By Eric Curl
April 26, 2023 – A developer’s plan to construct a commercial building on former city property is progressing, while the viability of building affordable housing on a majority of the site awaits a decision from the state.
The Historic Preservation Commission approved Pinyan/Procida Development Group’s petition on Wednesday to construct the one-story building for use as a restaurant at 1705 Abercorn St., where a small parking lot currently exists. Due to the small size of the lot, the review board also recommended approval of a variance that would allow the building to sit six inches closer to a neighboring property line than the 3-foot-setback standard requires. The variance will next have to be approved by the Savannah Zoning Board of Appeals.
Located in Savannah’s Streetcar Historic District at the corner of 33rd Lane and Abercorn in a mixed-use zoning district, the proposed building would be located next to a 2-story building used as a law office. When built, the restaurant is expected to accommodate about 13 diners, according to the project’s architect, Keith Howington, with Greenline Architecture.
The 1,828-square-foot lot is one of three parcels the Pinyan/Procida Development Group acquired from the city for $750,000 in late 2021, as approved that February by the Savannah City Council. The city sold the properties to the development group for the purpose of building affordable housing after the city’s Code Compliance Department building at the site was destroyed in a fire in 2020. In addition to the housing component and parking on the two larger parcels, the approved plan also included commercial space at the site of the proposed restaurant.
The developer is now planning to submit another application to obtain competitive state low-income housing tax credits for the planned 42-unit apartment complex, after two failed attempts over the past two years. On April 13, the Savannah City Council authorized the issuance of a $1.26 million loan from the Savannah Affordable Housing Fund to help boost the developer’s chances of success. The Georgia Department of Community Affairs typically announces the tax-credit recipients in the fall.
Construction of the affordable apartment complex is dependent on the awarding of the tax credits, Mario Procida, with the development group, said last month. Meanwhile, the company recently submitted a site development plan to get the project “permit ready,” Procida said.
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