By Jim Reed
Aug. 12, 2024 – As someone who relocated to Savannah, Ga. in the mid-1980s, I’ve had a front-row seat to the myriads of changes this formerly sleepy and underappreciated gem of a city has undergone over the past four decades.
Sometimes that front-row seat has felt like a real score, like the very best seat in the house. You know, like at a flea circus, or at a cabaret performance of sleight-of-hand by the late, great Ricky Jay. At other times, it felt like I was stuck in the blast zone at a Gallagher concert. More often over the last 12 years or so than I’d like to admit, living in and caring deeply about Savannah has been ― for me, at least ― the equivalent of standing directly in front of a low, dive bar stage at a G.G. Allin meltdown.
In other words, no place I’d want to be.
The bewitching, funky, gloriously addled coastal hideout which so mystified, captivated and inspired me in my youth and young manhood has been tonally adrift and under the spell of despotic, interloping developers for such a lengthy period of time that it’s becoming harder and harder for my long COVID brain to accurately recall the crepuscular, DIY charm this fetid swamp once held. And yet, with diligent focus, I can still summon the clarity to tell shit from Shinola. Perhaps some of you can, as well?
Between sinkholes, urban flash floods, drive-by shootings, crawler bikes (aka Slowrides), the encroachment of chain stores and franchises into the Historic Downtown, “Apocalypse VRBO” and an ever-growing influx of entitled transplants from major metropolitan areas with little-to-no interest in how or why this city has operated for hundreds of years (and the money, temerity and impertinence to make their views and ways the new norm), Savannah is no longer the bastion of side-eyed Southern Gothic freak culture it once exemplified.
I freely admit that’s a self-involved and self-important outlook. So, a few days ago, I randomly scrolled through my contact lists and sent brief invitations to several handfuls of folks who’ve made Savannah their home for at least a decade, and in some cases more than a half-century. I afforded the opportunity to weigh in (for publication) on the following question: “What’s the one, single thing you wish could be changed about the way Savannah currently exists or is run ― that you personally feel would instantaneously have the most noticeable positive impact on your own daily life?” This could be a change in law, ordinance, civic focus, custom, tradition, business practice, opportunity or mindset. Or merely a shift in the local mood or tone.
I encouraged these longtime residents to be as detailed or as brief as they chose, and as open and honest as they cared to be about how the Savannah of 2024 could please them most. As might be expected from such an outreach, most of these invitations went unanswered (I’m not even sure they were ever noticed or read). A slightly smaller number of folks thanked me kindly for the request and said they’d give it some thought, but ultimately never got back to me with an answer. However, several thoughtful replies did make their way over the transom in time to meet the deadline, and they are presented collectively below. I think it’s very interesting to note just how many of the answers received touched upon similar issues, without any of these people having knowledge of who else was invited to participate, or what those folks chose to focus on in their responses. Perhaps some of our civic leaders may read these dovetailing opinions and take note?
The following submissions were edited lightly for clarity, grammar, punctuation and space (but not for content or viewpoint).
My Wish for Savannah in August of 2024:
John McKinnon, Photographer
Savannah resident (1988 – 1995) (2004 – present)
Neighborhood: Gould Estates
My wish for Savannah is comprehensive zoning reform. Or, in other words, a return to traditional neighborhood development.
Housing affordability in coastal Georgia is coming to a crisis point. Dramatically rising housing costs are widening economic inequality, displacing the working-class and middle-class families who drive our local economy, and increasingly turning our neighborhoods into places where only a lucky few can rent or buy a house – and everyone else is struggling to get by or is being forced to move farther and farther away. We need to reform our current zoning ordinances to restore the housing types that already exist in our most coveted neighborhoods – those carriage houses, duplexes, triplexes, quads, townhouses, and shops with living space above – that contribute to the charm and character of our beautiful city.
