Women's Clothing Boutique Near Me Pooler, GA

POOLER, Ga. (WTOC) - A popular East Coast gas station and convenience store has officially taken one step closer to our area.

At the city of Pooler’s planning and zoning meeting on Monday afternoon, Wawa was approved and now just needs council’s go ahead to begin construction.

It started as a food market in Pennsylvania. Now, Wawa has more than 1,000 stores nationwide. There are zero locations in Georgia, at least for now.

“It’s about two acres. 16,000 square feet of a convenience store,” Pooler Mayor Karen Williams said.

This line in Monday’s agenda is the first official proof that Wawa wants to come to our area, specifically the intersection of Pooler Parkway and Pine Barren Rd. Wawa, playing their cards close to their chest, sending WTOC a statement that reads in part, “While we can’t confirm specific sites or construction timelines at this stage in the process, we can say that we are actively looking into potential sites for new Wawa stores, including in Pooler.”

Pooler city public meetings are less secretive, as the proposal now only needs to be approved in these chambers by the city council at their next meeting.

“This is a fairly large tract, so we want to make sure we do it right, make sure the access and the ingress and egress is correct, make sure that the improvements to pooler parkway and pine barren are made as well,” Mayor Williams said.

The mayor is excited about the possibility, saying staff has recommended the council approve Wawa’s proposal and bring the popular gas station here.

“This property has already been cleared because it’s not just for a wawa. It’s for a senior center in the back corner of this property, it’s for apartments, it’s for other commercial,” Mayor Williams said.

She says most of the other plans for this undeveloped land still need to be approved but thinks it’s a good sign that Wawa is making quick progress.

“We’re not the only ones that think Pooler is the place to be because obviously these businesses are coming to Pooler because they see the growth, they see our diversity,” she said.

The proposal will make its way to the city council for final approval on Tuesday, Feb. 20.

Copyright 2024 WTOC. All rights reserved.

POOLER, Ga. (WTOC) - UPDATE: The Coastal Empire can expect to see a new nursing college in Pooler soon. Back in October, city council approved using Mosaic Town Center to host the Galen College of Nursing.

Galen is one of the largest private nursing colleges in the country, with 19 campuses across the U.S.

Renderings of the potential building in Pooler show an HCA healthcare partnership on what would be the first Galen campus in Georgia.

Pooler’s mayor spoke with WTOC on the project’s approval, but has not received a timeline for when the college will be operational.

ORGINAL STORY- A nursing college could be on the way to Pooler.

Mosaic Town Center in Pooler currently home to Cosco, Expercare and more could soon host the Galen College of Nursing. At a Tuesday night Council meeting, the use of land for the school was approved the city’s chamber of commerce saying the nursing college would be a welcomed addition.

“Bringing in something like this that’s really going to have an impact on our healthcare industry - where we need to be making an impact is really special,” Courtney Rawlins said.

That was the focus of the college’s presentation to council, pointing out the benefit they would bring to the city of Pooler.

“The ultimate goal is not just to put up a building but to address the nursing shortage in our community,” Robert Snip said.

The land is empty now, but the chamber recognizes its potential through this project.

“With the shortage of nurses right now and three major hospitals operating in the region, we hope this is going to be a game changer.”

Galen is one of the largest private nursing colleges in the country, with 19 campuses across the U.S. Renderings of the potential building in Pooler show an HCA healthcare partnership on what would be the first Galen campus in Georgia.

“At first we’ll have about 50-100 students there. As they start to ramp up and get more people registered we’ll start to see those students increase.”

Before that can happen an official site plan will need to be approved by council.

Copyright 2023 WTOC. All rights reserved.

POOLER, Ga. —

The wait is over.

The popular Dave & Buster’s has finally made its way to Southeast Georgia, opening a brand-new location in Pooler.

And it’s just in time for the holiday season.

It’s just after 11:00 on a Monday morning, the first day of the work week, and a big crowd is already filing into the Dave & Buster’s at the Tanger Outlets.

That in itself just tells you how anticipated its arrival was.

“We are beyond excited," said P.J. Jones, the general manager of Dave & Buster's Pooler. "We had a line out the door waiting to come in at 10-10:30. We opened before 11 just because they were all patiently waiting.”

One of those patiently waiting was Latifah Johnson who made the trip from her home in Ridgeland, South Carolina.

“I knew they were opening," said Johnson. "I’m very familiar with Dave & Buster’s. I love them, I found out they were having one come this close to my home, and of course, I had to come out and be here for the grand opening.”

Dave & Buster’s setting up shop at the Tanger Outlets and in Pooler is also a big deal for the city.

“One of the chamber’s jobs is to market Pooler," said Courtney Johnson, the president and CEO of Pooler Chamber of Commerce. "We’re a visitors bureau, we want to bring people in. We want to expose them to all the wonderful things that we have. Dave & Buster’s is a welcome addition to this.”

