By Eric Curl
Oct. 13, 2024 – Last week, the Savannah City Council approved an extension to the lease agreement governing the use of downtown’s City Market along the 200 and 300 blocks of West St. Julian St.
In turn, the tenant, Grp Market LLC, plans to invest in capital improvements to the space to improve safety and make it more “family friendly,” according to city officials.
The first phase of company’s proposed improvements, valued at about $300,000, were outlined by City Manager Jay Melder in a recent memo to the Savannah City Council ahead of the lease’s extension.
They include:
- Free-standing access control structures to help enclose courtyard spaces in the evenings and “enhancing safety for visitors and businesses alike;”
- Seating improvements, including seat walls and additional seating capacity;
- “Gateway elements” such an archway or monument to “better define City Market’s presence and boundaries;”
- Tree preservation and site beautification alongside plans to install elevated benches and stain or pattern the hardscape;
- Continued safety enhancements such as off-duty police officers, surveillance cameras and improved lighting.
The lease agreement has been in place since 1985 and was set to expire in 2035. As approved, the lease will be extended 20 years and the rental rate will be increased to $75,000 in 2025. The rental rate will then increase by 2.5% each year, generating more than $1.6 million of additional rental income to the city’s general fund over the amended term, according to city officials.
The council also approved design application and funding for a monument in Columbia Square commemorating the seven ladies who saved the Davenport House in 1955 and were the catalyst for the establishment of the Historic Savannah Foundation. In addition, the council approved rezoning the former fairgrounds site as part of the plan to develop affordable single-family, multifamily, and senior residences. Also proposed are retail, recreation and community development uses.
The rezoning comes after the Georgia Department of Community Affairs announced that the plan to construct up to 64 apartments for seniors on the site will be awarded low-income housing tax credits, considered essential by developers to make the financing work for such projects, as previously reported.
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