June 25, 2023 – There is a lot of development going on in Savannah. These are some of the more recent projects that caught my attention while perusing building permits and meeting agendas.
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Demos near Forsyth Park opposed
Staff with the Metropolitan Planning Commission is recommending that the Historic Preservation Commission deny petitions to demolish multiple properties west of Forsyth Park, where the property owners want to build an office complex.
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The buildings facing demolition are located in the Victorian Historic District and include two 20th-century office buildings along Whitaker St. near Park Avenue, in addition to a 19th-century building west of the intersection along West Park Avenue that currently houses the Campbell & Son Funeral Home, as reported last week.
The buildings’ owners are teaming up to correct a “lapse in urban design judgement that occurred over 60 years ago,” by clearing away buildings with no urban context or significant history that would not be permitted to be built today, according to a project description by Greenline Architecture’s Keith Howington. The project will create office space for local companies and their employees, alleviate area parking issues, correct the needed density for the blocks, and improve the vibrancy of the area, Howington said.
However, the MPC staff reports say the petitions should be denied because the criteria for demolition have not been satisfied and the buildings at 1001 Whitaker, 1015 Whitaker and 124 West Park Avenue qualify for contributing structure status within the historic district.
The demolition petitions are scheduled to go before the HPC for consideration during Wednesday’s meeting.
412 and 414 MLK tear down planned
Applications were recently submitted to demolish 412 and 414 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The buildings would be deconstructed by Re:Purpose Savannah to preserve materials for reuse, according to the applications.
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Formerly occupied by B & B Paint Co., the now vacant building at 414 MLK has been owned by Hallex Holdings LLC since 2018, according to property records. The company is based on Tybee Island, according to the state business registration. The building was constructed in 1900 and is not a contributing structure with the historic district, according to this 2014 MPC report.
The building at 412 MLK has been owned by Ashmore Gallery LLC since 2017, according to property records. The company is based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., according to the state business registration.
There is conflicting information as to whether 412 MLK is a contributing structure within the Savannah Downtown Historic District. The building is shown as a non-contributing structure in the Metropolitan Planning Commission’s contributing properties map, which was last updated in July 2016. However, this 2018 MPC report says the building, constructed in 1905, is a contributing structure.
A vape shop, Smoke City, operates on the ground floor.
143 Houston Street
The building at 143 Houston St. is being demolished to clear the way for a new restaurant, according to the petition approved at the June 14 Historic District Board of Review meeting.
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The building was built in 1976 and is a non-contributing structure within the Downtown Historic District. The building is vacant and is not structurally sound, according to the petition submitted by Mike DeCaire, with Savannah-based Wakely Properties.
143 Houston St. from Oglethorpe Avenue. Eric Curl/June 23, 2023
Preliminary design plans were included with the June 14 demolition petition, but were not part of the review. The submitted conceptual plans show a proposed two story structure that the petition states will house a fine dining restaurant.
Wakely Properties purchased the property for about $1.5 million in December 2022, according to property records.
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Bowling below historic Woolworths building
The planned renovation of the historic Woolworths building at 131 East Broughton St. includes a bowling alley in the basement, according to a recently submitted site development plan. The street level will be shell space while the second and third floors will be condominiums, according to the plans.
Keith Howington, with Greenline Architecture, stated during a 2022 review board meeting that the rehabbed upper stories would serve as a small hotel, according to the meeting minutes. Sales records also show that a portion of the property was purchased by an LLC that shares an address with a Boston-based vacation rental company, Stay Heirloom, which rents out multiple properties in Savannah and throughout the country, as previously reported. The rehab plans for the ground floor and up were approved by the Historic District Board of Review on Sept. 14, 2022.
410 E. 37th St.
On Thursday, the Savannah City Council approved a special-use petition sought as part of the latest plan to rehabilitate the historic service station building on the corner of 37th and Price streets.
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