The timing of the opening of Dave & Buster’s at Tanger Outlets is no small coincidence; in fact, they said they wanted to be open in time for the holiday shopping season.

“We know Tanger Outlets is going to be extremely busy for shopping," said Jones. "The kids will be out of school right before Christmas, so we wanted to capture that and get into the community right from go.”

Dave & Buster’s is also bringing jobs to Pooler; they currently have 160 employees.

POOLER, Ga. (WTOC) - The appointment of a new city council member in Pooler on Friday has some residents and leaders voicing frustration.

This all comes after Pooler councilman Tom Hutcherson resigned from his seat this week citing health concerns. But now some residents and current leaders believe the council replaced Hutcherson too quickly, saying the appointment comes too close to an election and potentially subverts the will of voters.

After a 4-2 vote, Shirlenia Daniel became Pooler’s newest city council member. Her appointment to replace Hutcherson does not come without controversy.

“I’m just a little disappointed. This felt very rushed,” Councilman Aaron Higgins said. He voted against Daniel’s appointment.

Daniel said she currently serves on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission. She’s also a candidate running for Pooler city council and will appear on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Some councilmembers say appointing an active candidate to council should not come with just over a month before voters head to the polls.

“We’re 31 days from an election. I was hoping that we could hold off long enough to fulfill the requirements provided by law - state law and our local charter - to replace Mr. Hutcherson, but also with some help and insight from our voters,” Higgins said.

“It’s an unfair advantage for those who are running,” Councilwoman Karen Williams said. She also voted against Daniel’s appointment.

When asked if she thought being appointed now gave her an unfair advantage in November, Daniel responded, “I don’t because everyone has a freedom and a right to come to city planning and zoning and they also have a freedom and a right to come to city council.” “What I’m doing is holding up the obligation to say yes of a commitment, accountability, and responsibility to hold a seat so the city can still function.”

Still, some residents are left questioning the timing of Friday’s vote.

“It doesn’t feel like whoever called that meeting was being very thoughtful about residents that may want to participate in support or disagree with governmental moves,” Pooler resident Lori Lewis said.

Daniel will now serve out the remainder of Hutcherson’s term, while also being an active candidate looking to remain on city council following the November election.

“Basically, I’m serving for those couple of months. But I’ll be on the ballot, and I still have to be voted in just like the other five members, whoever they may be,” Daniel said.

There are also questions about why Hutcherson resigned from his seat. Hutcherson said that his reason for resigning is more complicated than health concerns and says he has retained an attorney.

He also said his re-election bid is still active and that he will keep campaigning over the next couple of weeks.

WTOC is working to find more answers as the story develops.

Copyright 2023 WTOC. All rights reserved.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Live like Locals Savannah and Chatham County Parks and Recreation have partnered to bring community together in a massive way. The Mega Pop-Up and Farmer's Market will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Tom Triplett Park in Pooler. The market will feature 100-plus vendors, free workshops and fitness classes, a kids and cultural corner and live book readings and signings by local authors.

The event will take place the second Sunday every month except July and August. Ammie Dover, Operations Management Consultant for Live Like Locals Savannah, said the truly exciting part for her is that the event will take over the entire 200-acre park.

"I foresee and am excited to hear stories after, if you're talking to a neighbor, and saying 'Oh, I went to that, but I didn't see that,'" Dover said. "There's so much to see, and they'll have to come back the next month to see it all, and to experience it all, like the cultural corners won't be the same every month."

Dover emphasized that they wanted an event that would encourage all corners of the community to come together to use the parks, which she said some are underutilized.

"We want activities in the park to include everyone, so there's a huge cultural component to the event," Dover said. "We're holding space for that; for the first event, we have the Agenda Latina hosting a Latin corner to shed light on some of the beautiful traditions and cultures within the Hispanic culture."

The organizers are also having Unity in the Community offer a presentation on Martin Luther King Jr., and his accomplishments, mission, integrity, life and how people can honor that in their daily lives.

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In the front half of the park, there will be vendors and food trucks such as The Pot Wheeler, This and That, Savannah Sauce Company, Books and Black Coffee and more. In the back half will be the farmer's market with STUMP Savannah, Savannah Syrup Company, Tucci Greens, Schmoe Farms and more. Full list of vendors, authors, fitness classes and more can be found here.

The fitness classes, featuring Yoga, Worq Dance Fitness, a Total Body Bootcamp and Breathwork class are all free, but require registration.

"It was in our hearts to give it to the community for free, so we found a way to do that," Dover said. "We have amazing partners like JCB that stepped up to be our partners, and they care about creating environments where community can thrive as well, and that's what allows us to offer it for free.

Destini Ambus is the general assignment reporter for Chatham County municipalities for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach her at dambus@gannett.com