Some people binge Netflix. I binge meeting agendas and building permits. This is a compilation of the latest stories I wrote based on what I found.
Stay engaged Savannah,
Mid-century building once owned by city now facing uncertain future
May 2, 2023 – With a padlocked chain securing the entrance, the former Broughton Municipal Building on East Broughton Street, where Savannah residents once paid their utility bills, has not welcomed visitors for about four years.
Ever since the city sold the historic mid-century building and relocated the revenue department in 2019, the 6-story structure has sat vacant and unused, aside from being a canvas for graffiti. Read more>
No luck required; The Jinx gets a little help from its friends
May 2, 2023 – Strong support from area residents, musicians, business owners and former patrons may just spur the encore they desire, as the owner of The Jinx attempts to reopen the beloved downtown Savannah bar and music venue that shut its doors in 2020.
That love of the establishment was evident Tuesday, when the Metropolitan Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a special-use permit to operate the proposed bar, music venue and restaurant in the Streetcar Historic District. The commission cast their unanimous vote after receiving more than 200 letters of support and hearing about 20 speakers plead their case for what they described as “community center”, a “refuge” for music fans, and “hotspot of local culture.”
The recommendation for approval will next go to the Savannah City Council, which has the final say on whether the currently vacant and rough looking building at 2602 Whitaker St. can serve as Savannah’s next haven for metal, rock, country and hip hop lovers. Read more>
Chatham County closes out federal rental assistance program
May 1, 2023 – While the need is no doubt still there, federal rental assistance provided during the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer an option.
Chatham County recently closed out the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program after reportedly using $14 million in grant funding to support 3,159 households over a 2-year period during the pandemic. By the time the US Treasury’s Dec. 29 deadline to spend the funds arrived, the county had about $3.5 million in awarded funds left over, which have to be returned to the US Treasury. Read more>
New building to be built for restaurant on former city lot sold as part of affordable housing plan
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.
Meanwhile, construction of the affordable apartment complex on the site acquired from the city is dependent on the awarding of the tax credits later this year, Mario Procida, with the development group, said last month. Read more>
Green Truck Pub gets greenlight to gussy up
April 26, 2023 – The 1980s-era building at 2430 Habersham St. will be getting a 21st-century makeover after Green Truck Pub’s owners got the OK to shed the structure’s fast-food past.
Coming after the COVID-19 pandemic moved diners outside, the plan to improve the 12-year-old restaurant’s outdoor aesthetics and seating accommodations was approved by the Historic Preservation Commission on Wednesday. Read more>
Developer optimistic about chances for senior housing at fairgrounds site
April 23, 2023 – Developer Bill Gross said the tax credit application he will be submitting to develop affordable housing at the former fairgrounds site has a “very high probability” of success, following the city’s recent support for the effort.
“Whenever you have a community willing to help sponsor a project, it helps a lot,” Gross said. “I think that is going to be the thing that will really to put us in the winning category.” Read more>
Southside Sears developer says apartments on the way
April 23, 2023 – It won’t be in time to enjoy the Graveface Records and Curiosities temporary pop-up shop that is opening there this year, but a Charlotte, NC-based developer says the Oglethorpe Mall will one day have hundreds of potential customers living right next door.
Madison Capital Group is moving forward with plans to demolish the vacant Sears on the mall’s west end and construct a 240-unit apartment complex on the site. The company submitted a building permit application for the project this month, more than a year after the Savannah City Council approved the company’s petition to rezone the property from commercial to multi-family residential in February 2022.
The company is now looking to start construction in the next 30 to 60 days, Executive Managing Director Ross Rabun said Friday. Read more>
In case you missed it
Sale of former city properties approved as part of Cuyler-Brownville housing plan
April 16, 2023 – Three vacant lots are set to be developed as affordable housing and a neighborhood eyesore is expected to be made livable once again, following the approval of mixed-income housing plans for Cuyler-Brownville.
The Chatham County-Savannah Land Bank Authority (LBA) approved the sale of the first four of 19 former city properties to the Galvan Foundation as part of the New York-based nonprofit’s housing initiative in the historic neighborhood. Read more>
SCAD building ‘fire station’, ‘convenience store’ and ‘subway’ at film studio complex
April 16, 2023 – Beyond the gateway currently under construction, the Savannah College of Art and Design is continuing to develop a world of make-believe off Louisville Road.
