Descendants of enslaved people battling Georgia developers for control of their land: report

Residents of the small island of Hogg Hammock, Georgia are "once again fighting local officials who have proposed eliminating protections that for decades helped shield the Gullah-Geechee residents from high taxes and pressure to sell their land to developers," The Associated Press' Ross Bynum reports.

The individuals "say they were stunned last month when McIntosh County officials unveiled a proposal to cast aside zoning ordinances that limit homes to modest sizes in the enclave of 30 to 50 Black residents on Sapelo Island off the coast of Georgia," Bynum writes. "The rules were enacted in 1994 for the sole purpose of protecting one of the South’s few remaining communities of people known as Gullah, or Geechee in Georgia, whose ancestors worked island slave plantations. Their isolation from the mainland meant they retained much of their African roots and traditions."

The elimination of zoning rules to accommodate "wealthy transplants eager to build large beach houses" has caused home "values and property taxes to soar," Bynum notes.

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Bynum continues, "The current ordinance designating a special zoning district for Hogg Hummock limits homes to 1,400 square feet (130 square meters) of heated and air-conditioned space, prohibits paving except for building foundations and requires a permit to demolish any structure deemed eligible for the National Register."

But the proposed changes before county commissioners would eliminate those limits on development," Bynum adds. "It also gets rid of language that recognizes Hogg Hummock as a community with 'unique needs in regard to its historic resources' and says the county should help prevent 'land value increases which could force removal of the indigenous population.'"

Bynum says that "instead, the proposed revisions describe Hogg Hummock as 'a community on the island with limited water and/ or sanitary sewer facilities.' The zoning proposals were emailed to island residents August 16th and posted on the county government’s website."

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Bynum's analysis is available at this link.