SAVANNAH, Ga. — City officials in Savannah are advancing plans for a potential new $31 million parking facility within the bustling Eastern Wharf area. This move aims to enhance infrastructure in one of the city’s rapidly expanding developments, although similar initiatives are not anticipated for other regions, such as the Starland District.
During a recent session, the Savannah City Council conducted the initial reading of a proposal authorizing the Downtown Savannah Authority to issue bonds for constructing the parking garage at Eastern Wharf, situated at the eastern end of River Street. Before any financing proceeds, the proposal requires further approvals.
According to city officials, the envisioned parking structure is essential for supporting the projected growth at Eastern Wharf—an increasingly popular mixed-use development on Savannah’s waterfront.
Mayor Van Johnson clarified that this $31 million endeavor is slated for funding through bond proceeds, ensuring that it will not impact property tax revenues.
“It is crucial to note that this is contingent on a bond issuance process that is yet to occur,” Mayor Johnson remarked. “Ultimately, those utilizing the garage will be responsible for the repayment of these bonds.”
Under the proposal, the Downtown Savannah Authority would issue bonds to fund construction of the garage. Parking fees generated by users of the facility would then be used to repay the debt over time.
While the financing structure has raised questions among some residents, city officials emphasize that the bonds would not be repaid through property taxes.
Documents submitted to City Council say that Savannah would enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Downtown Savannah Authority that would facilitate the bond issuance and establish repayment obligations.
The proposal would also include funding for capitalized interest and issuance costs associated with the bond.
City officials argue the garage is not a new idea but rather part of a long-standing development agreement tied to the former Savannah River Landing project, now known as Eastern Wharf.
An amended development agreement approved in 2017 envisioned multiple city-owned parking garages within the 55-acre riverfront redevelopment. The agreement called for public parking structures to be integrated into larger mixed-use buildings containing apartments, retail space, hotels, and other commercial uses.
The original plan included a Phase 1 garage with approximately 660 parking spaces and a second garage with roughly 720 spaces as future development progressed.
The agreement also outlined significant public infrastructure investments, including Riverwalk extensions, park construction, streetscape improvements, and utility upgrades designed to connect Eastern Wharf to Savannah’s Historic District.
City leaders have long argued that parking infrastructure is necessary to support the area’s anticipated residential and commercial growth.
As discussion of the Eastern Wharf proposal gained attention, some residents questioned why the city appears willing to support a parking garage downtown but not in areas such as the Starland District, where parking shortages have become a growing concern.
The question surfaced just weeks after City Council debated parking challenges in Starland and ultimately approved additional on-street parking along portions of Maupas Avenue.
Johnson said the city is intentionally moving away from relying on large parking structures as a long-term transportation strategy.
“We’re trying very hard to get away from building parking garages,” Johnson said. “They’re very, very expensive and they really serve no other use but for parking.”
Instead, the mayor said Savannah’s focus is increasingly shifting toward mobility improvements, including public transportation.
“We have to help save Chatham Area Transit and create other ways for people to create mobility around our city,” he said. “We don’t want to become a city of parking garages.”
Johnson said Eastern Wharf represents a unique circumstance because structured parking was incorporated into the development plan years ago and designed as part of the project’s overall infrastructure.
The Starland District, by contrast, presents different challenges.
“The Starland District is very, very dense,” Johnson said. “I think it would be very difficult to put a parking garage right in the midst of where people live, where they work or where they play.”
He added that neighborhood concerns, limited space, and development patterns make a large parking deck less practical in the area.
The mayor also addressed calls for additional parking options for Savannah’s hospitality workforce, many of whom work downtown where parking demand remains high.
Johnson said the city already offers discounted parking programs for hospitality employees, though those spaces are often located farther from workplaces than some workers would prefer.
“A lot of people want to park in front of where they work, and that’s just not practical these days,” he said.
The Eastern Wharf proposal remains in its early stages.
Under Georgia law, the Downtown Savannah Authority’s request for bond approval must be considered through two separate City Council readings before consent can be granted. Public notices and hearings are also required before final action can be taken.
If approved, the garage would become one of the largest recent public parking investments in Savannah and could serve as a key piece of Eastern Wharf’s continued expansion.
For now, city leaders say the project reflects a commitment made years ago as part of the waterfront redevelopment plan – not the beginning of a broader push to build more parking garages across Savannah.