Week Ahead - Savannah Bananas Lease; Forsyth Park Parking Garage & Horse Carriage Ordinance

Aug. 10, 2025 – On Thursday, Forsyth Commons LLC is set to return to the Savannah City Council’s chambers for the consideration of an amended agreement to build underground parking garage across from Forsyth Park’s southwest end.

The agreement allows for the construction of a 3-story, 430-space underground parking garage at the corner of Park Avenue and Whitaker Street, along with three office buildings above the garage. The garage’s costs have gone up since the original agreement was approved in March 2024. City officials now anticipate needing to issue $35 million in bonds, up from $31.5 million, to cover expenses due to increased material, labor and financing costs.

The bonds would still be issued through an agreement with the Savannah Economic Development Authority, and the developer will make payments in lieu of taxes to help pay down the debt, along with using parking fee revenue, per the terms of the agreement. Three hundred fifty of the parking spaces would be allocated to the office tenants during business daytime hours and one hundred would be allocated for public use, with all of the spaces are to be publicly available after business hours and on the weekend, according to city officials. The developer is also required to build public restrooms at Forsyth Park as part of the deal (the city has final say over where they will be located.

The plan to construct the garage and an office complex above it has been controversial due to the size of the proposed office buildings and demolition of the existing buildings on the site.

Earlier this year, the developers abandoned the rezoning, variances and map amendments related to the office buildings in response to a legal challenge from a couple of area residents alleging procedural flaws and violations of Georgia’s Zoning Procedures Law. as previously reported. However, the developers claimed they reserved the right to proceed with other work related to the project, including the demolition of the buildings at the site and work related to the construction of an underground parking garage in partnership with the city. Last month, a judge agreed and ruled in a court order that the demolition work could proceed after opponents had sought an injunction to halt the work.

Savannah Bananas Lease

In addition, the city council will consider another five-year lease with Fans First Entertainment, the owner of the Savannah Bananas, for use of Grayson Stadium. In addition to base rent, the lease requires the Bananas owner to invest at least $250,000 during the lease period and absorb about $150,000 in annual operating costs such as janitorial, utility and maintenance work. The agreement also provides some additional land in the back of the stadium for the development of a 10,000-square locker and team training facility constructed at Fans First Entertainment’s expense.

Horse Carriage Restrictions

At Thursday’s meeting, the Savannah City Council will also consider some revisions to ordinance regulating horse carriages, due to concerns about the heat and horses’ health. Under proposed amendments, the city could switch to a “wet bulb” temperature heat stress measurement system, a “comprehensive measurement” that considers the cooling effect of evaporation, solar radiation and ambient heat, in addition to a standard outdoor temperature. In addition, the city could continue to use ‘dry bulb’ measurement and drop the maximum operating temperature by 10 degrees to 85 degrees.

Darling Oyster Bar

And the long-awaited Darling Oyster Bar could be opening soon. The council will consider an alcohol license for the historic market at 27 Montgomery Street near City Market.

Find out who else is meeting and what is on the agenda at Meeting Agendas Archives – Savannah Agenda

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