Below is text from Grand Harbor Subdivision description about the dock.
1.0 Introduction
Grand Harbor Development Group, LLC (Applicant) is seeking authorization under
Section 10 of the Rivers & Harbors Act of 1899 (RHA) and the Coastal Marshlands
Protection Act of 1970 (CMPA) to construct a community dock to service a 45-lot
residential development located on Franklin Creek, east of Green Island Road, in
unincorporated Chatham County, Georgia (31.910999 N, -81.068814 W).
The proposed community dock will provide water access for forty-five (45) residents of
the Grand Harbor development. The upland component of the project consists of a 11,509
ft2 common area to access the marshlands component of the project. The marsh component
of the project consists of a pile-supported dock that would occupy 9,968 ft2 (0.22-acre) of
tidal waters.
2.0 Existing Conditions
The proposed project is located on the western shoreline of Franklin Creek, approximately
1,400’ north of Delegal Creek. The subject property is approximately 36 acres in size and
is currently undeveloped. Seven (7) existing private docks are located on Franklin Creek
upstream from the proposed community dock location. No docks are located on Franklin
Creek downstream of the proposed facility. The CMPA jurisdiction limits were verified
by CRD staff via letter of October 14, 2021.
3.0 Project Description
Grand Harbor is a planned forty-five (45) lot residential subdivision. The proposed
community dock will provide water access and mooring for the Grand Harbor residents.
3.1 Marshlands Component
The marshlands component of the project would occupy 8,806 ft2 (0.20-acre) of tidal
waters and consists of a 6’ x 457’ aluminum walkway on wood pilings (281 l.f./1,686 ft2 in
CMPA jurisdiction), a 20’ x 20’ covered fixed pier, a 5’ x 40’ aluminum gangway, a 10’ x
27’ ramp landing floating dock, and a 10’ x 625’ floating dock (see Table 1). The dock will
extend 52’ beyond MLW on the downstream end of the dock where the creek is +/-155’
wide at MLW (approximately 33% of the waterway) and will extend 78’ beyond MLW on
the upstream end of the dock where the creek is +/-247’ wide at MLW (approximately 31%
of the waterway).
The two (2) slips at the gangway landing would be reserved for loading/unloading of
passengers and/or gear. The remaining slips would be utilized on a first-come first-served
basis for residents of the development. The construction of the floating dock would be
phased, with approximately half of the floats being installed upon approval by the
Committee, and the second phase upon providing CRD staff satisfactory documentation of
the utilization of the first phase of the facility.
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Table 1: Dock Component and Phased Construction Summary
Dock Component Phase I Area (lf. / ft2) Phase II Area (l.f. / ft2) Total (ft2)
Walkway 281 / 1,686 n/a 1,686
Fixed Deck 20’ x 20’ / 400 n/a 400
Gangway 5’ x 40’ / 200 n/a 200
Ramp landing float 10’ x 27’ / 270 n/a 270
Floating Docks 325’ x 10’ / 3,250 300’ x 10’ / 3,000 6,250
Total 8,806
3.2 Upland Component
The upland component of the project consists of an 11,509 ft2 common area that includes
4,866 ft2 of pervious pavement parking for automobiles and golf carts, and a 10’ wide
pervious gravel walkway (1,380 ft2
) providing access through uplands to the marshlands
component of the project. The 302 ft2 area within the 50’ CMPA buffer outside of the
gravel walkway will be landscaped with native vegetation to prevent erosion and provide
for stormwater filtering. No impervious surfaces are present within the upland component
and no direct discharge of stormwater into coastal marshlands would result from
construction of the upland component of the project.
4.0 Alternative Sites Considered
The Grand Harbor development is designed and marketed to potential buyers that would
desire waterfront living along with unrestricted access to coastal waters provided by on-site
mooring facilities. The applicant considered utilization of existing off-site alternative
access facilities to provide residents the opportunity to access coastal waters. There is a
public boat ramp approximately 3 miles from the project site on the Skidaway River on the
south side of Diamond Causeway. However, this facility is very popular with county
residents and can be extremely crowded on weekends and holidays, resulting in long wait
times to load and unload and lack of parking. Use of this facility would not meet the
applicant’s overall project purpose, and would require either on-site or off-site boat and
trailer storage. Due to the prime location of the proposed facility in close proximity to the
Atlantic Ocean, some of the vessels may be larger than average and be difficult to tow and
store. Providing on-site mooring at the proposed community dock will free up space for
non-waterfront and transient boaters that may better utilize alternative public facilities.
The project as proposed represents the most feasible option to provide necessary wet slips
for residents of Grand Harbor and the increased demand that will occur in this area while
protecting the general public’s ability to continue to use existing public facilities without
undue demand and crowding.
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5.0 Needs Assessment
The proposed project would provide water access for the forty-five (45) residents at Grand
Harbor. An average dock space of twenty-five feet (25’) for each lot would require a
minimum mooring capacity of 1,125’. As designed, fifty (50) twenty five-foot floating
dock sections will provide mooring on both sides of the floats, resulting in 1,271 linear feet
of mooring space. Two (2) twenty-five foot sections of float at the gangway / floating dock
landing would be utilized for loading/unloading of passengers and/or gear to alleviate long
walks to the outer limits of the floating docks. The proposed project will provide access to
coastal waters with a very limited amount (0.20-acre) of structure over coastal marshlands.
The riparian lots on the remainder of the property will be deed-restricted to prohibit
construction of additional private docks.
