What do you think about the plans for Broughton St.? (Savannah: appointed, construction)

[WanderingImport]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

Also, a demolition application has appeared on the building next to McDonald's at Jefferson and Broughton. This will pave the way for construction of the large new H&M store on that and the adjoining (vacant) lot.

Exciting things happening on Broughton!

Any word on a completion date of this new building? Or a start date for that matter.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by WanderingImport

Any word on a completion date of this new building? Or a start date for that matter.

The demolition request is still winding its way through the permitting process. It would be late summer / fall before construction, a year before opening. I would think.

[Stboro]

Are they building any new buildings in empty lots or just renovating?

[WanderingImport]

Originally Posted by Stboro

Are they building any new buildings in empty lots or just renovating?

Aside from what Newsboy mentioned? (I'm hoping you read the above)

Really. Not a bad question to ask. Are there any more vacant lots that will see construction?

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by Stboro

Are they building any new buildings in empty lots or just renovating?

Originally Posted by WanderingImport

Aside from what Newsboy mentioned? (I'm hoping you read the above)

Really. Not a bad question to ask. Are there any more vacant lots that will see construction?

There are only two "vacant" lots on the retail stretch of Broughton Street (between Lincoln and MLK) and within the B-Street District that Ben Carter is concentrating on. Both are on the same block, between Jefferson and Barnard. One is next to a duplex building that currently houses McDonald's and a law office, which has sold out and is vacating. The vacated side of the duplex building will be torn down and the spot combined with the vacant lot to build a brand-new store for H&M.

The other vacant lot is almost directly across the street, between the building that currently houses Urban Outfitters / Free People and a empty building that formally housed Goodwill (and is part of the project). That lot has been empty since the early 1990s, when a storm caused the previous building to collapse. It's notable for the exposed elevator shaft, which miraculously still stands to this day. From Broughton, if you look directly through the lot you see Telfair Museum.

I'm not entirely sure if the second lot (on the south side of Broughton) is part of Ben Carter's plans, though there has been excavation work done there within the past month and new fencing has gone up. In his proposal, Carter said he wanted to create some pocket parks along the street, and that spot would be a good cross-through to the museums behind it, should it prove unusable as rebuilt commercial space.

You can see the two vacant lots on this map:

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.0797.../data=!3m1!1e3

Here's where the H&M is going:

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.0797...9nBrZjqpew!2e0

Here is the collapsed building lot with exposed elevator shaft:

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.0796...ICBPhLqN-w!2e0

BTW: On the right (east) side of the H&M space is a very narrow storefront that for many years housed Atwell's Art & Frame Shop. My sources tell me that the owner of that business paid $75,000 for the building in the late 1980s or early 1990s. They sold it to Ben Carter for $3 million. It is being gutted and renovated for leasing to an upscale national retailer (yet to be announced). This is what is happening all up and down Broughton Street.

[Stboro]

I was actually asking because of that exact lot where H&M is going. I looked on Google Maps and thought that the building that's going to be torn down was too small for a store to go in, so that answers my question!

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by Stboro

I was actually asking because of that exact lot where H&M is going. I looked on Google Maps and thought that the building that's going to be torn down was too small for a store to go in, so that answers my question!

Yes, H&M has apparently been trying to come downtown for awhile, but hasn't had any luck finding a suitable space (until now). They have a standard store design and minimum sf requirement that just couldn't be done in the old, historic spaces on the street. This new construction will solve that problem.

BTW ... that's been one of the biggest drawbacks to more national retailers coming to the street, according to Ben Carter anyway. Most of the storefronts on Broughton are very narrow and deep, and many also have structural deficiencies that require major investment to bring them up to code -- or make them marketable to national chains. That's why the Ben Carter thing has been such a win-win for the city: He's spending the cash to make the street marketable that local interests either could not or would not do.

Also, don't forget there's about luxury 100 loft apartments that are included in this project. I have yet to see any progress on those yet, but I imagine work will commence this summer. He was supposed to be closed on most of the properties by the end of May.

[WanderingImport]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

Also, don't forget there's about luxury 100 loft apartments that are included in this project. I have yet to see any progress on those yet, but I imagine work will commence this summer. He was supposed to be closed on most of the properties by the end of May.

Speaking of residences, do you have any updates on News Place? I think I remember a few years back that most of the residences wouldn't sell so they converted them to something else? It's all fuzzy to me at this point..

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by WanderingImport

Speaking of residences, do you have any updates on News Place? I think I remember a few years back that most of the residences wouldn't sell so they converted them to something else? It's all fuzzy to me at this point..

The condos fronting Bay Street in the old News-Press buildings (above Ruth's Chris and Five Guys) were all sold at auction and are occupied. The building behind there (that shares a block with the Andaz Hotel) is all vacation timeshares.

[ajc100890]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

I was down on the river tonight. There was a HUGE black yacht moored at the Hyatt. Guess who was hosting a big party on the back deck? That's right -- BEN CARTER! Don't know if it was his boat or not, but the guy is definitely making his presence known in town.

In the past couple of weeks, a BUNCH of storefronts on Broughton have either started demolition (with windows covered over), have COA signs posted on them, or have large prominent B-STREET PROJECT For Lease signs in them. This tells us that Carter's plans are moving forward very quickly.

Also, a demolition application has appeared on the building next to McDonald's at Jefferson and Broughton. This will pave the way for construction of the large new H&M store on that and the adjoining (vacant) lot.

Exciting things happening on Broughton!

What's the progress on J.Crew? I apologize for the question, but I haven't been back in town since January. I can't seem to find anything online either.