The city is seeking new, cleaner sources of energy, while renewable sources of downtown development projects never seem to dissipate. Want to know where the next construction project will take place? Look for “non-contributing” buildings that don’t add historic value to the district according to local zoning codes. You’ll see a couple poised for demolition and redevelopment in the latest roundup of Savannah Agenda stories from last week.
Thanks for staying engaged Savannah,
Eric
City planning solar installations throughout Savannah
The city is planning to install solar panels at 19 buildings throughout Savannah as part of a transition to clean and renewable energy sources.
The solar systems will be installed at police and fire stations, community centers, administrative buildings and wastewater treatment plants, under an agreement approved by the Savannah City Council last Thursday.
Cherry Street Energy will install the solar systems at no upfront costs, under the terms of the agreement, and the city will pay for the generated energy at a price that is less than the current utility rate, according to a staff report. The city expects to save more than $30,000 in the first year, while reducing energy use by about 3% relative to 2021 usage.
Housing authority postpones vote on $1.5M elevator fix at Stillwell Towers
The Housing Authority of Savannah was unable to vote on a $1.5 million elevator fix for the 20-story Stillwell Towers senior housing building Wednesday due to a lack of a quorum.
The current elevator systems at Stillwell are inefficient, outdated and beyond continued economic repair, while ongoing maintenance contracts have been unable to provide reliable service, according to the staff report. This has reportedly led to frequent unscheduled elevator outages.
Renovations, restaurant planned for former Kevin Barry’s space on West River Street
Renovations for a new restaurant are planned for the historic West River Street building previously occupied by beloved Irish pub Kevin Barry’s, as presented to the Historic District Board of Review on Wednesday.
The architect of the project, Savannah-based Felder and Associates, is working with interior design company, The Irish Pub Company, to design a restaurant called The Southern Tavern, according to the submitted project description and drawings.
Demo, apartments planned for Oglethorpe & Lincoln
The new owner of a 1960s-era building at 302 East Oglethorpe is planning to demolish the 1-story building and construct a 4-story apartment building in its place.
The proposed apartment building submitted to the Historic District Board of Review includes 12 units with 10 onsite parking spaces and two spaces for mopeds, according to the project description submitted by the architect, J. Elder Studio. By the way, the west side of the building appears to have five stories, but that’s just a mezzanine.
The proposed plan comes after Wesley Chapel Partners, LLC purchased the property for $1.9 million in January, according to sales records.
The review board recommended approval of the plan because the “non-contributing” building was severely altered in 1976. Constructed in the early 1960s and first used as an automobile glass and sliding-glass-door shop (really?), the space was used most recently as law offices.
On July 13, the review board postponed the proposal for consideration at a future meeting. Stay tuned …
MLK plan includes demo, rehab & courtyard as downtown Savannah connector
The buildings located at 111 and 119 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard will be rehabilitated, while the center structure at 113 MLK would be demolished to make way for a public courtyard, under a plan approved by the Historic District Board of Review on July 13.
The buildings are owned by New York-based Tidal Real Estate Partners, which purchased the properties for $7 million in 2019. The development sites are part of a larger project Tidal is constructing to the immediate west at 110 and 111 Ann Street, where a 390-unit apartment complex is being built. (You can see the giant cranes scraping the sky from MLK and beyond.)
Mayor Johnson seeking street designation to honor city native Sen. Warnock
The city, at the mayor’s request, is seeking approval from the Housing Authority of Savannah for an honorary street designation in honor of U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.).
Cape Street, which runs through the Kayton Homes public housing community where Warnock grew up, would be designated “Raphael Warnock Way” under the proposal. The honorary street designation is only symbolic and would not change the name of the street or impact addressing, GIS systems, or emergency responses.
Upcoming Meetings
Chatham-Savannah Homeless Authority – July 19
Chatham County Assessors Board – July 21
Georgia Ports Authority – July 26