Following Friday’s announcement of the Hyundai EV plant coming to Bryan County, the only thing on Wesley Corbitt’s mind was his community.
The chairman for the Effingham County Board of Commissioners, Corbitt realizes residents were hit with a bombshell when the deal was made public.
In the rural Georgia small towns of Rutledge and Social Circle, residents took a similar unexpected blow when automaker Rivian announced it would build a $5 billion plant in their backyard. Those Georgians expressed concerns about quality of life, such as traffic and how it the development will impact their water.
Corbitt’s biggest concern is making sure his community is comfortable with the looming influx of new residents and commercial developments.
Effingham County will likely be one of the busiest areas in the coming years as folks move in to take jobs at the Hyundai plant. But Corbitt will give special consideration to residents in the county, saying he wants them to be included as they begin planning for what will be unprecedented growth.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
“We want to include our communities in this,” said Corbitt. “They are just learning about something we have known for a couple months. We have to go back and communicate with them and listen to them and see what kind of changes they want to have in their communities. They need to part of the answer as to where we want to be in the next five to 10 years.”
Trip Tollison, CEO and president of the Savannah Economic Development Authority, said he does not expect much pushback to the site from nearby residents.
“There might be a citizen or two who just dosn't want change at all, but I think the process so far has been great,” he said.
Carter Infinger, chairman of the Bryan County Board of Commissioners, said the news was well-received by folks in the community.
“There are a couple naysayers but I would say about 90% are okay with it,” said Infinger. “No one has called me and said 'We don’t want that here.' Everyone has been congratulating us for getting Hyundai here.”
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Infinger said county leaders will do their best to accommodate farmers and locals with large acreage who do not want new rooftops too close to their property.
“The thing is if they own the property, they control their own property,” said Infinger. “If their neighbors sell out, they can sell out. There will always be considerations when new houses are being built.”
He is confident Hyundai will not back out of the deal.
“I doubt it very seriously,” said Infinger. “The difference with Rivian is that site was not owned by (state or local economic development authorities) or anything from what I understand. We own the site in Bryan County. It has already been rezoned. That property is under our control. We already jumped through those hoops.”
Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Looking to Atlanta and Rivian, Bryan County leaders vow to listen to community on Hyundai
MEET OUR PARTNER
Today’s story comes from our partner, Savannah Morning News. Savannah Morning News provides daily news coverage on Coastal Georgia. Visit them at savannahnow.com or on Twitter @SavannahNow.
If you have any feedback or questions about our partnerships, you can contact Senior Manager of Partnerships Nicole Williams via email at nicole.williams@ajc.com.
The Latest
Featured
