The fairgrounds site, owned by the city, sits on an old unpermitted landfill and may need costly environmental remediation. (Eric Curl/Savannah Agenda)

Savannah city staff is recommending that the three proposals to develop the former fairgrounds site be presented to residents before moving forward with any of the projects, as part of the city’s new Community Benefits Plan.

This story also appeared in Savannah Agenda

The proposals include plans for movie studios, recreational complexes, multi-family housing and more, according to the city staff report. They will be presented to the Savannah City Council during their meeting on Oct. 22. 

The city council voted to purchase the site at 4701 Meding St. for about $2.9 million in 2016. Portions of the 67-acre site were used as an unpermitted landfill in the 1980s and could be cost-prohibitive to develop due to the environmental remediation that would be required, as outlined in this report.

Eric Curl is a journalist and editor/owner of Savannah Agenda, an online news site dedicated to community engagement.