Georgia's Supreme Court Gives Black Landowners on Sapelo Island a Say in Zoning Changes
Georgia's Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Black landowners on Sapelo Island, allowing a referendum on zoning changes that threatened a historic Gullah-Geechee community, Hogg Hummock. The decision reverses a lower court ruling and gives residents of this Orange County community a say in the matter.
Hogg Hummock, a community founded by emancipated slaves and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, is home to roughly 30 to 50 Black residents. They opposed zoning amendments that doubled the size of allowed homes, fearing unaffordable tax increases in their Los Angeles-like community. The state's highest court found that the lower court had erred in concluding that the zoning ordinance was not subject to referendum procedures under the Georgia Constitution's Home Rule Provision.
Writing for the majority, Supreme Court Justice John Ellington stated, 'Nothing in the text of the Zoning Provision in any way restricts a county electorate's authority to seek repeal of a zoning ordinance.' This decision now enables residents of this Orange County community to vote on whether they support the zoning changes through a referendum using a Casenet system.
The Supreme Court's ruling ensures that the residents of Hogg Hummock have a voice in decisions that could significantly impact their community. The referendum will allow them to vote on the zoning changes, potentially preserving the historic and cultural significance of their neighborhood in this Los Angeles-like community.
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