Right now, it is little more than a small sales trailer right off of Hwy 144 east of I-95. However, Tidewater Real Estate, LLC plans to turn it into the commercial condominium development, Camellia Street Village. Those plans are very close to becoming reality.

In 2006, Derek Pommerenck, Brian Baraniak and Louis Thomann formed Tidewater Real Estate, LLC. Together, they make up a trifecta of development know how. Before creating the successful homebuilding company, Sugar Magnolia, Derek worked on projects in Germany, Albania, Kosovo, Baghdad and Fallujah. Brian’s projects have included work in Germany, Macedonia and the Balkans. Louis owns a Savannah based business, Lafayette Square Development, Inc, whose mission is to restore historic properties.

Tidewater acquired the land on Hwy 144 and Camellia Street in the fall of 2006. The project originally intended to provide a residential and commercial mix. However, the interest in the commercial units encouraged Tidewater to redefine Camellia Street Village’s purpose and they decided against including residential units.

Now, when they break ground in the spring, they are looking to create a mix of professional, retail and eatery establishments. They currently have three committed tenants in the areas of real estate and law practice. They are fielding a heavy interest from the medical community. They are also in talks with a few regional and national establishments. These ventures, if successful, will bring in retail and eatery names that you have probably heard of before.

While they are very excited to get the project completed, they insist they are not cutting any corners. Special attention has been given to the possibility of widening Camellia Street and storm water management. These areas of attention are important to Tidewater as Derek and Brian were both civil engineers with the Army Corps of Engineers. They understand the consequences of overlooking the impact a development has on the surrounding area. Tidewater has worked closely with city engineers to ensure their new development fits well in the community. The final site plan approval comes up in front of Richmond Hill’s Planning and Zoning Committee this month. While Brian is a member of the committee, he will not vote on the approval to prevent a conflict of interest.

It is no secret that there is a great deal of commercial development happening in the Richmond Hill area. It is sometimes wondered how developers expect to fill all that space. Tidewater isn’t worried. As far as they are concerned, Camellia Street Village offers all the perks and options needed to produce attractive commercial space. They are banking on competitive pricing and convenient location. They have also allowed businesses to have the option to decide whether purchase or lease is the better option. Because the project is still in pre-construction, there is a lot of room for flexibility in the combining of units and build out.

For more information on Tidewater Real Estate, LLC and Camellia Street Village, go to www.camelliastreetvillage.com.