The developer of a gated residential community just south of Savannah will pay $1.1 million to the federal government to end claims it damaged, mishandled, lost and disposed of tens of thousands of Native American artifacts and human remains.
Savannah Land Holdings has reached a settlement with the federal government, which sued the company in January 2025 after shutting down construction within the 2,230-acre Waterways development in Richmond Hill, Bryan County.
In its lawsuit, the government said Savannah Land Holdings disturbed multiple archaeological sites without authorization and destroyed artifacts in the construction of roads and houses and the excavation of an artificial lagoon.
The company removed Native American human remains and funerary objects without notification, the government said, adding more than 80,000 artifacts were not properly curated, and about 3,000 artifacts were either lost or disposed of.
“A burial urn from one of the archaeological sites at the property was cleaned and reconstructed, causing the crematory remains inside to be lost,” the government said in its complaint.
Savannah Land Holdings denies the allegations but has agreed to pay a civil penalty and take several measures to properly handle and protect Native American remains and artifacts going forward, court records show. The Muscogee (Creek) Nation has agreed on the terms of artifact preservation.
Under the settlement, Savannah Land Holdings will pay $1.1 million to the federal government, put an archaeologist in charge of preservation, repatriate human remains and funerary objects and curate all artifacts removed from the site. The company will also restrict development in certain parts of the property to permanently protect archaeological resources.
“As the product of good-faith negotiation between the parties, it is fair, reasonable, and in the public interest,” the government and the company said of their agreement when asking a federal judge to approve it Friday.
Martin Alexander, a lawyer for Savannah Land Holdings, said it is pleased to reach “a cooperative resolution” with the federal government that includes enhanced site preservation. He said the company is committed to completing the Waterways development, which has brought families and significant investment, infrastructure and economic benefits to Bryan County.
“While Savannah Land Holdings denies the government’s allegations, this resolution reflects a shared commitment to the responsible protection of historical resources while allowing development of the Waterways project to continue,” Alexander said Tuesday.
The federal government did not comment Tuesday.
Case records show Savannah Land Holdings has been the primary developer of the property since 2008, operating under a Clean Water Act permit issued the year prior.
The federal government said the company and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers knew about 18 archaeological sites on the property before the permit was issued and had a plan for addressing that. It was approved by Georgia’s State Historic Preservation Office and provided for input by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
Savannah Land Holdings shirked its obligations, violating its permit and federal law, the government said. It said the extent of destruction was revealed in April 2024 when the Corps visited the property, having been told months prior of potential permit violations.
The company’s wrongdoing included failing to notify federal and state authorities and the Seminole Tribe of Florida about the discovery of human remains at various phases of site investigation and construction, the government said. It said the company also violated its permit and federal law by continuing to excavate where burials and graves were discovered.
In their joint filing Friday, the parties said their settlement “meaningfully advances” the preservation of remaining artifacts on the property and minimizes the likelihood of future violations. Human remains and funerary objects will be repatriated in coordination with Native American tribes and the Georgia Office of the State Archaeologist.
Representatives of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation and the Seminole Tribe of Florida did not comment Tuesday.
The settlement extends the Waterways permit for five years to Dec. 31, 2032, giving the company time to satisfy its responsibilities. The agreement is binding on any other commercial developers of the property.
Savannah Land Holdings was separately sued last year by other developers who bought almost 63 acres of the Waterways site in November 2023 for $4.9 million and claimed they were kept in the dark about the Native American remains and artifacts. That battle settled in February, court records show.
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