SAVANNAH, Ga. () — Savannah’s getting new architecture, but some have said that it will take away from the historic charm of the downtown area.

The new multi-use building on East Oglethorpe and Drayton Street will be six stories and just over 36,000 square feet. The building will be used for businesses on the bottom and either a hotel or residential space on the other stories, including some type of rooftop.

“One of the things that is a character-defining feature of the savannah downtown historic district is it’s not completely uniform, as you know, if you walk around, there are all different types of buildings,” Savannah MPC Historic Preservation Director Jonathan Mellon said. “It’s what everyone loves about Savannah. It’s kind of a picture book of architectural styles. And we hope that the new construction that we’re approving now will, in 50 years, people will look back and say, that was really well done. This is another, you know, from a period in American architecture.”

The project has been approved, but not without backlash from community members. The Historic Board of Review received over 90 emails asking not to approve the design for fear it wouldn’t fit in with the historic charm of the city.

“A lot of people felt it was too tall and that was not an invalid concern,” Mellon said. “And it was something that we had addressed initially. And again, with the revised design that was approved yesterday, the applicant adjusted the scale of the building. They actually lowered the height of the whole building by five feet, which was quite substantial. They also took away a portion of the western portion of the building, well adjacent to the historic buildings, that would be more visually compatible. But yes, scale was the main concern of the opponents.”

The approval from the Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission is just the first step. The next approval will be for specific construction design, like bricks and windows.