SCAD recently submitted plans to construct multiple backlot buildings as part of the film studio complex the university is developing along the corridor west of Savannah’s downtown historic district. The plans include the construction of buildings resembling a subway station, New York-style brownstones, a convenience store and gas station, rowhouses and a fire station for students to use for filming projects.
Old Town Trolley considering paranormal experience for site following Liberty Street building acquisiton
The “Old Town District” may soon be a fitting name for the northeast corner of Liberty Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
Old Town Trolley recently invested $3 million to purchase the downtown Savannah building at 416 W. Liberty St., which previously housed the Distillery Ale House for 11 years before the bar and restaurant shut its doors in 2020.
The company is still in the conceptual stage of determining how the property will be used, although the building is expected to serve as another Old Town attraction such as the American Prohibition Museum in City Market, according to the company’s regional manager, Charlie Brazil. The area surrounding the newly acquired property has a “substantial haunted heritage” and they are considering some type of paranormal programming for the site, Brazil said.
The company is also planning to convert a former parking garage next to the Liberty Street building into a restaurant and bar with retail space and a museum, as previously reported. In addition, the company is in the process of renovating the adjacent Old Town Trolley building at 250 MLK by making improvements to the guest service area in front.
Kessler submits building permit application, building plans for newly acquired mansion
Luxury hotel developer Richard Kessler recently submitted a building permit application for interior improvements to the historic mansion he recently purchased at 26 East Gaston St. The building permit application included renderings by local architect Christian Sottile.
The plans show the floor plans of the home’s three levels and basement, which include five bedrooms and one room described as a apartment. The illustrations also show a lounge, wine cellar, pool and gym.
Kessler purchased the 115-year-old mansion for $4.75 million in February, as previously reported. He remains focused on renovating the “iconic” residential property overlooking Forsyth Park and Drayton Street and has not made any decisions about long-term plans for the property, according to his spokesperson, Allison Hersh.
Once in the way of development plans, former Savannah railroad terminal condemned as “unfit for human habitation”
After plans to demolish the building for an apartment complex failed to move forward, an early 20th-century railroad terminal appears to be falling apart on its own.
The city recently condemned the former railroad freight terminal at 703 Louisville Road after finding it to be unfit for human habitation, improperly secured, covered in graffiti and surrounded by litter, according to public records obtained through an open-records request. Read more>
The building was found to be unfit for human habitation, according to the posted notice. Eric Curl/April 14, 2023
In case you missed it
‘Savannah Morning News’ building now devoid of SMN staff, shuttered presses to be dismantled
April 3, 2023 – The newspaper’s name may still grace the building’s entrance, but Savannah Morning News employees recently moved out and the former owner is now taking steps to remove the last remnants of the publication’s presence at 1375 Chatham Parkway.
The city recently issued Augusta-based Morris Communications a permit to have Thompson Building Wrecking Co. dismantle, remove and dispose of the 20-year-old building’s newspaper presses, dock conveyors and associated gear at a cost of $70,000. In addition, Morris submitted a permit application to demolish the partition walls inside the newspaper’s mailroom. Read more>
With $6.5M purchase, downtown church seeks to address parking woes
April 10, 2023 – The Independent Presbyterian Church’s parking challenges downtown may soon be alleviated with the recent purchase of two nearby parcels just east of the Savannah Civic Center.
The church purchased a parking lot on Barnard Street, north of Orleans Square, along with a 19th-century home and associated parking on Oglethorpe Avenue, for $6.5 million, on April 3. Read more>
SCAD to buy building after Ghost Coast Distillery’s closing
April 6, 2023 – Less than half a mile long, Indian Street packs in about three blocks worth of recent development projects just outside of Savannah’s downtown historic district. With the pending sale of a 60-year-old building on the corridor’s west end, that evolution is set to continue.
The Savannah College of Arts and Design recently submitted plans to renovate the building that formerly housed the Ghost Coast Distillery at 641 West Indian St. SCAD is under contract to purchase the building to renovate the structure for “state-of-the-art” classrooms. Read more>
#StayEngagedSavannah
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