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Savannah River Landing

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SavannahGa Whistle-Stop

SavannahGa

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Scott M. Larson and Mary Carr Mayle

Savannah Morning News

Hotel, housing, offices planned on Savannah River to replace 'ugly' wasteland east of riverwalk.

The Savannah City Council today likely will help clear the way for a $570 million mixed-use development along the Savannah River at President Street and McIntosh Boulevard.

It would consist of two separate but side-by-side projects expected to generate $8 million in local annual tax revenues.

Even more pleasing to local officials is the prospect of transforming a chunk of land - next door to downtown Savannah - that resembles a wasteland.

"If you look at it right now as you drive in, it's one of the gateways to Savannah and it's ugly looking," said Assistant City Manager Chris Morrill. "There are not many large sites in the city so close to downtown where you could really do a quality development that could extend the Historic District."

One portion, dubbed the Oglethorpe Landing, will include 524 residential units with underground parking, retail and office space and a hotel on 20 acres. The development would occupy about 904,000 square feet.

The other adjacent portion of the project, referred to as Savannah River Apartments, would include 665 residential units on about 615,000 square feet on 26 acres.

The riverwalk would be extended all the way to the end of the development.

A group of local investors, operating as Oglethorpe Landing LLC, is pushing the condos and Lincoln Property Co. of Duluth, Ga., is spearheading the apartments.

Barney Portman, attorney for the Oglethorpe Landing investors, said his group is still looking at the project's feasibility as it makes its way through the permitting and rezoning processes.

"So far, everything looks good," he said. "But, with a project of this magnitude, there are a number of issues that have to be addressed."

Today the council will vote on the zoning text amendment, which doesn't seem to have any opposition. Mayor Otis Johnson said he likes the development.

The Metropolitan Planning Commission asked for the change to the zoning code specifically to fit the new development.

Wednesday, the current landowners submitted paperwork to the Clerk of Council's office to officially change the zoning to the new zoning district. It will be sent to the MPC for review and recommendation and then sent back to the city.

But the rezoning may be the easiest step. The site has historically scared off developers because of extremely poor drainage.

City officials said that, in the last couple of years, six or seven developers have met with the city about the property but couldn't make anything work.

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"For the past two years this area has been heavily in play among the development community," said John Hutton, the city's acting inspections director.

Hutton and Morrill are more optimistic about this proposal because three developers, including a group building a mall just to the south, are working together to address the big issues, such as drainage.

"All of a sudden you are looking at doing something for one-third of the cost," Hutton said.

Developers will have to work with various agencies to get permitting, such as disturbing land within 25 feet of a state-owned waterway.

Traffic to and from the development could double the 30,000 vehicles per day that travel the President Street Extension. A widening of the road and installation of four new traffic signals around the development is expected.

A consultant for the developers is currently working on a traffic analysis. Funding for the widening and traffic signals not been identified.

A review submitted to the Coastal Georgia Regional Development Center by the MPC estimates that the build-out value of Oglethorpe Landing is $250 million and that the Savannah River Apartments would build out at $320 million.

Proposals for developments of more than 400,000 square feet are automatically referred to the development center so state and local agencies can more easily evaluate and work with the project.

The RDC gave the project a green light, deeming it in the best interest of the state, said John A. Henry, former local government services coordinator for RDC.

"My only real concern was the potential storm water impacts, but the project engineers addressed it to our satisfaction," Henry said. "Usually with projects this big, the engineers are already aware of - and addressing - any potential impacts."

Storm water management will be a joint effort, involving both riverside developments as well as a proposed retail and office development directly across President Street from the Oglethorpe Landing and Savannah River Apartments sites.

Lincoln Property may be the most aggressive developer. It wants to start the first phase of luxury apartments by the first quarter of 2005.

The first phase will include about 360 apartments along the river.

"We love the Savannah market," said Chuck Shallat, regional partner at the company. "We like the fact that we've got some beautiful land along the river next to a historical district."

