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Ebenezer property owners share desires for historic overlay district
Small group at Ebenezer charette
Residents worked in small groups to discuss ideas and list ones that they felt were most important. (Submitted photo.)
Published: Oct 11, 2024, 7:37 PM

Special to the Herald

RINCON – A select group of Effingham County property owners seized a unique opportunity to help craft ordinances designed to protect the historic and cultural significance of their neighborhood.

Nearly 60 people who own property inside an overlay district along the Ebenezer Road corridor near New Ebenezer participated in a “charette” at New Ebenezer Retreat Center Oct. 9. A charette is an intense, collaborative session where a group of stakeholders come together to address a design or planning issue.

crowd shot from charette
About 60 residents of Ebenezer attended the charette on Oct. 9 to discuss items to possibly be included in ordinances of the historic overlay district. (Submitted photos.)
Two hundred sixty-nine property owners were invited to the New Ebenezer charette by the Effingham County Board of Commissioners. The meeting provided a way for the participants to determine the standards for a historic overlay district, which imposes additional zoning requirements to existing ones.

Ebenezer, listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as Ebenezer Townsite and Jerusalem Lutheran Church in 1974, refers to the original settlement of the Georgia Salzburgers, a group of about 150 Protestant refugees from Salzburg, Austria. Established in 1734, it was initially located near Ebenezer Creek but was moved to its current spot closer to the Savannah River a couple years later and renamed New Ebenezer. It served as Georgia’s capitol for a brief period in 1782.

During the charette, property owners were divided into eight groups to offer ordinance suggestions that were recorded by county staffers. About an hour later, each of the eight lists was posted on the center’s doors.

Resient and voter
Only residents whose properties bordered the proposed development were allowed to participate and vote in the charette. The public will have an opportunity to share opinions at future date.
After a few minutes, the property owners were asked to mark the seven ordinance ideas that they support the most. These included barring the clear cutting of trees, limiting the use of impervious surfaces, expanding buffer requirements, signage and lighting restrictions, and more.

Development Services personnel will use the charette results to put the most popular suggestions in an ordinance form for further consideration at an event in a larger venue to allow for even more public participation.

The date and location of the next event will be announced soon.