“Missing Middle” housing types offer choices for households of different ages, sizes, and incomes. When people have housing that fits their budget and their lifestyle, the community benefits. People have more money to spend on other things – retail, restaurants, and leisure ― and crime and negative environmental impacts decrease. By embracing more and varied housing types and re-legalizing Missing Middle housing and common-sense density, we will promote a more thriving and equitable community. It is up to us as citizens, business, and civic leaders to insist on updating our ordinances to ensure that we have a region that can continue to grow and thrive in the years ahead. And one that improves the quality of life for all of our residents by making sure that everyone has a place to call home that they can afford.
Zelda and Sheldon Tenenbaum
Savannah residents (Sheldon since birth, Zelda for 54 years)
Neighborhood: Historic Downtown
Our wish deals with tourism. Savannah should stop trying to bring more tourists to the city, which is being overrun by them. The money being spent on tourism (by Visit Savannah and others) should instead be put towards affordable/workforce housing. We do not need any more downtown hotels (many of which lack their own parking). The tourism industry has created an explosion in short-term rentals downtown which has led to a situation of investor-owned properties versus resident-owned properties. This has driven home prices to an unaffordable level for many.
The impact of tourism on the quality of life for the residents of Savannah needs serious study and consideration as future decisions are made. Do not lose the historic character and soul of our beautiful city.
Kim Swann
Hairstylist/Salon Owner Savannah Resident for decades
Neighborhood: Tybee Island
For the most part I try to stay away from voicing public opinions. However, when I received your message, the first thing that came to my mind was that I wish more attention was being paid to the city’s infrastructure. I can’t help but think about all the flooding we are all dealing with from the ever-increasing storms. A client of mine informed me of the current situation with the Talmadge Memorial Bridge and mentioned a website that seems to be in support of a different or possibly better approach to connectivity which could supposedly help with traffic flow and safety.
Although I drive into the city daily from Tybee Island, I have many clients from all over the Greater Savannah area. That includes over the Talmadge Bridge and I-16. I’m mostly concerned with making sure that before such a monumental and costly decision has been made and all the resources and funds have been spent on that situation, that all worthwhile ideas have been thoroughly considered.
Rebecca Rose Tanner
Clothing Designer/Patternmaker/Flamethrower Savannah resident for 10 years
Neighborhood: Old Garden City, a Port municipality that is somehow completely surrounded by the boundaries of the city of Savannah, and reliably defers to the will of the port and industry related developers.
My two cents: SCAD should not be allowed to operate private buses. In most other cities, major universities provide passes for the public transportation system. Reliance on private shuttles has depleted the potential resource pool for the public transit system by segregating the wealthy users from low-income locals. It also perpetuates the exploitation of vulnerable communities by SCAD, as this private transit option gives the students exclusive access to valuable real estate in neighborhoods that are under-resourced.
The private development which SCAD brings raises the tax burden of residents, while keeping the benefits of the development segregated. If all of SCAD’s buses were instead part of the public CAT bus system, significantly more opportunity would exist for reliable transportation to-and-from communities that need it most. This would create a great benefit for said communities. Recently, over the course of a meal at Common Ground restaurant (located in the 100 block of E. 37th St.), I counted 27 SCAD buses to only two CAT buses. Many of the downtown routes overlap, so the opportunity for CAT to expand their routes further is hampered by the redundancy this current segregation standard requires.
Xulu Jones
Musician/SEO Consultant Savannah Resident for 13 years
Neighborhood: Historic Downtown, recently moved to Ardsley Park
My wish is for SCAD to pay its fair share of taxes in the city, and for that money to then be put specifically towards funding public education and infrastructure improvements.
Ramsey Khalidi
Real Estate Developer Savannah resident for 45 years
Neighborhood: Ardsley Park
My wish is that SCAD would pay its fair share of property tax, rather than existing as it has for decades now: as a monolith which forces the taxpayers of Chatham County to literally subsidize the tax base. I’m actually livid about this. SCAD has just bought the old Savannah Lumber building and are turning it into another big box style student housing development. Everything as far as city revenue is out of balance because SCAD is not paying any property tax. Not only that, but they are also removing large and often extremely valuable parcels of land from the tax rolls, which had been generating significant amounts of revenue. Once those parcels are in SCAD’s portfolio, that revenue vanishes.
