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SAVANNAH, Ga. – The City of Savannah, in collaboration with its development partners, unveiled their preliminary renovation plans for the Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center at an open house meeting on Wednesday.
During the presentation, details were shared about improvements to existing facilities, as well as new developments to replace the soon-to-be-demolished arena. This segment of the project has been dubbed the “Civic Block.”
The planning process was spearheaded by AMS Planning and Research, a consulting firm known for its strategic insights.
“We’ve engaged extensively with the community,” remarked Faris, Managing Principal at AMS Planning and Research. “Through surveys and market research, we’ve discovered that by renovating the building and the Johnny Mercer Theater, we can significantly increase the volume of events hosted there.”
The findings highlighted the need for improvements, such as enhanced acoustics in the Johnny Mercer Theatre, renovations to the ballroom, and the addition of meeting and rehearsal spaces, along with a new black box theatre.
The plan also added a brand-new entrance and drop-off area to the theatre with a lobby and ballroom. The drop-off street would be on a restored Perry Street that would run from Jefferson St. to Montgomery St.
Director of Planning and Urban Design for City of Savannah Bridget Lidy said renovations would drive revenue by over $3 million and bring in more foot traffic to the city.
“What you’re going to see, which I think the residents in the community will be excited about, is an updated facility that has the ability to host quality performances as well as host community events at a much higher level than what’s currently being offered,” said Lidy.
At the end of the meeting residents had the ability to walk from board to board, to see what the project would look like.
One generational Savannah native said she thinks developers really have residents at the forefront of their minds.
“It’s a plan that embraces the needs of the community,” said Donna Myers. “It looks at what the residents, the people that call Savannah home. It looks at what they need, what they want, making it accessible and usable and affordable to them.”
City leaders said after gathering feedback from this meeting the project will be handed over to an architectural design team.