Metropolitan Planning Commission Approves Expansion of Hotel Overlay District

SAVANNAH, Ga. () — In front of a packed meeting room, the Chatham–Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) voted in favor of expanding the Hotel Overlay District on Tuesday.

The district has three boundaries which control what hotels can and can’t be built in certain areas. Expanding this district to the Victorian, Streetcar and Cuyler-Brownville neighborhoods essentially would ban hotels there.

The commission meeting at one point was standing room only, and the large majority of people in the audience stayed for the Hotel Overlay discussion. Over a dozen residents signed up to passionately speak to the commission about the issue.

“We know what we want,” Jason Combs, vice president of the Thomas Square Neighborhood Association, said. “We put the survey out there. We proved it. We did the process. Give us relief from hotel development. And again, it can still happen if somebody comes to us with a great idea.”

“We are not anti-hotel. We are pro-residents,” Nancy Mai, president of the Victorian Neighborhood Association, said. “We support development that enhances our neighborhoods, supports local small businesses, and protects quality of life for our residents. We are simply asking for the tools and the protections to do that.”

Many residents shared concerns with parking, hotels taking away from affordable housing options in the area and quality of life impacts.

“One of the things I’m finding in Savannah, and one of the things that drew my husband to Savannah from Millen, Georgia, is the ability to get around the city and see green… to see houses and to have houses and businesses all intertwined,” Karen Beasley said. “As one friend of mine said earlier today, Charleston has lost its soul. If Savannah starts losing the soul of these neighborhoods, it will be in the same boat.”

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson weighed in on the discussion before the meeting Tuesday.

“I think that we enjoy our residents. We enjoy our guests. There has to be a balance, Johnson said. “I want to make sure that we’re maintaining that balance. I think ultimately the MPC does one thing. The council ensures the balance, and we have to do that through policy and through our decisions.”

Commission member Jeff Notrica recused himself from voting on this discussion. It was previously mentioned that Notrica owns several properties that could cause him to have a conflict of interest. Stephen Plunk and Tom Woiwode were the only commission members who voted no for the expansion.

This recommendation will be presented to the Savannah City Council at a later date, where members will then make the final decision.