Drive south on I-95 from Savannah toward Brunswick, and somewhere around Exit 87, you’ll notice something: the traffic is heavier than it used to be. The exits are busier. The development is newer. And the retail centers, while growing, still feel like they’re playing catch-up with the rooftops surrounding them.
That’s Richmond Hill. And that gap between residential growth and retail supply is one of the more interesting opportunity stories in coastal Georgia right now.
Bryan County’s Growth Story
Bryan County is one of the fastest-growing counties in Georgia — a statement that requires some context to fully appreciate. Georgia itself is one of the fastest-growing states in the country. The Savannah MSA has been consistently ranked among the top-performing metros in the Southeast. And within that already-strong regional context, Bryan County has been outperforming.
The growth is driven by several converging forces: the expansion of Fort Stewart (one of the largest Army installations in the United States, located in adjacent Liberty County), the residential migration along the I-95 corridor between Savannah and the Golden Isles, and the spillover from Savannah’s own growth as the city’s established neighborhoods become increasingly expensive.
Richmond Hill is the commercial hub of all of this. It’s where the retail, the restaurants, the medical offices, and the service businesses concentrate for a trade area that extends from the southern edge of Chatham County to the northern edge of Liberty County.
The Ford Avenue Corridor
The primary retail corridor in Richmond Hill runs along Ford Avenue, anchored by the Shoppes of Richmond Hill and extending toward the I-95 interchange. This corridor has the infrastructure — the traffic counts, the road access, the visibility — to support significantly more retail than it currently has.
The daytime population in this trade area is growing faster than the retail supply. That’s the fundamental dynamic that creates opportunity. When there are more households, more workers, and more daily trips than there are retail options to serve them, tenants who get in early capture the market before the competition arrives.
The I-95 interchange gives Richmond Hill regional draw beyond just the local residential base. Travelers, Fort Stewart personnel, and Savannah commuters all pass through this corridor daily. The traffic counts at Exit 87 are not just local traffic — they’re regional traffic, which means the effective trade area for a well-positioned retailer here is larger than the local population alone would suggest.
What’s Missing (And What That Means)
Richmond Hill has the basics covered: grocery, pharmacy, fast food, some casual dining. What it’s missing is the second tier of retail that follows population growth with a lag — the specialty retailers, the sit-down restaurants, the fitness concepts, the medical specialists, the service businesses that require a certain density of households before they can justify a location.
That second tier is starting to arrive. And the window to get in before the market is fully built out is still open, but it won’t be open indefinitely. Bryan County’s growth trajectory is not slowing down. The question for retailers and investors is whether they want to be early or late.
The Investment Angle
For retail investors, the Richmond Hill corridor offers something that’s increasingly rare in coastal Georgia: retail real estate that’s priced at current market conditions rather than future expectations. As the market matures and the supply/demand gap closes, that pricing will adjust.
The Shoppes of Richmond Hill is the anchor center for this corridor. Strong co-tenancy, consistent traffic, and a growing residential base make it one of the more stable retail investment opportunities in the Savannah region. And the surrounding corridor has additional development potential as the market continues to grow.
PIER covers Bryan County and the entire I-95 corridor from Savannah to Brunswick. If you’re watching this market — let’s connect. Call or email Ryan at ryan@piercommercial.com | 912.353.7707 | piercommercial.com