By Eric Curl
Jan. 5, 2023 – Negotiations continue more than a year since the Savannah City Council authorized the city manager to negotiate the purchase and sale agreement with P3 Venture Group for the development of the former fairgrounds property.
The development group was chosen among three contenders in October 2021 after submitting a development plan for the more than 60-acre site at 4701 Meding St. The plan includes multi-family homes with a focus on senior housing and mixed-use retail, along with a production studio, recreational fields and public trails. The proposed purchase price of $2 million plus the projected tax revenue over a 20-year period is expected to produce a total financial value of almost $6 million, according to the October 2021 staff report.
On Thursday, a city spokesperson said the city was still actively negotiating with the development group, but little information was provided about what was holding the agreement up.
“The development of the 61-acre site is a complex negotiation that requires a clear understanding of each entity’s roles and responsibilities,” Communication Specialist Keturah Greene-Luckett said in an email. “The city remains hopeful that we will reach an agreement with P3 Venture Group soon.”
City Manager Jay Melder reported in a June memo to Alderwoman Estella Shabazz that the city expected to have sale and development agreements in place with the development group by this past November. Melder also said the city is committed to breaking ground on the project by October 2023.
Melder made his assurances after a local partner in the development group approved to develop the city owned fairgrounds property left the project after raising concerns about one of the majority stakeholders.
Little information was obtained from an open records request I sent on Nov. 29 for all correspondence concerning the fairgrounds development to and from the city manager since October. All “attorney-client privileged documents” were withheld, pursuant to open-records laws, according to the city.
A Nov. 2 email Planning, Zoning and Urban Design Director Bridget Lidy sent to the David Keating, the city’s Senior Director of Real Estate Services, said “We have not been working on the fairgrounds.”
“Our directive from Joe was to hold off on it until further notice,” Lidy said in the email, which copied Policy and External Affairs Director Joe Shearouse.
Lidy was responding to an inquiry from Keating regarding the status of the rezoning of the “entire remainder parcel of the Fairgrounds to (Planned Development) so the proposed development plan is entitled to proceed.”
“This is time sensitive,” Keating said.
A previous rezoning of a portion of the site for multi-family senior housing was approved by the planning commission on March 1. The rezoning allows for 100 units on the site and restricts building height along Meding Street to two stories, while allowing for up to three stories elsewhere on the site. The city council followed suit by approving the recommended rezoning on March 24.
Fairgrounds timeline
Aug. 5, 2016 – Savannah City Council approves the purchase of the 66.5-acre former fairgrounds property at 4701 Meding St.
June 19, 2020 – A Request for Proposals (RFP) to develop the Fairgrounds property was issued on June 19, 2020
Aug. 18, 2020 – RFP closes after the city receives three private-sector groups submitted development proposals. Their proposals included a range of economic and commercial activities, including a film studio, employment center, a hotel, a regional sports complex, extensive commercial development, and high-density residential development.
Oct. 28, 2021 – City Council votes to authorize the city manager to negotiate a purchase and sale agreement and development agreement of the fairgrounds property with P3 Venture Group, for the development of their proposed concepts, which include:
- 20.5 acres of conserved wetlands with public trails
- 2.4 acres of public central park with public off-street parking
- 18.3 acres of multi-purpose playing fields, basketball courts, community gardens and an indoor recreation facility
- 14.5 acres for sing and multi-family homes with a focus on senior housing and mixed-use retail
- 6.2 acres for a production studio and career development opportunities
- 11.4 acres for public streets, sidewalks, tree lawns and on-street parking
March 1, 2022 – Former partner, Craig Gordon, raises concerns in a letter to City Manager Jay Melder about the Arizona-based stakeholders, P3 Partners, involved in the project prior to his departure.
March 24, 2022 – City council votes to approve rezoning for 3.85 acres of the fairgrounds property to allow for the development of up to 100 units of affordable housing for seniors.
May 12, 2022 – City council votes to adopt an amendment to the Tatemville Neighborhood Redevelopment Plan to facilitate the improvement and retention of affordable housing. The council also votes to authorize the city manager to enter in to a land lease agreement with the Land Bank Authority to as part of the low-income housing tax credit application
June 2, 2022 – City Manager Jay Melder reports in a memo to Alderwoman Estella Shabazz that the city expects to have sale and development agreements in place with the development group by November.
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