They will have to raise the elevation of their site an average of four feet to make the project work. Parking will be on the ground and the apartment building will be built on a platform above the parking.

It will take about two years to complete, Shallat said.

Documents filed with the development center list an estimated completion date of 2008, a time frame Savannah Harbor developer John McCleskey described as "very optimistic."

"There's so much to be done," he said. "This project still has to work its way through some pretty significant infrastructure issues."

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NewTowner Hamlet

NewTowner

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I recall this project being discussed for several years. I hope it does get off the ground, but I think drainage will continue to be a huge player in this, as the land is very marshy.

It is still moving forward--although thank the Lord that it is no longer schemed to be a bunch of isolated single-use object buildings. It is now going to be continuation, of sorts, of the Savannah plan--new squares as the hearts of new neighborhoods, built of mixed-use urban fabric rather than just a bunch of ugly towers and parking lots.

But a lot of the physical dirt needed to raise the ground level above the water level was coming from the Ellis Square excavation...which has stopped, thanks to an alarming number of unexpected fissures in downtown Savannah.

The town needs help, and badly.

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Buckley Unincorporated Area

Buckley

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It is still moving forward--although thank the Lord that it is no longer schemed to be a bunch of isolated single-use object buildings. It is now going to be continuation, of sorts, of the Savannah plan--new squares as the hearts of new neighborhoods, built of mixed-use urban fabric rather than just a bunch of ugly towers and parking lots.

But a lot of the physical dirt needed to raise the ground level above the water level was coming from the Ellis Square excavation...which has stopped, thanks to an alarming number of unexpected fissures in downtown Savannah.

The town needs help, and badly.

A half billion dollar project is at a standstill because they lost their dirt source?

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SimCity Whistle-Stop

SimCity

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Alarming indeed, exactly what type of fissures are we talking about and what's causing them? Is Savannah located on any fault lines like Charleston is?

It is still moving forward--although thank the Lord that it is no longer schemed to be a bunch of isolated single-use object buildings. It is now going to be continuation, of sorts, of the Savannah plan--new squares as the hearts of new neighborhoods, built of mixed-use urban fabric rather than just a bunch of ugly towers and parking lots.

But a lot of the physical dirt needed to raise the ground level above the water level was coming from the Ellis Square excavation...which has stopped, thanks to an alarming number of unexpected fissures in downtown Savannah.

The town needs help, and badly.

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pyper Unincorporated Area

pyper

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Interesting!

The building on the west edge of the property (in the Master Plan on the website) is the Marriott hotel, so this will be down past everything else. But not far past! The east edge of the property is adjacent to the end of the Truman Parkway. Talk about convenient.

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pyper Unincorporated Area

pyper

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If you go to the "home" part of the link above there's a section on press releases. The most current press release just announces the deal. They seem to own the property though. Probably still going through the planning department and looking for money.

As I've looked at the masterplan and the images of the waterfront in that area it seems pretty unlikely that this development will become integrated with the existing waterfront. You won't be able to walk along the water to get there, but would need to walk out General McIntosh Blvd (the connector between Bay St. and President St. to get there.

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109investments Whistle-Stop

109investments

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Excellent development but what kind of progress is being made? Have they broken ground yet?

They are broken ground, alot of padding of the site is going on rite now, alot of the dirt from ellis square is going into that site as we speak......

I believe they are looking to start building the first phase at the end of this year! Good news for Savannah...

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cocateho Whistle-Stop

cocateho

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does anyone know what the height of those two tall buildings in the rendering is gonna be? I tried to measure it out, and looking at the masterplan it looks like the their lenght north to south is just a little less than the marriot and its parking garage. so obviously they will be pretty large buildings. unfortunatly i wasnt really able to picture the scale heightwize when i looked at a picture of the marriot for reference. i can't believe they consider gthem as midrises, they look like theyd be at least as tall as the hilton.

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