Last night, the Camden County Planning Commission voted to approve Lumar LLC’s Cumberland Island hardship variance. The island residents will now be free to subdivide the 87+ acre property (¼ mile from Sea Camp) that stretches from the river on one side of the Island to the ocean’s high tide on the other. The fact that the applicant failed to meet any of the hardship criteria was ignored. Concerns about the impact on the Island’s visitors and environment were ignored, despite the statement of the National Park Service Superintendent, Gary Ingram.
Over 4,000 public comments opposing the subdivision were submitted to the board, including letters from The Georgia Conservancy, Wild Cumberland, the Sierra Club, and the Southern Environmental Law Center.
Lumar LLC (a.k.a. the Island Residents Association) will now seek rezoning to allow for their planned development.
There is still a chance to stop the development. Organizations and individuals have a 30-day window to appeal the planning board’s decision. Once that appeal is filed, the matter will go before the Camden County Commissioners.
