By Eric Curl
July 2, 2023 – Some of Savannah’s historic neighborhoods are looking to block hotels from their communities by expanding restrictions that regulate such development in the Downtown Historic District.
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The Victorian and Streetcar historic districts neighborhood associations are petitioning to extend the boundaries of the city’s Hotel Development Overlay District beyond downtown to cover the communities to the south.
The extension of the overlay district, which regulates the size and location of hotel development, is being pursued to prevent hotels from being built in the neighborhoods, said Thomas Square Streetcar Neighborhood President Jason Combs.
“We’re not against big development – we like it,” Combs said. “We’d like it to be multifamily residential, rather than hotels coming in.”
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The overlay district distinguishes hotel categories by large hotels (75 guest rooms or more) and small hotels (16-74 guest rooms). The petition being sought is to extend the zone where neither sized hotels are allowed. It would not prohibit inns with fewer than 16 rooms or short-term vacation rentals.
While there is no specific project behind the effort, Victorian Neighborhood Association President Nancy Maia said that the long-vacant Sears building at 2 East Henry St. is an obvious site they would like to preemptively prevent a national hotel chain from developing.
There would be “a huge Holiday Inn going in there and all of the sudden we have Starbucks instead of the (Sentient) Bean,” Maia said.
Residents of both neighborhoods have expressed strong support for the effort, according to Combs and Maia. Of the 83 residents who responded to a survey concerning the matter, about 70 percent supported the expansion, while about 15 percent were either unsure or against the idea.
Those opposed to the idea cited factors such as increased foot traffic from hotel visitors and support for area businesses as the reason for their response, while some felt existing zoning requirements were adequate for controlling hotel development.
The extension is scheduled to be considered by a zoning advisory body, the Metropolitan Planning Commission, on July 11, and will ultimately have to be approved by the Savannah City Council to be implemented. The historic Cuyler-Brownville neighborhood is also expected to request a similar extension of the overlay at a later date to cover the community, following the recent submittal of their own petition.
If approved, the extension would not necessarily guarantee that hotels will ever be built in the area. The overlay could always be amended, as it was last year for the Manger building, which is being converted from an office building back to its original use as a hotel.
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