So, it’s a double whammy! Not only does the school avoid massive amounts of taxes as their property continues to steadily increase in value, we citizens also see a net negative in overall funds! Because the legitimate taxes (which were being fairly paid by the previous owners) immediately stop.
Commercial industrial property owners need to wake up. The Tax Commissioner has quadrupled what they say is owed on all warehouses of like kinds in our area. That’s because they are comparing the values of those properties with what SCAD is paying for their own acquisitions. However, the school’s purchase prices are artificially high ― and can only exist ― because SCAD is overpaying for their properties. Which they can only do because they have non-profit status! The result? Everyone else must make up the difference, because the cost of the school’s parcels and buildings are not included on the books.
Don’t get me wrong. I appreciate greatly what SCAD has done for and brought to the city. And I have no problem with their actual school buildings (where the education takes place) being tax-exempt. My issue is with the fact that their dormitories are now massive profit centers and should be taxed as such. As they inherently prohibit other competing commercial interests from creating student housing options which would contribute greatly to the city’s operating budget.
Maybe every property taxpayer in Chatham County (which also includes people who rent, because those costs are included and passed along in their rent), should get a federal exemption on their taxes for donating to a 501(c)3, which is SCAD…
Elizabeth Raley
Lead Photographer/Owner: Elope to Savannah, Savannah resident for 27 years
Neighborhood: Live Oak (near Daffin park)
This is probably echoed by many others, but my wish for Savannah is that the city stops catering to tourists. I am tired of all the ugly condos, the hotels, and all the pandering to those who aren’t using the Historic Downtown area for work or residential reasons.
I am also annoyed by the idea of slowing down traffic on streets which are required to move people in and out of downtown, simply to make it safer for tourists. Don’t even get me started on the STVR issue. We need a community, not Disneyland.
Dee Herb
Wine and Spirits Sales Director Savannah resident since birth
Neighborhood: Tybee Island
My family has been in Savannah since the mid-18th century. I grew up on Wilmington Island and have lived on Tybee for the last 32 years. I have been in the wine and spirits industry for 27 years, so growing a strong and good food and wine scene here has been almost a mission of mine. It’s never been better than right now.
Around 1985, there were only three or four stores open on Broughton Street. The rest were vacant. The Historic District was not yet safe. SCAD was just starting out and suburban flight was continuing from the early 1970s. Savannah only began to change when artists and creative types began to move downtown for cheaper rent and affordable housing. That was the first step in the city moving forward as a real hospitality destination.
The reason I am rehashing this history is because we are now coming full circle with what I have been calling the Savannah Renaissance, which began around 2012. A little over a decade into it, we are now considered one of the top cities in the Southeast for restaurants and bar/wine programs. What’s cool is this has expanded from “downtown” to include Thomas Square, Starland and even a few spots on Tybee. There’s plenty more investment and new spots coming!
As with Brooklyn, Charleston and other cities where creative artisans have changed the game for the better, staffing issues are the biggest problems for these places. It becomes harder and harder to afford to live within the city limits.
So, affordable housing is certainly needed. But I think just as important is the city investing in formerly neglected neighborhoods where young professionals can still buy or rent a house. That’s where people are moving now. Storm drainage, neighborhood associations, police presence, road improvements and tax credits for new businesses opening there are all key concerns.
My wish is that those needs be addressed quickly and seriously. Solving those problems would have the most immediate and noticeable positive impact and long-term benefits on daily life in Savannah.
Jim Reed moved to Savannah in 1986 and immediately became an active participant on the area music and cinema scenes. He has performed and recorded with bands such as City of Lindas, Superhorse, The Magic Rocks and the Knocked Out Loaded Ensemble. He also founded and ran the Psychotronic Film Society of Savannah from 2003 through 2022, making it the longest-running and most award-winning community cinema organization in the history of the city. He currently runs Fake Fangs Records (fakefangsrecords.bandcamp.com), and writes on all matter of topics (as well as creates private streaming radio shows)