Jekyll Island Georgia Civic Association Reports Results of Public Opinion Poll on Island

Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island State Park (IPJI) polled visitors and association about the Jekyll Town Center Project

Jekyll Island, GA -- Will new condominiums, hotels and shops acquisition a home alternating the capital bank of Jekyll Island State Park? A angle by clandestine developer Linger Longer Communities (LLC) calling for just that has been beneath analysis for about a year now. Critics accept arguable that the alleged boondocks centermost activity is misplaced, over-sized, and out of footfall with what Jekyll Island is all about as a accompaniment park. Proponents accept argued that the activity is capital to Jekyll's awakening and accept claimed that its opponents abide of just a drop of Jekyll Island association who abide all change.

Save Jekyll Island

Which best below best describes your animosity about the approaching of Jekyll Island? Strict limitations should be eased to acquiesce for added development of new hotels, homes and shops; free bazaar armament should absolute development; any new development of hotels, cottages, condominiums, restaurants and shops should be bound to absolute sites. While the Jekyll Island development catechism has affective ample ink in the columnist and blog amplitude on the internet, little has been said about the abstracts aggregate through a alternation of statewide surveys on this alarming issue.

The a lot of extensive of the Jekyll Island surveys accept been conducted by a borough association, the Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island State Park (IPJI). Using its website - www.savejekyllisland.org - as a agency of polling Jekyll's visitors, the IPJI has sponsored three surveys ambidextrous with Jekyll's redevelopment. While the analysis questions accept assorted with the times, accepted to all three has been a catechism ambidextrous with Jekyll's charge for a boondocks center.

What do the after-effects show?

The majority (61%) of the 6,717 respondents to the aboriginal two surveys, which were conducted above-mentioned to the LLC proposal, advantaged the abstraction of a boondocks centermost (shops, restaurants, a assemblage centermost and a assemblage hotel), but alone 523 of those respondents (8%) believed condominiums should be included aural the boondocks center, and alone 109 (2%) capital to see a hundred or added built.

The IPJI Survey III, which focuses on LLC's proposal, shows a acknowledgment arrangement agnate to that apparent in its beforehand surveys. Ninety-five percent of the respondents objected to the admeasurement of the boondocks centermost accepting proposed; 98% said "no" to the proposed amount of condos and time-shares; and 91% did not ambition to see any new condos complete alternating Jekyll's currently accessible beachfront.

Collectively, the three surveys begin 97% of the respondents registering abutment for an bigger Jekyll Island, with auberge about-face arch the account of adopted changes.

Georgians from over 350 towns alternate in the IPJI's surveys, with beneath than 3% of the added than 10,000 respondents accepting Jekyll Island residents.

Since surveys application "yes/no" options accept their limitations, the IPJI asked participants to explain their responses in adjustment to accept why humans chose to acknowledgment as they did. A browse of those comments, which are accessible on the IPJI's website, shows the afterward imperatives to be dominant:
 

Rebuild what needs rebuilding but do not body alternating Jekyll's actual accessible beachfront. Refrain from architecture abreast Jekyll's environmentally-sensitive areas. Ensure that Jekyll's character, feel and adroitness are not compromised by redevelopment. Remain accurate to Jekyll's attitude of affordability for boilerplate assets citizens. Listen to and heed what the island's visitors are adage about Jekyll's revitalization.
Reinforcement of the allegation of the IPJI's surveys can be begin in the responses to the final catechism on the Jekyll Island Authority's 2006 Visitor Survey which asked, "Which best below best describes your animosity about the approaching of Jekyll Island?" Just 5% agreed with the account that, "Strict limitations should be eased to acquiesce for added development of new hotels, homes and shops;" a simple 2% acquainted that "free bazaar armament should absolute development;" and added than bisected (51%) agreed that "any new development of hotels, cottages, condominiums, restaurants and shops should be bound to absolute sites."

Non-expansive redevelopment of Jekyll Island State Park has been added accustomed by the added than 10,000 humans who active a resolution sponsored by Senator Jeff Chapman beforehand this year, which, in cogent affair over the admeasurement and area of the proposed boondocks center, alleged for the canning of absolute accessible acceptance to Jekyll's capital beach.

Clearly, Georgians from above the state, while acknowledging all-important improvements, favor a antithesis amid awakening and aegis of Jekyll's acceptable character. Hopefully, if LLC releases its revised boondocks centermost angle after this ages it will reflect the wishes of the accepted public. If it does not, the animosity sparked by the antecedent angle will be able by the acrimony of bags of Georgians whose ascribe on the approaching of their own accompaniment esplanade has been discounted.