Two projects that would change the north mainland have already been approved: a Food Lion at Golden Isles Parkway and GA-99, and a Texas Roadhouse at the corner of Golden Isles Parkway and Canal Road. As of Glynn County's October 2, 2026 project update, neither has a construction start or an opening date. Both are waiting on road plans. For Carriage Gate Plantation, that means the first changes are likely to show up on the roads before any new building opens.
The Route the County Already Describes
Glynn County's driving directions to the North Glynn Recreation Complex on Harry Driggers Boulevard, the same road Carriage Gate Drive comes off, follow the route most Carriage Gate drivers take coming home from the interstate.
- Take I-95 to Exit 38.
- Head east on Spur 25 to the red light at Canal Road.
- Turn left and follow Canal Road through the next light, where it becomes Harry Driggers Boulevard.
- Continue on Harry Driggers Boulevard to the park on the right.
The Texas Roadhouse traffic study calls Spur 25 "SR 25/Golden Isles Parkway," and it identifies the intersection at step 2 as a signalized one. That same intersection appears by name in a current county review file. The intersection at step 3 has already been rebuilt. The county finished the Canal Road at Glynco Parkway project on October 24, 2025. It replaced a sharply skewed junction with a multi-lane roundabout and shifted about 1,700 feet of Harry Driggers Boulevard to meet Glynco Parkway at a better angle. If you live in Carriage Gate, you've driven that roundabout for almost a year. The next round of changes sits one light earlier.
A Steakhouse at the Corner of Canal Road
The Texas Roadhouse would sit on the south side of Golden Isles Parkway, just west of Canal Road. Access would come from Canal Road via Shupe Way, a private easement, with a connection to the Hwy 55 restaurant lot next door. The site is the corner where the county's directions tell you to turn left.
Glynn County's Mainland Planning Commission approved the 7,926-square-foot restaurant's site plan unanimously on January 6, 2026. At that meeting, county staff discussed adding a second through lane on Canal Road and adding turns toward the spur. The applicant said no work was planned on Shupe Way itself. In May, the commission approved a second request to shrink the required landscape buffer and make room for more parking. Commissioners were told Texas Roadhouse needed 180 parking spaces to come to Brunswick.
The restaurant's current county file shows where things stand. Record CP-26-31 is titled "Texas Roadhouse - Off-Site Roadway Improvements Only," located at Canal Road and Golden Isles Parkway. It was opened August 10, 2026, and a resubmittal letter went out August 19. The open file is about the intersection. The restaurant building isn't part of it.
The only date in the paperwork comes from a traffic study dated July 7, 2025, which assumed full build-out in 2027. That year was a modeling assumption for the study. The company hasn't announced an opening.
The Grocery Store at GA-99
The second project sits farther along the same parkway, at its intersection with GA-99. When the plan first appeared on the Mainland Planning Commission agenda, the attachments didn't say which grocery store was coming. At the May 5, 2026 meeting, the commission approved the site plan unanimously, and the minutes identify the store as Food Lion. The Brunswick News reported the approval the next day.
The plan for 7215 Golden Isles Parkway covers more than a grocery store:
- A grocery anchor of about 37,000 square feet. The News reported 36,793 square feet, while the county staff report lists 36,973.
- An attached 7,400-square-foot retail building.
- An 860-square-foot drive-through coffee shop.
- A 2,000-square-foot oil change shop.
The parcel was listed as vacant and undeveloped before the plan came in. The project's traffic study requires turn lanes, right-in/right-out lanes, and some road realignment as part of the approval.
The construction plans, record CP-26-32, were opened August 19, 2026. The county sent a second resubmittal letter on September 10. A second resubmittal letter means the county has sent the plans back for changes twice. That's routine at this stage, and it also means construction plans haven't been signed off. None of the sources reviewed for this post report a building permit, a hiring announcement, or an opening season.
Why a Supermarket at This Exit Matters Now
Exit 38 has already seen one grocery change. The Winn-Dixie at 341 Venture Drive, near the interchange, was the first former Winn-Dixie in Glynn County to reopen as an Aldi. It opened in December 2024 after Aldi bought about 400 Winn-Dixie and Harvey's stores across five states in 2023.
Aldi uses a smaller store format with mostly private-label products. According to The Brunswick News, its stores don't have butcher shops, bakeries, delis, or pharmacies, though they do carry meat, baked goods, and fresh produce. Shoppers put a quarter in a cart to unlock it and bring their own bags. At Exit 38, the old Winn-Dixie space now runs on that model.
The same conversion has moved through the rest of the county:
| Store | Address | Status in local reporting |
|---|---|---|
| Aldi, Exit 38 | 341 Venture Drive | Opened December 2024 |
| Aldi, Lanier Plaza | 1919 Glynn Ave. | Opened early April 2026 |
| Aldi, Exit 29 | 284 Hyde Park Commons | Described as converting "later this year"; no opening confirmed in the sources reviewed |
| Winn-Dixie | 5420 New Jesup Highway | Staying a Winn-Dixie |
| Winn-Dixie | 220 Retreat Village, St. Simons Island | Staying a Winn-Dixie |
| Publix | 171 Village at Glynn Place | Operating |
| Food Lion | 7215 Golden Isles Parkway | Approved May 5, 2026; construction plans in review |
The Lanier Plaza opening showed how much a grocery store can matter to a part of town. More than 200 people lined up for the grand opening, and Brunswick City Manager Regina McDuffie said the line proved the need for a store there. City officials had raised concerns in June 2025 about the eight-month closure between Winn-Dixie and Aldi. Lanier Plaza is on the south end of town. The approved Food Lion would add a large grocery anchor on the north mainland, along the same parkway that leads to Carriage Gate.
Other Projects on Canal Road
The May 5 meeting also approved a project closer to home. Marshland Credit Union received approval for a 4,032-square-foot building at 592 Canal Road, on land zoned highway commercial. The credit union currently leases its space, and the new building would be its own. Neighbors raised concerns about lighting and about a drainage ditch shared with nearby properties. The applicant's representative said the lighting would meet county ordinances, the ditch would stay untouched, and a drainage pond would be built on site.
Taken together, the May 5 approvals put three new businesses on the parkway and Canal Road, with traffic requirements attached to each site. The North Glynn Recreation Complex and the weekend routes that stay on the mainland both run through these same intersections.
Where to Check for Updates
The county posts these projects on its Planning & Zoning open-projects page, updated weekly. The latest version is dated October 2, 2026. Two record numbers cover the projects on your drive:
- CP-26-32, Food Lion Golden Isles, 7215 Golden Isles Parkway
- CP-26-31, Texas Roadhouse off-site roadway improvements, Canal Road at Golden Isles Parkway
The comments column on that page shows each project's review stage. It moves from "resubmittal required" to "review complete," and a record drops off the list once it's no longer under review. For anyone driving past the corner of Canal Road, CP-26-31 is the more useful record to follow. It covers the lanes at the light where residents turn toward Harry Driggers Boulevard, and the restaurant at that corner is waiting on it. Once the county finishes that review, the road work is the next likely change you'll see on the drive home.
When projects like these get closer to opening, Carriage Gate homeowners often want to know whether a grocery anchor and a busier corner will affect what their homes are worth. The Listing Pros Team follows these county filings and keeps an eye on the Carriage Gate Plantation market every month. If you'd like a clear picture of where your home stands right now, Request a Free Home Valuation and Stephanie or Erin will walk you through it.
