What's Good for the Goose ...

I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it seems that it has. 

The Jekyll Island Authority has opened the door to discussion of whether private homeowner leases should continue. According to an article in this morning's Georgia Times-Union, JIA will consider the issue of whether to extend resident leases beyond 2049. The State of Georgia extended the Authority's lease in 2007; however, the JIA has not made a decision about whether it will extend private homeowners' leases similarly.

Jekyll Island homeowners and hotel operators* have an interesting situation, in that they own the structure itself (the "bricks and mortar") but NOT the land. They lease the property from JIA, which administers the island for the state. In other words, they are at the mercy of decisions made by the Authority.

The discussion was begun at Monday's Authority meeting, by Finance Committee Chairman Bob Kreuger. He was inspired, the article notes, by Sen. Jeff Chapman who sponsored a bill during the recent legislative session, banning construction of any new permanent residences on the island. 

Residents are claiming retaliation. Others suggest they should have seen it coming, given their outspoken role in challenging new development on the island. They won the beach. Now they're making noises about challenging alternate plans. 

That's their right, of course, and they should stand up for what they believe in. At the same time, though, they might want to carefully consider their battles. Like it or not, new development is probably going to take place on Jekyll Island. 

Sometimes you can have it both ways.

Stay tuned.

JB

* The exception is the Jekyll Island Club Hotel. As part of the National Historic Landmark District, the main clubhouse and other historic hotel structures are owned by the state and leased to the hotel operators.