By Eric Curl
Feb. 25, 2023 – The revised plan for the Starland Village mixed-use development in Savannah’s Streetcar Historic District was approved and construction of the project is now expected to begin in the coming months, according to the developer.
“We’ve got all our building permits approved by the city and we expect to break ground somewhere in the next 90 to 120 days,” Victor Apat, with Equus Development Partners, said on Friday.
Located on a two-block stretch of Bull Street in the area also known as the Starland District south of downtown, the planned development includes the construction of two apartment buildings and renovation of a historic church.
Equus was brought in as a partner by Foram Group, which has been planning the development since 2017. The revised development plan was submitted for review in December 2021 after Foram paused the project to reassess and ensure the plan fit the new environment the pandemic has created, according to an update Foram’s Travis Stringer posted on Facebook early last year.
The developer is now in the process of demolishing a former school building at the site, where a 5-story, 58-unit apartment building is proposed to be built. The demolition is expected to be completed by May, Apat said.
Submitted about four years after the the Savannah City Council approved a rezoning request for the project, the revised plan eliminated the event venue use for the historic church at the site, with expectations that the space would instead be developed as commercial, retail and office space.
Apat said Friday that the use for the church space is still “up in the air at this point.”
“It’s out for lease at this point in time and depends on what user comes in our direction,” he said.
The development also includes the construction of a 5-story, 59-unit building on the north side of the church, across 38th Street, where a former Savannah police building was demolished for the project.
Both buildings include parking – a total of 95 spaces – in addition to a 24-space surface parking lot behind the church.
#StayEngagedSavannah
[email-subscribers-form id=”1″]
If you find value in this website, please consider contributing via Paypal to help cover the costs. You can also send contributions via Venmo @Eric-Curl and via CashApp at $ECrl77. Your support, no matter how much you give, is appreciated and will help ensure the future viability of this community resource. You can also show your support by subscribing or sharing Savannah Agenda with others via email or social media by clicking the icons below. Increasing readership is critical to the long-term success of this site.