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Residents say flooding got much worse after developers at the Outpost Bay project began raising their build site several feet higher than nearby properties.

POOLER, Ga. —

Residents in one Pooler neighborhood say they’re running out of patience — and dry ground.

Neighbors in the Hunt Club community say what used to be minor ponding during rainstorms has turned into serious flooding, and they blame new construction happening just behind their homes.

"Little by little, it’s getting worse. Will it reach the house? I don’t know," said homeowner Paul Roy.

Residents say flooding got much worse after developers at the Outpost Bay project began raising their build site several feet higher than nearby properties to construct new homes.

"They hauled in three to four feet of dirt," resident Jacky Horton. "Now it’s like a little mountain behind us — all that water has to go somewhere."

Homeowners say they’ve taken their complaints to the City of Pooler several times. While the city issued a stop-work order earlier this month, neighbors claim it was lifted within 24 hours.

"They told us they had eyes on it," Horton said. "But 24 hours later, construction was back on."

Some, like Thom Hall, now worry what this could mean for their property values. "If the neighborhood gets labeled for flooding, that hurts all of us," he said.

WJCL 22 News reached out to the City of Pooler multiple times and even attended a recent council meeting.

Pooler Mayor Karen Williams and the city manager declined to comment on-camera but gave this statement: "The city manager worked to get a meeting between the developer and residents. They are working with the neighbor's HOA president and on behalf of the residents."

Neighbors say the developer has requested a meeting to discuss the issue.

Rochelle Criter once again walked to the podium facing Pooler City Council members during the public comment period of a regular meeting.

She had spoken earlier, asking the council to vote "no" on anything that could potentially further impact the people living in the Hunt Club neighborhood when a buffer modification came up.

“I’m speaking on behalf of the residents in our neighborhood regarding the new subdivision being built at the front of the community,” Criter said. “I’m here to say, ‘We told you so.’”

Criter was referencing the concerns she and other residents had shared at a meeting in spring 2024 about flooding and damage to their property values that could occur with the construction of Pooler’s first subdivision of rental-only single-family homes.

Since construction began last year, workers have brought in copious amounts of dirt and sand and have removed all the trees and vegetation that helped prevent runoff into their neighborhood, she said. The developers also began to build well above the original grade, completely altering how and where rainwater drained.

“Homes that have never flooded in 20 to 25 years, and now we’re seeing standing water even after moderate rain,” Criter said, one of four to come speak about the flooding. “The retention pond the developer built is also too small and poorly designed and fills up after light rainfall.”

The Hunt Club residents are not the only Pooler residents to experience flooding or an increase in flooding this year. It's happening in other neighborhoods like in Barrington Estates, on Quiet Pine Circle, and even in apartments like the Preserve at Godley Station. Earlier in the evening before the council meeting, Tischler-Bise's President Carson Bise presented findings of feasibility study to implement impact fees in Pooler. Fees that could go toward stormwater infrastructure that could mitigate the impact new developments have on neighboring properties.

Mayor Pro Tem Aaron Henry said he could not say definitively that if Pooler had implemented impact fees back in 2007, when the first study was done, if it would’ve helped in cases like the Hunt Club neighborhood. But, it certainly wouldn’t have hurt.I

Impact fees are a one-time charge imposed by local governments on new development projects to cover the cost, in whole or in part, of providing public services and infrastructure that support that new development.

“An example would be if we had impact fees when Tanger Outlets or Costco was built,” Henry said. “We could’ve had impact fees that contributed to improvements to Pooler Parkway, and it would have to be a benefit to more things than just Costco. It’s a [monetary] contribution to what currently exists so we stay at a baseline.”

In May, Pooler City Council unanimously approved an agreement for $70,470 with Tischler-Bise seeking the viability of imposing such a fee. Ironically, the same company, which has done more fiscal impact analyses in the country than any other firm, had already done a study back in 2007. Bise was involved in the prior study, too.

In the previous study, Tischler-Bise made an assumption that there would be approximately 330 new housing units a year, and 25% of the total impact fee revenue would come from non-residential development. They ultimately estimated a total revenue of $1.3 million a year from residential and non-residential development, if the fee had been implemented.

