Could Savannah be the next New York?

[cocateho]

Well, folks can forget the comparison between NYC and Savannah, until that parkway/interstate connects Augusta to Savannah. When the cities are finally linked....all I can say is w-a-t-c-h out Atlanta, as we're going after the money owned to us due to decades of forced segregation.

[altamaha]

Savannah will NEVER be like New York for all the reason's listed above. I like Savannah and it has a lot of potential. However, Charleston and the greater Charleston area will most likely grab a lot of the industry which makes a city grow.

[Florida]

Just curious, when you say NYC style, what exactly do we mean?

[cocateho]

Firstly, my answer to the initial question is a thundering 'no'. And be careful what you wish for. Savannah already has nice attributes of NYC, but in a much more relaxing context. Forsyth Park is like a mini Central Park. Broughton Street is really getting great street shopping (and hello, a Marc Jacobs store! Cities 10 times bigger don't have that). The new, south end of Savannah is what's 'blah' and borderline nauseating IMO. And if Savannah grows too fast, I'm afraid we'd see more of that kinda crap. And looking at the tricky coastal/river geography and goofy existing highway structure, I'd be afraid of more growth and how that new population would be sustained. The Truman highway totally needs to be tweaked and/or expanded for starters. Savannah is sooo long, and the main way through town is up and down Abercorn?! That street and it's gazillion slow-poke stoplights are a recipe for mental breakdowns. I could knit an entire sweater while waiting at DeRenne and Abercorn alone! By the time you get down to the Savannah Mall area, you don't even care anymore, and give up hope that you'll have any brake pads left at the end of the day.

And if growth doesn't go out, then it's gotta go dense and up. And Savannah is totally height phobic, for sure in the Historic District anyway. Maybe in a decade or two, that Starlight or Starland (?) District will sprout into a more autonomous urban center, like a mini Buckhead or something. But that's really iffy.

[El Norte]

Savannah's natural beauty, its southern charm, its spanish moss...

[WanderingImport]

Savannah will NOT be the next New York. New York City is the one and ONLY, as is Savannah.

I think Savannah will probably be similar to what it is today in the next 20 years. In the next 50 years, well, it'll probably be different. I think the only big difference will be the boom in population.

In a news article posted a few years ago (pre recession), it spoke of population figures of the WHOLE Coastal Empire (Chatham, Bryan, Effingham, Liberty, Long, McIntosh,Glynn,Camden and even Screven and Bulloch counties) being somewhere near 900,000. I think that sounds pretty accurate. For the immediate area; aka Chatham, Effingham, Bryan, (the current MSA) I believe the population will be somewhere around 475,000 in the next 20 years. No one can really accurately predict the population in the next 50 years or so, but I'll assume it'll probably be somewhere around 850,000 for Savannah MSA.

Chatham County will more than likely be built out in 30-40 years, including areas like Pooler, Port Wentworth and Bloomingdale. Development will connect more (instead of the spotty development you have now in West Chatham and Effingham; Ex: There are woods between Port Wentworth and Rincon & Rincon and Springfield). I'm hoping and praying I-16 & 516 will at least be 6 laned (3 lanes in each direction) at that point! ..and that the Savannah area will have it's much needed Traffic Control Center that is planned in the DOT's long term projects.

Also hoping that by this point Project DeRenne will be implemented and a success story with a revitalized corridor looking something like Habersham Village surrounded by the globe. More pedestrian friendly and heavy traffic detoured by the Hampstead flyover. As for the Savannah River Landing site, it'll be completed as well with an addition of over 5,000 new downtown residents within the development(maybe over estimating a bit), as well as new office space and upscale restaurants, shopping and an actual MOVIE THEATER.

As for Downtown Savannah itself, here's to hoping it'll be as vibrant as it is now and more so with record numbers in tourists. We're at around 8 million tourists annually now. I'm thinking if we keep things up and give people more incentive to come to Savannah (aka more things to do), Savannah could double it's numbers to 16 million annually in 20 years. Hopefully Parker will finally develop that high rise he planned a few years back and there will be more infill development projects. Oh, and maybe we'll have a new Cruise Ship terminal by then as well!

In the end, only time will tell what will happen with Savannah's future. What we can do NOW is be proactive in our community and with our political leaders, help guide them in the right direction and continue revitalization efforts, as well as removing any dilapidated structures and deadbeat property owners. ...and last but certainly not least, keep a progressive mindset!