By Eric Curl
March 27, 2023 – Perhaps, the smell of barbecued pork, barbecued lamb, and fried chicken will linger in the air, or at least in the memories of some Savannahians, as they wheel their shopping carts up the aisles, remembering dances in the ballroom.
A building permit application was recently submitted, along with construction plans, to construct an Aldi grocery store at 1651 E. Victory Drive, where the Johnny Harris Restaurant was located prior to the beloved Savannah landmark’s closing and demolition in 2016. The grocery store is part of a development along Wicklow Street that includes the planned construction of a 280-unit apartment complex.
Divisional Vice President Shaun O’Keefe said via email on Monday that the company was excited to confirm what will be the second location for the German-based supermarket chain, which they expect to open early next year. The site meets the criteria of the company, a convenient location for customers that can support high-traffic volume daily, O’Keefe said.
“We are happy to continue serving shoppers with this additional, future location,” he said.
Aldi opened its first store in Savannah in 2019 at 14070 Abercorn St., across from the Savannah Mall, as reported by Savannah Morning News.
The Aventon Apartments cleared a major hurdle in March 2022 when the Metropolitan Planning Commission approved the general development plan for the 280-unit complex, with several caveats over traffic flow and right-of-way uses, as reported by Savannah Morning News. The Savannah City Council had approved the rezoning of the site for multifamily use on Dec. 21, 2021.
Last September, the Savannah City Council approved Victory Drive Investors’ request to declare unused property as surplus and available for sale so the developer could incorporate the right-of-way, unpaved King Street and section of Munster Street, into the development after purchasing the adjoining properties.
In addition to the $210,000 revenue from the sale, a $400,000 contribution from the developer of the market-rate apartment complex was deposited in the city’s affordable housing fund.
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