On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Planning Commission will consider the general development plan for Christ Church Anglican’s proposed new sanctuary and parish house with meeting and education facilities at the northeast corner of Drayton and 37th streets.
It’s a proposal that raises many interesting questions about the role of large-scale institutional development in a mixed-use area where narrower lots are common.
Of course, the Thomas Square neighborhood is already home to a significant number of large churches and institutions, as Christ Church Anglican’s proposal details. Similarly sized structures nearby include the Bull Street Library, New Covenant Church, the Christian Revival Center, Sisters Court Apartments and SCAD’s Wallin and Arnold halls.
Still, Christ Church Anglican is asking for some significant variances. Plus there is the complex matter of an existing historic building on one of the lots that would be combined.
The church building itself requires a 10-foot height variance from the 45-foot maximum in the Thomas Square zoning code and a 1,300-square-foot variance from the 5,500 maximum footprint.
Of course, since the sanctuary would be right against the parish house with a footprint of 5,800 square feet, we’re essentially looking at a footprint of 12,600 square feet. Technically, these are two buildings, but the visual effect will likely be of a single structure with different facades and levels.
That’s major development for a .53 acre lot.
The application speaks of the potential relocation of the existing Merriwicke building to the eastern edge of the site but offers no guarantees that the late 19th century residence would be saved.
The development requires 38 parking spaces, about half of which would be provided off-site through an agreement with the Georgia Infirmary. But that site is well outside the 150-foot distance for remote parking facilities.
Some parishioners are more likely to park on nearby streets than to utilize the Georgia Infirmary, but I’d rather see that happen than for the church to build a large surface lot.
I live about five blocks north of the site in question, near a constellation of churches with ugly surface lots that sit largely empty throughout the week. Such lots represent terrible uses of perfectly good land and are detrimental to the neighborhood.
MPC staff has recommended approval of the general development plan and of all the variances except for the height of the church. Staff recommends that the issue of height be reviewed again by the MPC after the submission of drawings from the architecture firm Sottile & Sottile.
The deferral of that decision seems reasonable. If I were on the commission, I’d also be asking some questions about the proximity and overall mass of the two buildings on the site.
City Talk appears every Sunday and Tuesday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net and http://www.billdawers.com. Send mail to 10 E. 32nd St., Savannah, GA 31401.