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SAVANNAH, Ga. () — On Saturday, numerous community members gathered to explore the future prospects of Yamacraw Village during a summit.
The event took place at the First African Baptist Church near Franklin Square, featuring an in-depth recount of the area’s history and strategies for shaping its upcoming developments.
This historic African American neighborhood, known as Yamacraw Village, is slated for demolition and redevelopment, contingent on approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Elder Ned Williams, who spearheaded the gathering, noted that this is not the first occasion the site has faced a complete teardown.
“We encouraged people to join us for a dialogue about historic Yamacraw—not just Yamacraw Village but the broader Historic Yamacraw,” Williams explained. “This community has roots that stretch back centuries. In 1938, the neighborhood was razed, displacing thousands.”
The current Yamacraw Village project was built in its place, but owners’ personal property was consolidated, and all rebuilt units were titled as one property under the ownership of the Housing Authority of Savannah (HAS).
Williams added that only approximately 350 units were built as part of the Yamacraw Village project, a large decrease from the previous dwellings.
A recent proposal by HAS to turn the land over to a master developer and sign a “99-year ground lease” invokes alarm bells due to the history.
“That means that a 10-year-old child’s great-grandchildren will be born before that lease expired,” Williams said. “The concern we have is you’ve taken private property and consolidated, and now you are taking the private property and then placing it in hand to private investors? We think that’s a genuine concern.”
Williams’ alternative to the ground lease was a proposed legacy trust, “The people that live in this community can create a trust and the property be assigned to them.”
Besides the history presentation, Williams also spoke with attendees about how the community can help lead and influence the future of the property, which is more than just the residents and advocates.
“This is an opportunity now to get with the housing authority, get with the city, the community, and maybe we could work out a community-led redevelopment of those 22 acres,” Williams said.
Following the formal discussion, attendees were encouraged to leave contact information and get involved using their talents and expertise.
There is also an effort to get 1,000 people to sign a petition about the community-led redevelopment proposal.
“It’s not complicated. We just need folks to say that they support the idea that the community can be actively engaged in the redevelopment, or we also need folks who are interested in helping the families that are being relocated stay connected to the process.”
If you or someone you know is interested in getting involved in this effort, you can contact Williams at 912-713-4295.