado will build the $17 million hotel. Rent: $54,000 a year.
-- A 40,000-square foot retail area with “a vibrant mix of gourmet and casual restaurants, shops, a village green, bank, post office, grocery store and 60 loft residences,” according to a press release. Winding Road Development of Arizona will spend $24 million on construction.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Bob Krueger, JIA board chairman. “I’m pleased we have developers (whose) vision matches our vision. Jekyll, as ‘Georgia’s Jewel,’ needed a little polish and that’s what we see here.”
Concerns, though, arose Wednesday that the state park won’t remain affordable for “average Georgians,” as state law requires. The lofts will cost as much as $400,000. Plans for an economy hotel were dropped. And the new hotel rooms might be too costly for the state’s teachers and truckers.
“This is Linger Longer – the pretentions of Linger Longer – on a smaller scale,” said Mindy Egan, co-director of the Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island. “What we have here is still high-end stuff, but just less of it.”
