Press Release: Village Inn of St. Simons Island
July 2, 2002
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GA -- When's the last time you heard of an environmental group presenting an award to a developer?
It actually happened on June 27 on St. Simons Island off the south Georgia coast, where the local environmental
and neighborhood preservation group presented its first-ever "Good Developer" Award to George and Michelle
Stewart, owners and developers of the new Village Inn on St. Simons Island.
The 28-room inn is located in the heart of the island community's historic Oceanfront and Lighthouse District adjacent
to St. Simons Island Park. It was designed by St. Simons Island architect F. Larry Evans, AIA, in the traditional
Spanish Resort style of other area landmarks such as The Cloister and the King & Prince.
"It's not often you hear of an environmental group giving an award to a developer, but in this case, George
and Michelle Stewarts are eminently deserving of this recognition," said Randy Dobson, RUPA board member and
long- time resident of the island community. "They elected to work with local neighborhood and environmental
activists to build an inn that fits in with the spirit and character of the St. Simons Island community."
Dobson said the Stewarts had gone the extra mile by saving all eight of the 150-year-old giant live oaks on the
site, and planting two other young live oaks of about 25 feet in height.
They also preserved the existing one-story beach house that had stood on the site since the 1930s, transforming
it into an office, lobby, and pub, complete with the original stone fireplace. What's more, Dobson said, the Stewarts
went to extra expense to install a special grass-paving system for parking, instead of simply pouring a concrete
or asphalt slab.
"The Stewarts could have done this project the easy way, and been well within government codes and regulations,"
Dobson said. "They could have cut down most of the oaks, torn down the beach cottage, poured a big concrete
slab for parking, and put up a conventional square box.
"They probably could have saved a lot of money and been open for business a good two years sooner," he
said. "But to their credit, they chose to do it the right way, setting an example that other developers who
come to our island would do well to emulate.
George Stewart said the RUPA Award ranks with the biggest highlights of his business career. "I've been a
resident of St. Simons Island for about 10 years, and have been coming here since I was a boy," he said. "Michelle
and I had just seen enough of the mediocre development that's plagued the coast for years, and we just decided
that it was up to us to set a much higher standard for our inn.
"It's great to see that our efforts have been recognized," he added. "We feel very honored to be
the first developers to ever receive the RUPA Award."
SOURCE: Village Inn of St. Simons Island