In Savannah, Georgia, a large swath of land near Forsyth Park has been cleared, sparking some discontent among locals over the forthcoming development.

Located at the intersection of West Park Avenue and Whitaker Street, this site is slated to host a new office building and an underground parking facility.

The parking garage is expected to offer around 450 spaces, though fewer than 100 will be available for public use during business hours. However, the garage will be fully accessible to the public after hours and on weekends, funded by bonds from the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA).

Despite the opposition, Mayor Johnson expressed a commitment to advancing the project.

“I’m not certain that additional public feedback will change our course. I think we’ve reached a point of decision,” stated Mayor Johnson.

However, Jim Hundsrucker told News 3 that this project is taking away the rights of residents. Hundsrucker is the president of the Forsyth Park Community Alliance.

“This neighborhood has never experienced something like this before,” he said.

According to Hundsrucker, many people have concerns about flooding in this underground garage, noise pollution and traffic. They also claim that historic buildings were torn down for the project.

“Demolition of historic buildings is a problem in city hall. Over 10 to 15 buildings in recent years have been given the ‘go’ on demolition. These two buildings that the mayor referenced were contributing buildings, whether he likes it or not,” Hundsrucker said.

Hundsrucker acknowledged there is a need for parking in the area, but he said the negative impacts are too great. Mayor Van Johnson said the city has taken these concerns into account but are moving forward with the project.

“At the end of the day, I think the city is pretty clear that this is something that we want to do,” Johnson said.

The Historic Preservation Commission said it will discuss these plans at the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) meeting Wednesday at 2 p.m. Concerned residents said they plan to be there to hear what MPC staff have to say.