On the other side, council members Mallory Pearce and Anne Monaghan aren't at all worried about tonight's vote changing what was already enacted, and they will both vote in favor of keeping the setbacks as they are. Many residents aren't thrilled by the prospect of having to make their arguments all over again either, but they know it's necessary. We've worked so hard to establish a middle ground, only to have the setbacks thrown back into question. Chambers and a group of Tybee residents who are concerned about the island's growth have been meeting over the past few months to discuss growth. Diana Killorin, who attends the meetings, said she was flabbergasted by the procedure that requires the council to vote again, but she's encouraged by the continued support of setbacks by Tybee's residents.
Chambers just wants to see the issue resolved so the council and the citizens can move on.
We're not making any progress this way, and it isn't doing anyone any good. Resident Sally Keller hopes the council will think about what makes a commercial district different from a residential district before tonight's vote. She said the whole issue of setbacks was so confusing in past meetings that it might be a good thing to revisit, and that this time, council needs to look at the impact of what the setbacks will do. The setbacks are a product of a building moratorium that came in the wake of the demolition of the historic DeSoto Beach Motel. Council members concerned about the future of growth on the island voted to suspend construction for 93 days to give them a chance to study the direction the island is headed.