Pooler has probably left tens of millions of dollars on the table for nearly two decades, according to Bise.

When questioned, Bise said that the study or fee probably did not move forward in 2007 due to “lack of political will.” Specifically, he said, that council believed at the time that if they implemented the fees, development would go elsewhere.

Growth and development came to Pooler, and continues. It’s one of the fastest growing cities in the state. growing more than 450% in population since 2000, when there were about 6,500 residents. It’s now about 30,000 strong, with anywhere between 15,000 to 28,000 expected to move in the area in the next five years.

The total number of commercial and residential permits issued in just 10 years has increased by 63.7%, according to a financial report from the end of 2024.

With all that growth, has come a slew of problems. Namely increased traffic, subpar roads and lagging infrastructure for the new growth. Going forward, impact fees could help address new roads, stormwater retention and parks needed to support new residents.

How could impact fees affect housing in Pooler?

Georgia is one of 29 states that has an enabling act for impact fees.

Under the act, municipalities that want to enact impact fees must do a few things: must have an adopted comprehensive plan containing a capital improvements element (CIE), which outlines necessary capital projects of public facilities; capital improvements must have a useful life of at least ten years; impact fees must be spent within six years. Lastly, eligible facilities include roads, water, sewer, public and open spaces, public safety, library and stormwater improvements.

Impact fees are not like taxes, Bise said, it’s more like a contractual agreement, for a one-time payment to build infrastructure, to fulfil the requirements of need, benefit and proportionate to demand. The fees have to go to something that everyone would benefit from, and the fees would be based on use.

“We’re going to have a fee by either size of house, or type of house,” Bise said. “Single family versus multi-family, office versus retail versus industrial. All of these have different demands for infrastructure. Fees have to be commensurate with that demand.”

One of the key things for impact fees is that it cannot be used for operations, maintenance or replacement. Meaning, Pooler can’t go back and use them for the general improvement or maintenance of existing facilities or infrastructure. The fees have to be used to fund infrastructure improvements directly related to new developments.

Bise also went over the common misconceptions when it comes to impact fees, like increasing the cost of housing or negatively affecting low- or moderate-income homeowners.

“It is somewhat true,” Bise said, of an increase in the cost of housing. “It depends on the economy we’re in, but all of that cost gets passed on to the price of the home. Who bears the brunt of these fees depends on where we are in the economic cycle."

For the latter, Bise said “it doesn’t have to,” and there are ways to mitigate that, like with progressive residential demand. Henry explained it like this: the impact fee would be based on the impact of the number of people per square footage of the house.

“The impact isn’t necessarily the property itself or the development,” Henry said. “It’s the number of vehicles, of people, it all depends on how you measure it. A thousand-square-foot house impacts less than one person, but as you start scaling up it impacts more people. Once you reach about 5,000 square feet, the impacts are the same. Once you have this upper limit it allows you to work out a formula, so the fee’s aren’t arbitrary.”

Methodology

There are three methodologies for calculating impacts: cost-recovery approach; incremental-expansion approach; plan-based approach; or past, present and future.

The most common method for calculating these fees is the present, or incremental-expansion approach. The fee is based on the current cost of replacing existing levels of service.

“It’s, for lack of a better term, formulaic, and it relies looking on standards such as acres,” Bise said. “What does it cost to build brick-and-mortar space today, or to buy an acre of land, and we calculate it that way.”

The cost-recovery approach is common in communities approaching buildout. This is when future developers are “buying in” to the cost the community has already incurred to provide growth-related capacity. Bise said, for instance, if a community has just built a public safety center that’s oversized for new development, the new developers are going to buy into the cost of that center.

The last approach Bise offered would only be feasible with an adopted master plan and commitment by the local government to a funding strategy to bring currently existing developments to a higher level of service.

Bise said they anticipate having the capital improvements element (CIE) and impact fee report ready sometime in November, which then would be workshopped. The current timeline is start the adoption process sometime in the next two months but that timeline may bleed into next year, with the latest date for adoption in March. The process involves a demographic analysis, determination of capital costs and the CIE, determining the best method for calculation, preparing the report, getting public participation and then finally a decision by the elected officials.

Henry said the fees would immediately go into effect for new development.

Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for the Savannah Morning News, covering the municipalities, and community and cultural programs. You can reach her at DAmbus@gannett.com

Boston-based Rockpoint, together with 360 Communities—an affiliate of Freehold Capital Management—have secured a $38.7 million loan for Clear Lake Reserve Townhomes, a newly opened, 199-unit single-family rental luxury community in Pooler, Ga.

Western Alliance Bank issued the floating-rate, three-year note, in a transaction arranged by JLL Capital Markets on behalf of the borrower.

Though not entirely completed, Clear Lake Reserve had its grand opening in May this year, Connect Savannah reported at the time.

Spread on a 50-acre site, the project features 86 three-bedroom and 113 four-bedroom townhomes, each with a two-car garage and layouts ranging from 1,385 to 2,010 square feet. Shared amenities will include a resort-style pool, a fitness center, basketball and pickleball courts, a clubroom, a dog park, playground and 853 parking spaces.

READ ALSO: Stumbling Blocks to Ownership Still Boosting BTR

Located at 11 Ripple Way, the upscale property is near interstates 95 and 16, which connect Clear Lake Reserve to downtown Savannah, some 13 miles east. The Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is some 6 miles away. The surrounding area features several eateries and shopping centers, such as ALDI, Costco Wholesale, Walmart and The Home Depot.

The JLL Capital Markets’ Debt Advisory team included Senior Managing Director Chris Drew, Managing Director Matthew Putterman and Director Kenny Cutler.

BTR continues to spark interest

The interest in rental townhome communities continues to rise. Approximately 35 percent of BTR inventory is townhomes, while single-family detached make up for 41 percent and “horizontal multifamily” 24 percent, according to a Walker & Dunlop outlook report. Looking ahead, the firm estimates that BTR will account for 8 to 11 percent of all rental deliveries, including apartments.

June saw single-family rent prices increase 2.9 percent year-over-year, indicating the sector is slowly stabilizing with an average slightly below the pre-pandemic one, according to a recent Single-Family Rental Index. For high-end BTR properties, rent prices went up 3.7 percent year-over-year in June, higher than 3.2 percent figure recorded last year.

Popular outlet center partners with Savannah Age Management Med. for Wellness Day featuring free fitness demos, health fair and pink fountain lighting for Breast Cancer Awareness

SAVANNAH, Ga. (Sept. 24, 2025) – Tanger Outlets Savannah will kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month and its annual TangerPink Campaign with a Wellness Day celebration on Saturday, Oct. 4. The community is invited to the center for fitness activities, a wellness fair, entertainment and a special Pinking of the Fountain ceremony to honor those affected by breast cancer.

The event begins with a morning yoga session, followed by Zumba and additional fitness demonstrations throughout the day. Attendees can also visit the Wellness Fair, sponsored by Savannah Age Management Medicine, featuring more than 20 vendors offering resources and services focused on preventive health, mental well-being and overall healthy living. Additional festivities include DJ entertainment, food trucks and a fundraiser supporting breast cancer awareness and research. The day concludes with Tanger’s Pinking of the Fountain Ceremony at the fountain near the lighthouse, a symbolic moment that brings the community together in the fight against breast cancer.

As part of the celebration, Planet Fitness will host its grand opening event from 2 – 4 p.m. at its new location at Tanger Savannah, welcoming the community with tours, giveaways and fitness fun.

Throughout the month of October, shoppers are encouraged to donate $10 through Tanger.com and receive a TangerPink card offering 25% off a single item. Participating retailers include more than 90 of Tanger’s top brands, such as Polo Ralph Lauren, J. Crew, Under Armour and Banana Republic. All donations made via Tanger’s online donation campaign directly benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation® (BCRF), the largest private funder of breast cancer and metastatic breast cancer research in the world and the highest-rated breast cancer research organization in the country.

WHAT: Tanger Savannah Wellness Day Event & TangerPink Campaign Kickoff

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 4

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

WHERE: Tanger Savannah

Starline at the Lighthouse 200 Tanger Outlets Blvd Pooler, GA 31322

HOW: FREE to attend and open to the community!

Connect with Tanger Savannah on Facebook and Instagram. For more information, visit tanger.com/Savannah.