By Eric Curl
Sept. 14, 2022 update – The Historic District Board of Review approved the height and mass of the proposed 7-story hotel on Sept. 14, with some conditions, after more design changes were made to address concerns about the building’s size. Changes include a six-foot reduction of the building’s height to 90 feet. In addition, the sixth and seventh stories are now setback on the front and west façades, and, on the front portion of the east façade, the fifth floor is setback to create a 4-story mass facing the adjacent historic 3-story building. The design details of the building will next have to be approved for the project to move forward.
Aug. 10, 2022 update – The review board unanimously voted to continue the petition until the Sept. 14 meeting to give the petitioner time to work with staff in reducing the height and mass of the proposed hotel.
Aug. 5, 2022 update – Staff is now recommending approval of a 7-story hotel at 220 East Bryan St., with conditions, following a redesign that includes stepping up the height of the building from five stories.
The conditions include clarification regarding fire-rating requirements and required changes to the adjacent contributing buildings to accommodate the new construction’s proposed zero setbacks.
In addition, staff is recommending engineering reports, along with proactive measures such as vibration monitoring and foundation stabilization measures, to ensure the integrity of the surrounding buildings during demolition and construction.
The project will go before the Historic District Board of Review for consideration at the Aug. 10. meeting.
June 8, 2022 update – The review board unanimously approved staff’s recommendation to delay consideration of the project until the July meeting to provide time for the developer to reduce the height and mass of the proposed hotel.
June 6, 2022 – The new owner has high hopes for recently acquired parcels on the north end of Savannah’s downtown Historic District, but the Atlanta-based hotel developer may need to lower those expectations to successfully complete the city’s building review process.
After purchasing the site for $6 million in late April, the subsidiary of Atlanta-based Noble Investment Group submitted a general development plan to build a seven story hotel near the intersection of E. Bryan Street and Lincoln Street.
The proposed Tempo brand Hilton, with 154 rooms, a 58 seat café, and 86 seat rooftop bar, would be built where a vacant 4-story office building now stands at 220 East Bryan St., according to a project narrative submitted with the development plan. The demolition of the 52-year-old, non-historic building, which previously housed the GBI, has already been approved.
A historic 19th-century residential structure at 9 Lincoln St. on the northeast portion of the site is also being demolished as part of the project, as previously reported by Savannah Agenda. The demolition was approved by the Savannah Historic District Board of Review in February by order of a Chatham County Recorder’s Court judge who found the building to be structurally unsound and a danger to anyone in its vicinity. The nonprofit Repurpose Savannah has since been hired to deconstruct and salvage historic materials from the structure for reuse.
The third parcel at 17 Lincoln St. includes a three-story historic structure that houses a popular downtown bar, Abe’s on Lincoln, on the ground level. The main building would be preserved, although a one-level addition extending into the pub’s courtyard would be demolished under the plan.
Abe’s owner Brian Huskey said last Wednesday that the pub is expected to stay open during and after the construction project, although the outdoor patio would be temporarily closed off. The patio is expected to be revamped and improved in a partnership with the developers, Huskey said.
The hotel plan is scheduled to go before the Historic District Board of Review on Wednesday. Due to concerns that the proposed building is not visually compatible with the surrounding structures and engulfs and destroys the historic context of the three-story building that houses Abe’s, staff is recommending that the review board delay consideration of the plan until the July meeting. The delay will give the developer time to make recommended design modifications, including reducing the building’s height and mass, according to the staff report.
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