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Infill development shows no sign of slowing down along the edges of Savannah’s historic district with the future addition of a six-story boutique hotel and two multi-story apartment complexes.
At last week’s Historic Board meeting, the agenda was packed with petitions for several new large-scale, $1 million-plus construction projects. Some projects got their first vetting, like a six-story infill for West Broughton Street, while others were given final approval for design.
One of the more prominent developments that came before the board was a six-story hotel proposed for the vacant property at 512 W. Oglethorpe Ave., just across from the Hampton Inn & Suites and next to the Chatham Area Transit Center.
HOS Management, the owners of the Cotton Sail Hotel on Bay Street, plan to build an Aloft Hotel as well as a five-story parking garage to sit on the northeast corner of Ann Street and Oglethorpe. Aloft is a boutique brand from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, known for its contemporary design, quirky amenities and prime location in city centers.
The ground floor will include a conference room, hotel breakfast area and fitness center, according to the petition. The parking garage will be shared with a six-story hotel on an adjoining parcel at 135 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, directly across from the Chatham County Courthouse. Both hotels are being developed by Kirit and Anil Patel, co-founders of HOS Management. HOS runs seven hotels in Coastal Georgia.
The hotel and parking garage received initial approval for height and mass and will go next to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a variance to allow the ground floor storefront windows to extend to the ground.
Apartment buildings
Also getting its first vetting was a four-story, 59-unit apartment building on 515 Montgomery St., between Gaston and Huntingdon streets.
Lynch Associates Architects, working on behalf of developer Walter Evans of West Broad Development Co., proposes a 44-foot building with a footprint of 17,291 square feet. The development will have surface level parking as well as parking under a portion of the first floor of the building. The multifamily building was designed by Charlotte-based architecture firm BeachamBunce and Manley.
The project includes the demolition of two non-historic metal structures, one built in 1984 and the other in 1940, in a neighborhood whose historic fabric the Metropolitan Planning Commission staff described as “much eroded.”
The board of review approved the demolition request but continued the petition to its next meeting, allowing both height and mass and design details to be reviewed together next time.
Finally, a mammoth five-story student housing complex at 540 Selma St., facing the Interstate 16 flyover, was given its final OK after a bumpy eight months of review. The apartment building is the project of Charlotte-based CampusWorks, a national developer of student housing.
Designed by Lott and Barber architects, the development includes underground and first-floor parking, street-level retail units and four stories of residences. The ground floor footprint of the building is 42,400 square feet.
The project applied for and received a total of seven variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals, including 87 percent lot coverage from the 75 percent standard, reduced floor heights and a structured parking setback.
Lead architect Todd Naugle argued the oblong shape of the property made it a unique and difficult design challenge, a claim met with some skepticism from board members.
At a July zoning hearing, board member Tom Branch said he thought the building looked “kind of ugly.” Another board member, Eli Karatassos, noting the visibility of the building to commuters exiting I-16 told the developers to “make us look good.”
The building materials approved at the Nov. 12 meeting included brick, gray and white stucco, aluminum balcony railings and aluminum clad windows. After a building permit is issued, the project can break ground.
The historic board reviews all new construction within the Historic District, looking first at height and mass and later its design. The process can span several months depending on the scale and complexity of the project, not to mention any variances the developer may be seeking from higher boards.