RINCON, Ga. (WSAV) - Effingham County commissioners are working to keep Historic Ebenezer free of over-development while trying to keep everyone happy.
Historic Ebenezer has roots dating back to 1734.
"It is a piece of history," said Ebenezer resident John Schwarzkopf, "It's where the Salzburgers landed in the 1700's. A lot of the families who live along Ebenezer are Salzburgers. Their families have been here since the beginning."
Effingham County commissioners are proposing to preserve that history by limiting development through a historic overlay district ordinance.
What it would do is bar development in the form of gas stations, warehouses, and townhomes and set limits for signage and lighting along Ebenezer Rd. from the train tracks to the historic district in an effort to preserve the area's centuries-old aesthetic.
At Tuesday's county commission meeting, many other Ebenezer residents spoke in support of the ordinance, save for few developers who want to build along the mostly empty road.
District 5 Commissioner Phil Kiefer told News 3 he supports the ordinance but that it is not perfect yet.
"The draft ordinance was very light on design standards," said Kiefer, "That's really what I envision this ordinance tackling: trying to develop design standards to keep the overall aesthetic and look of the area, so I do support that. I think we can do a lot more work on the design standards."
He said he also understands the other side, with those not in support arguing the ordinance may infringe on the constitutional rights of landowners to build.
"I think there is another constitutional way to address that that gives them the rights to petition their government for that use," said Kiefer.
However, he said it does have the support of a lot of people in the community and council members so far.
"I'm for it, if done properly," said Kiefer.
A vote for the historic overlay district is not on any upcoming Effingham County Commission meeting agendas soon, but Kiefer said commissioners will be holding a workshop to finalize a draft that is more satisfactory for everyone. A date for that has not been set yet.