Aug. 6, 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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Historic Preservation Commission recommending historic status for buildings following demolition petition
The Historic Preservation Commission is recommending that the city designate three properties near Forsyth Park as contributing structures within the Victorian Historic District, following the recent petition by the property owners to demolish the structures in order to build an office complex.
The properties 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.
The HPC voted on July 26 to submit the recommendation to the Savannah City Council after voting down the petition to demolish the properties at their meeting on June 28.
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Prior to the adoption of the new zoning ordinance (NewZO) in 2019, it was not possible for resources outside a designated ‘Period of Significance’ (1870-1923) to be added as contributing resources; however, with the adoption of NewZO came the ability to add resources outside of the period if they are of “exceptional importance” as the HPC claims the three structures are.
Currently, all buildings within the local design review area for the Victorian Historic District are reviewed for any exterior changes visible from a public right-of-way. However, only those buildings that are listed as contributing on the Contributing Resources Map are guaranteed protection against demolition.
The building at 1001 Whitaker Street was actually deemed eligible for individual listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011; however, the local historic district did not have the authority to amend the Contributing Resources Map to add it as contributing, according to a July 27 memo Metropolitan Planning Commission Executive Director Melanie Wilson sent City Manager Jay Melder detailing the HPC’s recommendation. The HPC’s denial of demolition of the three buildings in effect requires the amendment of the Contributing Resources Map, Wilson said.
The buildings’ owners contended in the project description that with the proposed demolitions they were attempting to correct a “lapse in urban design judgment 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, as previously reported. The project is meant to 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, the owners’ petition stated.
Cotton Sail Hotel expansion proposed
The owner is planning to expand the Cotton Sail Hotel into the adjacent building, according to a plan going before the Historic District Board of Review Wednesday.
The project includes the rehabilitation of the top three levels and rooftop space of the adjacent building at 114 West Bay St. in order to accommodate guest rooms, a coffee bar retail space and rooftop amenity deck with bar and lounge and fitness center, according to the staff report.
Constructed in 1852, the building is a contributing resource within Savannah’s Downtown Historic District. The Bohemian hotel operates on the other side of the building.
Staff is recommending approval of the project with some conditions requiring the petitioner to provide some additional information about some building materials and design aspects.
Demolition of former Drayton Street service station sought
The owner of the long-vacant gas station at 1210 Drayton St. recently submitted an application to demolish the deteriorating structure.
Located at the intersection of Drayton and Henry streets, two of downtown’s busiest corridors, the building’s condition has grown visibly worse in recent weeks. The application submitted Friday also seeks to demolish the neighboring warehouse building at 108 E. Henry St.
The former service station is owned by Robert Chu, the owner of the local Chu’s convenience store chain. Chu purchased the property for $375,000 in April 2022, according to property records.
The service station was constructed in 1959, while the warehouse was built in 1975, and neither structures are contributing resources within the Victorian Historic District.
On Sept. 17 2019, Chu received approval from the Metropolitan Planning Commission for the demolition of both buildings and construction of a 1-story convenience store and gas station at the site. However, the approval included some conditions, including the requirement that the owner obtain approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals for the fuel station use.
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The approval came despite opposition from the Victorian Neighborhood Association, which submitted a letter opposing the new convenience and gas station due to concerns about compatibility, traffic and litter.
Following opposition from residents and the VNA, the zoning appeals board ended up voting to deny Chu’s special-use permit to construct the gas station at the meeting on Oct. 24, 2019, stating in the motion the gas station would cause significant detriment to the neighborhood.
The denial came despite MPC staff’s recommendation to approve the service station, with the condition that a 20-foot-wide vegetative buffer be planted as a visual screen between the residential properties to the east of the site.
MLK hotel update
A building permit application was submitted Friday to construct a long-planned 6-story hotel with 242 rooms at 63 Martin Luther King. Jr. Boulevard. The project being developed by North Point Hospitality Group also includes three levels of underground parking with 204 parking spaces.
The building permit application comes after the Historic District Board of Review approved the most recent design in November 2022, as previously reported. The hotel’s height and mass were previously approved by the review board on Feb. 12, 2020.
A Firestone Auto Care shop built in the mid-1960s previously occupied the site before being demolished in 2017.
Restaurant, Inn planned for Duffy and Bull
A site development plan was submitted July 27 to renovate the building at 11 West Duffy St. for use as a restaurant. In addition, the second floor of the neighboring building at 1201 Bull St. is proposed to be renovated for use as a 16-unit inn.
Neither the Bull Street building, built in 1950, or the Duffy Street building, built post-1973, are consider contributing historic structures.
A petition to renovate the two buildings, which are located on the same parcel, was approved by the Historic Preservation Commission at the meeting on Oct. 27, 2021.
The inn would be located on top of the building’s current ground occupants, Alexander’s Bistro, White Whale Craft Ales and Neighborhood Comics.
New construction on West Congress
A site development plan was submitted July 27 to construct a 4-story building on a vacant lot on West Congress Street.
The lot is located next to the 3-story building at 30 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, which is undergoing renovations for use as a restaurant. On the lot’s east side, the historic 2-story building at 27 Montgomery St. has been undergoing renovations to accommodate the Charleston-based Darling Oyster Bar, which is expected to open this summer, as reported by Eat It and Like It columnist Jesse Blanco.
The site has been owned by local developer Jeff Notrica’s Franklin Square Real Estate LLC since 2014, according to property records.
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