By Eric Curl
In addition to meeting agendas, I enjoy reading meeting minutes to see what may have been missed by the media that I think warrants coverage. This is what I found.
Housing Authority OKs bond resolution, awaiting city action for Yamacraw demolition
On Jan. 14, the Housing Authority of Savannah approved a $14.9 bond resolution for the acquisition and renovation of 94 affordable housing units in Garden City. The property, known as The Pines at Garden City, is being acquired by Pines Acquisition Partners, LP, who successfully secured an award of Low Income Housing Tax Credits that will be paired with the bond proceeds to finance the renovations, which include interior upgrades, HVAC systems, water heaters, windows, stairs and railings, sidewalks and walkways, as well as the inclusion of a new playground, security cameras, BBQ pavilion, and gazebo.
In addition, the housing authority adopted the annual plan and 5-year plan, as required by HUD. The plans continue to include the eventual demolition of the Yamacraw Village public housing community for redevelopment purposes. The board initially approved the demolition plan in June 2020 after finding that more than $40 million in capital improvements were needed at the 315-unit community. A subsequent study in 2023 found that the cost of needed improvements for the 82-year old community had grown to more than $51 million, as previously reported.
The housing authority is currently waiting for the city of Savannah to complete a Section 106 Review to identify any historic properties that may be affected to by demolition and to outline mitigation measures, as required by HUD. The city is nearing the end of the Section 106 consultation process regarding the demolition and hopes to sign an agreement with the Georgia Historic Preservation Office and housing authority in January, according to an email from Savannah Press Secretary Joshua Peacock in December
Energy Ambitions
On Jan. 9, the Savannah City Council approved a $1.88 million contract for Guaranteed Energy Savings with a Seattle-based construction and engineering firm, McKinstry, to facilitate the replacement of old, energy-inefficient lighting fixtures with new LED energy-efficient fixtures, as well as improvements to cure building envelope leakage and penetration issues contributing to energy loss at 27 city facilities. The city anticipates the improvements will generate more than $3.48 Million in savings over twenty years and pay back the initial investment in about eleven years.
In addition, the city council approved a $166,913 contract increase for energy performance services with Atlanta-based 2KB Energy Services, bringing the total amount to $565,252. The city council originally approved the consulting services in May 2022 to assist with the selection of a firm to conduct an energy audit of city facilities activities, and negotiate a Guaranteed Energy Savings Performance Contract, if ultimately pursued by the city. The contract extension is needed to maintain access to 2KB’s critical expertise during thew highly technical execution and implementation phase., according to city officials.
Both contracts are in line with the 100% Savannah clean energy plan from 2021, which committed the city to achieving 100% renewable electricity community-wide by 2035 and 100% renewable energy for all energy needs by 2050.
Savannah continues reign as regional water provider
The city of Savannah continues to serve as much of Chatham County’s water supplier and recently agreed to provide Port Wentworth with more of the precious resource to accommodate the city’s anticipated growth. Port Wentworth’s allocation will increase from 1.8 million gallons per day to 2.1 million gallons per day in 2026, under the agreement approved by the Savannah City Council on Dec. 19. At the same meeting, the city council also approved a water and sewer agreement with Great Dane for the engineering technology center, consisting of an office building, a research & development center and a simulator on Technology Drive – providing enough to serve 53 residential units at a cost of $227,324.50 being paid by the developer. The agreements come following city council’s approval in September of an almost $12.6 million contract to upgrade the Industrial & Domestic Water Treatment Plant. The upgrades are part of the city’s plan to expand the plant’s treatment capacity and reduce the amount of groundwater it withdraws by 2025, as mandated by the state to prevent saltwater intrusion, even as area growth and development is increasing demand, as previously reported. And speaking of the growing demand for water, environmental advocates and economic developers recently reached an agreement over water rights at the site of Hyundai’s electric vehicle plant in Bryan County near Savannah, as reported by Benjamin Payne for GPB.
The cost of trash
In addition, the city council also agreed in December to purchase about 25 acres next to the Dean Forest Landfill for $3.35 million. While the site’s appraised market value was $2.92 million, the property is “strategic for future buffer and other purposes,” according to a staff report.
Chatham County tries something new
While the city of Savannah has allowed single-room occupancy (SRO) since the new zoning ordinance was adopted in 2019, Chatham County does not allow the housing type. That may change, with the county commission’s recent approval of a “pilot” project in which a developer will convert a former motel into an apartment building near the I-95 interchange with Abercorn. The efficiency 1-room units would not be subsidized, but the rental rates would be below the average due to their size for singles and couples (who can handle living in such a confined space.) If proved successful, the county may adopt their own SRO definition for similar projects in the future. Read the full story>
In the Minutes: Chatham County poised to sell Hutchinson Island property for convention hotel development
By Eric Curl
Dec. 3, 2024 – Following a closed-door executive-session meeting on Nov. 1, the Chatham County Commission approved the sale of parcel 7, a 20-acre site with a river inlet that is immediately west of the Savannah Convention Center.
The parcel includes the site where a new convention center hotel is supposed to be built, along with the Slip 3 water channel that is to serve as a ferry dock for Chatham Area Transit. Read the full story>
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