Hotelier Richard Kessler’s large-scale redevelopment on West River Street gained design approval Friday at a special session of the Historic Board of Review. With three members absent, the seven board members present looked over materials and design details for four new structures proposed at the site as well as the rehabilitation of the old power plant and several ancillary structures along the River Walk.
The height and mass for the new buildings were approved at a meeting in October that lasted for six hours.
In a series of four separate votes, a majority of members approved all phases incorporating staff recommendations for areas to restudy.
The overall aesthetics of the project are in keeping with the industrial history of the site. A smattering of materials to be used include brick, cement, painted metal, crimped metal, marine canvas and steel windows.
“We really looked at how to make this even better … using human scale and articulate detailing,” said lead architect Christian Sottile about improvements made since the previous review.
Although there was some disagreement over details like a canopy and window sizes planned for the power plant, Sottile said he agreed with most of the planning staff’s recommendations.
Although larger projects can sometimes take a while to pass historic board approval, the Kessler project moved fairly swiftly, getting through both part I and part II in three months.
Kessler said gaining design approval keeps the project, which he now estimates will cost $230 million, on schedule. He said they’re still a few months away from getting final approvals, predicting a July ground breaking.
“Even though it might seem fast to some people, we started designing this two years ago,” he said. “It’s been a long process.”
He said he appreciated the vetting the review board gave.
“I think it’s been thorough process,” he said. “They had time to ask the hard questions and get answers. As far protecting the citizens and community, I think that’s certainly been done.”
Kessler said he was also pleased with the progress the project had made over the past 12 months, including City Council’s approval of $14 million in improvements for a 1,300-foot extension of the Savannah Riverwalk.
“I think that as we continue to work inside the (power plant) building, we’re discovering the really unique things we can do,” he said.
The project will add about 400 hotel rooms, 26,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space and 65,000 square feet of outdoor communal space to the waterfront.
The centerpiece will be a full restoration of the existing brick early industrial-style plant, built in 1912, and the later addition from the 1940s.
Kessler said a more recent plan he’s made is to place a historic pipe organ inside of the main building and holding noonday concerts on the river, so people can enjoy lunch with music outside and inside.
“We’re really excited about that and think that really brings this whole music and art to the forefront to what this project is about,” he said.
Two spoke during public comment — Bill Stubey of the Downtown Neighborhood Association and Danielle Meurnier of the Historic Savannah Foundation — with suggestions for the project.