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The names of the tenants remain a mystery, but a new grocery store and pharmacy are being planned for east Savannah.
The plan by South Carolina-based developer WRS Inc. Real Estate Investment was presented to area residents on Tuesday evening during a meeting at Savannah High School. The development is located north of Gwinnett Street, between Long Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue, across the street from a vacant building that once housed a Kroger.
The vacant lot was formerly occupied by World War II-era Strathmore Estates apartments, which were demolished in recent years to make way for the Savannah Gardens mixed-income development.
George Seaborough, president of the Twickenham Neighborhood Association, said his neighborhood, east Savannah and other area communities stand to benefit from the development.
Having a grocery store close by will be a plus for area residents who do not have transportation and for young people in search of jobs, Seaborough said.
“In my mind, employment always helps to reduce crime,” he said.
The developer has not announced the names of the businesses that will operate at the site or a timeline for the project. Kevin Rogers, with WRS Inc., did not return calls on Wednesday seeking comment.
The project is expected to go before the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission in January for a zoning change and plan approval, said MPC Executive Director Tom Thomson.
Savannah Alderman John Hall said he welcomes the developer’s plan and the way in which they reached out to the community to solicit feedback. Some residents had concerns, such as the decision to locate the store somewhere other than the site of the former Kroger, which has been closed for at least 10 years, but the business investment is a positive one for the area, Hall said.
“The corridor is depressed,” he said. “We need some new development in there.”
The old grocery store site had been marketed for sale with the intention of locating a small market-style grocer there, but developers said they needed more land for the shopping complex, which would include about six additional stores, said Darrel Daise, director of the nonprofit Community Housing Services Agency, which owns the property.
That’s when the other location on Gwinnett’s north side was considered, Daise said. Both parcels would be included, and the developer intends to demolish the old grocery store so it will not remain an eyesore, he said, but no plans for what would replace the structure have been made.
As part of the negotiation process, which is ongoing, the developer has pledged to provide at least 100 jobs and focus on hiring area residents, Daise said.
