Driving down Pooler Parkway, from the I-95 interchange near Sam’s Club down to the I-16 exit around Savannah Quarters, one gets a vague idea of what Bugsy Siegel saw flying over the Nevada desert on his way to Las Vegas the first time — potential.
Peppering this prime Pooler corridor are a raft of new strip malls, anchor stores, plazas and developer signs promising even more commercial activity and residential housing to come.
The developers, too, are from all over, though mostly the Southeast. GBT Realty from Tennessee is developing the Village where PetSmart will soon open as well as a T.J. Maxx, Ross and Michael’s.
Foram Group, based out of Miami, is developing several apartment and housing communities. Other groups from Jacksonville and Atlanta, namely the Outlet Mall of Georgia, have resident’s ears perked for news as well.
“There’s no recession here,” said Scott Martens, a longtime commercial realtor who owns MGI Commercial, another active player on the Pooler Parkway scene.
Martens’ own venture is a 152-acre piece of property, called West Chatham Commons , nestled at the interchange of I-16 and Pooler Parkway, which has been referred to by both area realtors and even the mayor as the “next big thing” coming to Pooler.
Premier Properties from Indiana originally planned to develop the land but went bankrupt in 2006 just before the recession. A year ago an outfit out of Jacksonville called Joyce Development Group resuscitated the possibility of developing the site.
“We’re in the ‘what if’ stage right now, trying to formulate the concept,” Martens said. The idea would be for a mixed-use residential and commercial community, adjacent to retail stores. An eight-acre parcel along the Parkway is planned for a grocery store.
“It’s still very early. Things change, but the interest is there,” said Martens.
Savannah Quarters
Across the street from this parcel, houses are still being erected in the upscale subdivisions around Savannah Quarters, which is under the management of SunCal, a California-based resort and residential developer.
SunCal bought out the previous owners, Medallist Development, in March 2013, with plans to jumpstart the 2,600-acre site.
For the last nine months, SunCal has reviewed the overall plans and the urban design of the remaining land, according to spokesman David Cecchele. He said SunCal intends to make upgrades and amenity expansions throughout the Quarters.
According to Cecchele, about 700 lots remain to be developed in Westbrook, 35 acres of commercial and multi-family lots remain in The Village and 250 acres of single family, multi-family, townhome and commercial remain within Easthaven.
“The constant growth of commercial spaces in Pooler Parkway and the increase of the labor force by businesses in the immediate area are drivers for the continued expansion and development of Savannah Quarters,” said Cecchele in an email.
Godley Station
Although there are signs of a trickle down to the parkway’s southern end, the most visible activity is still happening in the Godley Station area, which is teeming with construction crews erecting store frames, pouring asphalt and clearing away dirt for median cut-throughs.
“Most of your new development is going to be concentrated on that northern end right now, but it will have to move down just because there’s not much available land left,” said Ashley Smith with Colliers International, whose company has brokered several deals in the area in the last year.
A 1.3-acre tract across from Publix is under contract, though no word on who’s coming, and last year Colliers sold the tract next to Publix to Wild Wings Café for around $736,000.
Adam Bryant, managing director of commercial real estate firm Sperry Van Ness, moved to Pooler in 2008, just as the recession put a wrench in many of the existing construction projects. Bryant said not even he could foresee the recent boom.
“I’d like to say I anticipated this, but the last 12 months, I don’t think anyone expected it to happen at such a rapid pace,” said Bryant.
A couple of factors have contributed, he said: The master-planned development created for Godley Station in the ‘90s, the proximity to I-16 and I-95, and, perhaps most importantly, population growth.
The demographic shift is fueling a lot of the development, thanks in part to the proximity of large employers and nearby distribution centers, Bryan said.
Pooler’s population has grown by threefold over the last decade, from 6,200 in 2000 to more than 20,000 in 2012, according to U.S. Census figures. At its current growth rate, Pooler’s population could double again in five years.
As people come, so do the goods and services, making space a valuable commodity. This is reflected in the most recent Costar Retail Group Report, which showed retail vacancy rates in the Pooler area at their lowest point since mid-2011, at 5.1 percent.
“It’s a great sub-market of Savannah,” said Bryant. “I think Pooler Parkway is poised to be the next Abercorn Street.”
Cooler in Pooler
On any particular day, checking the “It’s Cooler in Pooler” Facebook page yields a variety of posts on what is or what is rumored to be coming to Pooler, which in the last few weeks has included Target, Cook-Out and Costco.
Pooler citizens chime in with their own tips and big-box wishlists.
The page, which just broke 2,000 fans, was started by real estate agent Trisha Cook of Keller Williams in order to keep Pooler residents up to date on the flurry of new retailers and restaurants. A recent post confirmed the 10-acre waterpark planned near the IMAX and bowling alley is scheduled to open in late May or June.
“There was just so much growth, there was nowhere to go and find anything out,” said Cook, who talks to her sources within the real estate industry as well as elected officials and other stakeholders to get the latest scoop.
Cook, originally from Pooler, said she remembers when there was “nothing but Highway 80. No one had heard of Godley Station, and the airport was being moved from Dean Forest Road.”
The difficulty, of course, is nailing down who’s coming and when. Signs have gone up at Chili’s and Starbucks. Steak ‘n Shake was installing its drive-thru menu as of Friday.
But where there are no signs, there’s plenty of speculation.
Calls to Costco this week weren’t returned. Inquiries about Wal-Mart’s rumored plans for a second location next to Lowe’s prompted a polite response from a spokeswoman: “While we have no plans to announce regarding a store in Pooler, we are always evaluating new opportunities to bring jobs and new, affordable shopping options to Georgia communities.”
Other major retailers also demurred.
Among those rumored to be looking into Pooler Parkway include a few major grocery store chains, a popular outdoors and sporting goods store and even Chipotle, which opened its first Savannah location in September.
“What you’re seeing is the preamble to the real stories — look at it as the rumblings, the stirring of commercial and residential growth,” said Martens. “There are people looking, researching the area.”
Martens conducted a rooftop survey last year and determined there were about 7,200 units so far in the area. He then asked homebuilders to project how many more units they could build before running out of room, which yielded an estimate of 12,000 units by 2016.
Still absent or minimal to the Pooler Parkway landscape are medical practices, churches and more civic institutions such as a post office. Cook said it would be nice if the 37-acre tract of land belonging to Memorial Health would eventually be developed into a hospital.
All in good time — or little time, depending on who is asked.
“We will steadily grow and steadily fill in the gaps,” said Martens.