The Jekyll Island Authority (JIA) is updating the Jekyll Island Master Plan, a document described in the 2014 Master Plan as “a critical tool for managing the balance of limited commercial and residential development, the conservation of the Island’s pristine and delicate ecosystem, and preservation of the Island’s natural and cultural resources.”
As part of the Master Plan process, the JIA is soliciting input from a group of ‘stakeholders,’ including the Initiative to Protect Jekyll Island (IPJI). As the stakeholder representing Jekyll’s visitors, IPJI needs input from its members regarding the extent to which they believe the delicate and all-important balance between development and the island’s natural character described in the quote above is being managed by the JIA.
It is imperative to remember that without input from you, we cannot represent the concerns of Jekyll’s visitors, so, please, take a few minutes to help us help you have a voice in shaping the future of Jekyll Island State Park.
Please send your input to us by May 2nd. Feel free to be brief or to comment at length. If you would prefer to just comment on the quality of your experience during your most recent visit(s) to Jekyll Island rather than directly address the question of the balance between development and maintaining Jekyll’s natural character, that would be fine as well.
It is important to note that since the 2014 Master Plan was adopted by the state legislature, the island has added approximately 220 residential units and 240 hotel rooms, bringing the number of hotel rooms to its all-time high. In the planning stages is development on the old Buccaneer hotel property and on the Jekyll Island Golf Course Complex. Since the 2018 Jekyll Island Carrying Capacity and Infrastructure Study indicated that Jekyll will be at its functional capacity by 2025 even without further development, the importance of the updated Master Plan as the guiding document for Jekyll’s future cannot be overstated.
