April 28, 2024 – The city is seeking approval to move forward with its plans for the former fairground site, while the history of an unincorporated Chatham County cottage dating back to the early 19th-century may get some local recognition, including acknowledgement of its ugly past. See who is meeting and what’s on the agenda in the latest Week Ahead, while getting some updates from last week.
Stay engaged Savannah,
The Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission is meeting at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday at 112 E State St.
The agenda is now available to view. The meetings can be accessed remotely by registering via the MPC’s homepage.
Fairgrounds zoning
The MPC will consider a petition to amend the Future Land Use map from Parks and Recreation to Planned Development for the former fairgrounds site owned by the city.
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The city is seeking the change in order for a contracted buyer to develop the parcel as a mixed-used development with affordable housing, film studios, a creative workforce innovation center, neighborhood commercial uses, an indoor sports facility, outdoor sports fields and courts, playgrounds and a nature preserve.
MPC staff reported receiving no correspondence either via phone call or email regarding the proposed amendment and is recommending approval.
Former Asbury church plans
MPC will also consider amending the Future Land Use map from Traditional Neighborhood to Traditional Commercial for 1201 Abercorn St. in an effort to adaptively reuse the existing historic church on the parcel as a restaurant and event venue.
The petition comes after a Savannah-based development group purchased the former church earlier this month to open a “very approachable restaurant where you could go on a budget and have a really cool experience, or you could also blow it out with a multiple course dinner,” as reported Thursday.
The owners expect the restaurant to have 150 seats inside the building and operate from 5 pm to 10 pm, with the possibility of opening for daytime service on two days, according to the MPC staff report.
MPC staff reported that general public sentiment was agreeable to the proposed changes when the owners presented the plan at a Victorian Neighborhood Association meeting on April 9.
MPC staff is recommending approval of the amendment, in addition to related zoning changes and a special-use permit that would allow the restaurant to sell alcohol.
East Broad development
In addition, the MPC will consider Foram Group’s petition to rezone 1.38 acres at East Broad and East Gwinnett streets to accommodate a proposed 4-story, 185-unit mixed-use apartment complex. Following the advisory body’s review, the petition is scheduled to go before the Savannah City Council on May 9.
MPC staff is recommending approval, but with multiple conditions and proposed modifications concerning the plan. The conditions include reducing the maximum number of units from 185 to 138.
The Chatham County Historic Preservation Commission is meeting at 3 p.m. on Wednesday at 112 East State St.
The preliminary agenda for the commission’s meeting on May 1 is now available to view.
The public can access the meeting remotely at: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4604863984948353112
The HPC will consider designating the Jacob Fox Gould House as a local historic property to protect and preserve the 19th-century structure.
Constructed by a slave-owner who ran a rice farm operation on about 700 acres, the one-and-a-half story house at 1253 Little Neck Road is a circa 1830-era Tidewater South Raised Cottage that stands as the oldest building in the vicinity, with the majority of houses built in 1950 or later, according to the petition. In addition to the history of the house, it’s architecture and the Gould family , the application describes the Gould family’s reliance on enslaved men, women and children, and the free labor they provided, for the rice plantation’s growth.
Staff is recommending approval.
If designated, the house will join the New Ogeechee Missionary Baptist Church, Maridon n (AKA: Eureka Club, Farr’s Point), Pennyworth Island, Isle Of Hope Union Missionary Baptist Church, and the Pin Point Historic District in obtaining the local historic status within unincorporated Chatham.
Week in review
The Savannah City Council approved a development agreement that is ultimately expected to lead to almost 400 affordable homes and apartments at the 66-acre former fairgrounds site the city acquired in 2016. Read the full story>
The city council also authorized loans from the Community Housing Services Agency to support applications for state issued low income housing tax credits for planned affordable housing projects at the fairgrounds site and on former city property at Drayton and 34th streets. This will be the fourth attempt by the city to obtain the tax credits for the Drayton Street project, and second attempt to obtain the credits for the fairgrounds development, after previous applications were unsuccessful, as previously reported.
Foram petition postponed
Due to a lack of a quorum, the Metropolitan Planning Commission postponed consideration last week of Foram Group’s petition to rezone 1.38 acres at East Broad and East Gwinnett streets to accommodate a proposed 4-story, 185-unit mixed-use apartment complex. The petition is now scheduled to be considered by the MPC on Wednesday and go before the Savannah City Council on May 9.
SCAD diner plans OK’d
The Historic Preservation Commission approved SCAD’s petition to build a kitchen addition on the 1950s-era diner at 1402 Habersham St., along with the construction of a covered outdoor dining area next to the building. Read the full story>
Election info
The mail out of absentee ballots began last week for the May 21 general primary election and voting by mail applications are being accepted until May 10. Early in-person voting will run from April 29-May 17. Read more about how and when to vote>
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