Phase I of the construction would be commenced upon approval and would consist of the
installation of the thirteen (13) upstream floats totaling 325’ in length (600 l.f. mooring
space, 3,250 ft2
). Upon providing suitable justification to CRD staff that Phase I is being
utilized and upon approval, Phase II of the construction would consist of the installation of
the remaining twelve (12) downstream floats at 300 l.f. in length (600 l.f. of mooring
space, 3,000 ft2
).
6.0 Supplemental Information
This additional information is provided for compliance with Coastal Marshlands Protection
Act of 1970 information requirements:
OCGA 12-5-286. Permits to fill, drain, etc., marshlands.
(b) Each application for such permit shall be properly executed, filed with the department
on forms as prescribed by the department, and shall include:
(1) The name and address of the applicant Grand Harbor Development Group, LLC
Attn: Mr. David Hornsby
2 Skidaway Village Walk Suite A
Savannah, Georgia 31411
(2) A plan or drawing showing the applicant’s proposal and the manner or method by
which such proposal shall be accomplished. Such plan shall identify the coastal
marshlands affected- Please refer to attached drawings produced by EMC
Engineering Services, Inc. titled Dock Plan Permit For Grand Harbor Subdivision,
Green Island Road, Chatham County, Georgia, Sheets 1 through 13, dated March
2023 (Attachment C). The work will be accomplished by equipment operating from
floating barge and uplands. Some portions of the walkway may require pilings to be
driven by an excavator with a vibratory hammer attachment that would be working on
mats from one side of the proposed walkway.
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(3) A plat of the area in which the proposed work will take place- Attachment F contains
a plat produced by Thomas & Hutton titled Boundary And Wetland Survey Portion
Of Parcel “C”, Southwest Portion Skidaway Island, dated July 6, 2021, revised
September 22, 2021.
(4) A copy of the deed or other instrument under which the applicant claims title to the
property or, if the applicant is not the owner, then a copy of the deed or other
instrument under which the owner claims title together with written permission from
the owner to carry out the project on his land. In lieu of a deed or other instrument
referred to in this paragraph, the committee may accept some other reasonable
evidence of ownership of the property in question or other lawful authority to make
use of the property; The committee will not adjudicate title disputes concerning the
property which is the subject of the application; provided, however, the committee
may decline to process an application when submitted documents show conflicting
deeds- Deeds for subject property is included in Attachment B.
(5) A list of all adjoining landowners together with such owners’ addresses, provided
that if the names or addresses of adjoining landowners cannot be determined,
the applicant shall file in lieu thereof a sworn affidavit that a diligent search,
including, without limitation, a search of the records for the county tax assessor’s
office, has been made but that the applicant was not able to ascertain the names or
addresses, as the case may be, of adjoining landowners- Adjacent landowner
information is provided in Attachment E.
(6) A letter from the local governing authority of the political subdivision in which the
property is located, stating that the applicant’s proposal is not in violation of any
zoning law; Letter from Chatham County Department Of Building Safety & Regulatory
Services dated June 1, 2022 is provided at Attachment D.
(7) A non-refundable application fee to be set by the board in an amount necessary to
defray the administrative cost of issuing such permit. Renewal fees shall be equal to
application fees, which shall not exceed $1,000.00 for any one proposal and shall be
paid to the department. Check for $500.00 is attached.
(8) A description from the applicant of alternative sites and why they are not feasible and
a discussion of why the permit should be granted- Please refer to Section 5.0 for
discussion of alternative sites considered.
(9) A statement from the applicant that he has made inquiry to the appropriate
authorities that the proposed project is not over a landfill or hazardous waste site and
that the site is otherwise suitable for the proposed project- A review of the Hazardous
Site Index for Chatham County, Georgia indicates that the subject property does not
contain hazardous waste sites or landfills.
(10)A copy of the water quality certification issued by the department if required for the
proposed project- It is the Applicant’s opinion that Water Quality Certification
(WQC) is not required since no fueling facilities are proposed and no discharge of fill
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material is proposed as regulated under the Clean Water Act. If required, WQC will
be initiated during processing of the proposed activity by the USACE.
(11) Certification by the applicant of adherence to soil and erosion control
responsibilities if required for the proposed project- The project will conform to all
required building, land disturbing, and stormwater management permits as required by
Chatham County.
(12) Such additional information as is required by the committee to properly evaluate the
application- This application has been prepared with consideration for the interests of
the general public of the State of Georgia as defined in OCGA 12-5-286(g):
OCGA 12-5-286. Permits to fill, drain, etc. marshlands.
(g) In passing upon the application for permit, the committee shall consider the public
interest, which, for purposes of this part shall be deemed to be the following
considerations:
(1) Whether or not unreasonably harmful obstruction to or alteration of the natural flow of
navigational water within the affected area will arise as a result of the proposal- The
proposed structure is pile-supported and will not alter natural flow of navigable waters or
obstruct public navigation. The structure would occupy a maximum of 33% of the
waterway at MLW. Adequate depth and width is available for navigation around the
proposed structure.
(2) Whether or not unreasonably harmful or increased erosion, shoaling of channels, or
stagnant areas of water will be created- The proposed facility will be pile-supported and
will allow tidal waters to ebb and flood around and through the structure. The piles will
not divert water in a manner that would increase erosion, cause shoaling of channels, or
create areas of stagnant water.
(3) Whether or not the granting of a permit and the completion of the applicant’s proposal
will unreasonably interfere with the conservation of fish, shrimp, oysters, crabs, clams,
or other marine life, or wildlife, or other resources, including but not limited to water
and oxygen supply- The proposed structure will not interfere with the conservation of
fish, shrimp, oysters, crabs, clams, or other marine life, or wildlife, or other resources, nor
affect water and oxygen supply. Standard manatee protection measures will be
implemented during and after construction.