By Eric Curl
Jan. 28, 2023 – The New York-based Galvan Foundation is not alone in seeking to invest in Cuyler-Brownville, one of Savannah’s oldest African-American neighborhoods.
Less than one week after the Savannah City Council approved Galvan’s plans to develop 19 vacant city properties for housing, the Historic Preservation Commission approved multiple petitions from different developers to rehabilitate residential properties in the historic neighborhood.
At least three of the properties are expected to be rehabbed to provide affordable housing.
The petitions on Wednesday included proposals from Ward Architecture + Preservation to rehabilitate three historic homes at 606 West 42nd St., 620 West 42nd St. and 634 West 42nd St.
The properties were all purchased in 2022 from the Historic Savannah Foundation, which is requiring that the current owner, Honza Properties LLC, meet affordable housing requirements, according to Ryan Jarles, HSF’s Director of Preservation and Historic Properties.
HSF had purchased 620 West 42nd St. from the Land Bank Authority after agreeing to place a 10-year affordability covenant and deed restriction pertaining to the use and resale of the property.
The covenant requires that affordable units not have a rent that exceeds the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) published fair market rents for Chatham County and that the affordable units must not have a household income that exceeds 120% of Area Median Income (AMI).
In turn, the covenant and deed restrictions were applied to the property, along with 606 and 634 West 42nd, when HSF sold the properties, Jarles said. In addition, the same requirements apply to 2205 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, a vacant fire damaged historic building HSF sold to the Galvan Foundation last year, he said.
The burned up historic structure at 2205 MLK is another example of a historic building that can be saved, despite it’s damaged condition, Jarles said.
Dan Kent, with Galvan, said the nonprofit intends to restore the historic fire damaged building, but has not yet determined what they will do with the adjacent vacant lot.
With regards to the 19 city parcels the nonprofit is seeking to acquire, Kent said Galvan intends to develop the properties in accordance with the Land Bank Authority’s affordability guidelines by including a combination of housing for people earning up to 80% of the AMI and households earning up to 120% of the AMI.
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