While some people binge Netflix, I binge building permits and meeting agendas. This column is based on what I find.
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Kessler purchases historic Mills B. Lane mansion on north end of Forsyth Park
Local luxury hotel developer Richard Kessler has added another historic Savannah building to his list of acquisitions, following the development of Plant Riverside, the Bohemian and the Mansion on Forsyth Park. Kessler’s limited liability corporation, which shares the Florida address of his hotel development company, The Kessler Collection, recently purchased the downtown mansion at 26 East Gaston St. for $4.75 million on Feb. 27, according to the sales record.
Located a block away from the Armstrong Mansion that Kessler purchased for use as a private residence in 2017, it is unclear how the property will be used. According to his spokesperson, Allison Hersh, Kessler is focused on renovating the “iconic” residential property overlooking Forsyth Park and Drayton Street, but has not made any decisions about long-term plans for the property.
Originally built for Georgia banking magnate Mills B. Lane in 1908, the six-bedroom home is considered as an architectural masterpiece, featuring commanding Ionic columns, a stately brick facade, graceful Swan’s neck pediment and hand-crafted wrought iron fencing, as reported by Connect Savannah in 2021.
Kessler purchased the property from the founder of the Galvan Foundation, Eric Galloway, who had used an LLC to acquire the mansion for $4 million in 2021, according to the sales record. Galloway moved to Savannah intending to open a second location for the New York-based nonprofit and support the city’s Housing Savannah Action Plan, according to the foundation’s treasurer, Dan Kent, as reported in January.
The New York-based Galvan Foundation is planning to acquire 19 city owned properties for housing development in Cuyler-Brownville, following the city’s approval of the sales, as previously reported in January. The Mill’s B. Lane mansion’s address was also used for Galvan’s subsidiary, Savannah Local Initiatives, which purchased a historic building at 2205 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from the Historic Savannah Foundation last October with the intention of restoring the fire damaged structure.
Developer of former city property planning third attempt at tax credits
The Pinyan/Procida Development Group recently submitted for review a site development plan to construct an affordable housing development on former city property at 1700 Drayton St., following failed attempts over the past two years to obtain tax credits for the project.
Mario Procida, with the development group, said on Monday that the site plan was submitted to get the project “permit ready”, but that construction of the planned 42-unit affordable apartment complex is dependent on the awarding of the tax credits.
“Otherwise, we can’t make the math work,” Procida said.
Procida said they scored well among Savannah’s applicants, but not well enough throughout the state to obtain the “highly competitive” credits. In conjunction with city officials, they intend to work on boosting that score in order to improve their chances of success during the third attempt, he said.
The low-income housing tax credit applications are due in May and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs doesn’t announce the allocations until late in the year, so it will likely be at least 2024 before the developer can move forward with the project.
The city sold the property to the development group for $750,000 in December 2021 for the purpose of building affordable housing on the site, after the city’s Code Compliance Department building at the site was destroyed in a fire in 2020.
Original Leopold’s to be renovated as restaurant
Leopold’s owner Stratton Leopold submitted plans last week to renovate the building at 720 Habersham St., where three brothers from Greece opened the family’s original ice cream shop in 1919. The building will be renovated for use as a restaurant, according to a project narrative submitted with the plan. Leopold also has plans to construct an accessory building on the site for ice cream events, such as birthday parties, as reported last April.
132 East Broughton
The owner of the former city utility building at 132 East Broughton St. has made some headway – in paper at least – in converting the structure into a hotel. The development plan was approved on Feb. 15, according to the city’s permitting website. Whether the approval means work will begin soon is not clear. Savannah Agenda has reached out to the property’s owners and an update will be provided if more information about the project’s status is obtained.
Colorado-based M/A Capital Ventures purchased the building from Atlanta-based Columbia Ventures for $6.25 million in March 2022, as reported last April. The purchase came almost three years after the city sold the structure to Columbia Ventures for $4.5 million, following approval of the sale by the Savannah City Council in August 2018.
Plan for apartments at Truman Parkway & East 63rd gets nod of support
At last week’s meeting, the Metropolitan Planning Commission recommended approval of a petition to rezone parcels 1800 East 63rd Street with the intention of developing apartments at the site on the east side of the Truman Parkway. The commission’s recommendation will have to be approved by the Savannah City Council before the change can be adopted.
Ralston College obtains tax exemption
At last week’s meeting, the Chatham County Board of Assessors approved Ralston College’s property tax exemption for the historic downtown mansion at 3 W. Gordon St., which the college purchased to establish a new educational institution “dedicated to human flourishing.” However, the board denied the planned college’s application for an exemption on a Baldwin Park home the college purchased to house a faculty member. The exemption was denied because its primary use was as a residence, according to accessors’ office deputy of operations, Lisa Lowrimore. Last year, both exemptions were denied because they were made too late in the year, as reported in December.
City Hall restoration manager sought
The city is seeking a construction manager to oversee the restoration of City Hall from the design stage to construction close out. The construction manager’s responsibilities include ensuring project costs do not exceed an approved “Guaranteed Maximum Price” that is determined during the design process, according to the request for proposals. The Savannah City Council awarded a $490,395 design contract to a Ethos Preservation for the restoration project in December, as previously reported.
Tybee subdivision gets required permitting
The city of Tybee Island has issued the infrastructure permits for the proposed 10-lot residential subdivision Christopher Koncul is planning at 708 Butler St., according to an update city attorney Bubba Hughes provided at the Feb. 23 meeting. In addition, the city manager and Koncul have now both signed the agreement to protect the historic McNeal cottage and trees on the site, while restricting the development to single-family homes, according to the meeting minutes.
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