About a month ago, I wrote about the exciting plans for One West Park Avenue at the southwest corner of Bull Street and Park Avenue: New development would anchor south end of Savannah’s Forsyth Park
The large lot has been vacant for many years. A team of developers led by Brad Baugh is working with architecture and urban design firms Sottile + Sottile on a mixed use development that would subdivide the property into smaller lots, create a modest seven-unit apartment building on the corner, and create townhouses facing both Bull and Park. The development would be primarily residential, but there would be about 800 square feet of commercial space on the corner.
It’s a great plan for a big space like that, but our antiquated zoning codes in that area mean that the plans would need a plethora of variances.
So far, the Zoning Board of Appeals has already signed off on a largely technical issue about allowing mixed use there. On Tuesday, the petitioners have to go to the Metropolitan Planning Commission to get a variance of three parking spaces. That should certainly be granted.
Then they will have to go back to the ZBA to be allowed to divide the lots.
If you’re interested in seeing the plans, the staff report, photos, and other information, click here.
Here’s a screenshot of a detail showing the current plans:
Ironically, the developers could do something really uninteresting, ugly, and incompatible with the rest of the neighborhood without having to get any approvals. We’re lucky we’re not going to see a big box of condos with an unattractive and highly visible parking area in front and/or rear.