SAPELO ISLAND, GA — The state’s highest court has ruled a vote can move forward that would regulate the size of new development on Georgia’s Sapelo Island.

Gullah Geechee residents on Sapelo Island are opposed to housing that is double the size currently on the coastal island.

The state supreme court ruling allows a referendum to move forward aimed at restricting development on the sparsely populated island.

Sapelo Island is the home of descendants of enslaved west Africans.

Gullah Geechee residents say the earlier size restrictions limited the number of luxury homes and vacation getaways found in other Georgia coastal communities such as Tybee Island and St. Simons Island.