Editor’s note: Story updated Oct. 7 to reflect commission vote.
For years Savannah residents in districts south of Forsyth Park have worried about whether the city’s expanding tourism industry would creep into their communities and destroy their quality of life — much like they believe has occurred downtown due to more hotels and traffic and fewer full-time residents.
MPC MEETING ON HOTEL OVERLAY PLAN
- The public meeting occurred Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. To read the results of the neighborhood survey and the proposed amendment to the city zoning regulations, click here.
The Metropolitan Planning Commission addressed one of those top concerns Tuesday by voting to prohibit new hotels in the Victorian, Streetcar and Carver Village neighborhoods. The districts included in the zoning decision stretch north to south from Forsyth Park to Victory Street, and west to east from Ogeechee Road to Broad Street.
The commission approved the zoning amendment to what is known as the hotel overlay plan that was presented by the neighborhood associations from these three districts and supported by the results of a survey of approximately 700 residents from these areas. The overwhelming majority of those respondents agreed with the hotel ban in these areas known for their diverse population, distinct period architecture and rising property values. Many survey takers cited the view that Savannah officials have catered too much to tourism and not enough to the needs of property owners and residents.
Ahead of the vote, the staff of the planning commission had recommended a different outcome. A report submitted to the commissioners backed a ban on hotels with 70 rooms or more from these districts, while allowing for the possibility of boutique hotels — defined as 40 rooms or less — along thoroughfares that have traditionally been commercial. These include the Henry and Anderson corridors, as well as Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
The staff report said there is no data showing an imminent threat of hotel development in the three neighborhoods. But, it added that there is clear public interest in protecting housing supply for residents.
The commissioners ultimately sided with the proposal, however, after approximately two hours of public comment from residents, small business owners and neighborhood association leaders.
The decision would only affect new hotels, not ones that already exist, like the Hotel Bardo on Drayton, or the districts’ many small inns. Savannah’s city council now will vote on the issue.
The Chamber of Commerce and tourism board urged the commission to reject an outright ban on hotel development in the three districts.
The Historic Savannah Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Savannah’s period buildings, wrote to the commission ahead of the meeting criticizing multiple recommendations in the staff report.
Respondents to the neighborhood surveys sent out earlier this year cited a lack of city infrastructure such as sewage capacity, to support tourists and hotels. They also expressed concern that hotel management companies, or outside investors, will increase the already steep price of rent and housing downtown in the hopes of developing more commercial tourism properties.
