Savannah residents to get vocal over Victory Drive plan (Tybee Island: landscaping, maintenance)

[Airforceguy]

I just hope city officials develop a competent plan that can deal with the traffic, development and overall aesthetic look of this important street. I believe that uniform zoning codes, well-kept landscaping, historic style street lights and properly timed traffic lights will help the corridor out big time.

Congestion is just one issue Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission officials are trying to address along the corridor that serves as the primary emergency evacuation route off the islands. Pedestrian and bicycling amenities are lacking in some areas, flooding issues are prevalent, landscaping is consistently overgrown and sometimes unsustainable, and natural and cultural resources along the corridor have been lost or ignored, according to planning commission officials.

On Thursday, residents will get a chance during a public meeting to offer their ideas for improving the stretch of Victory that runs from Bee Road to Skidaway Road. In addition to landscaping and transportation enhancements, the planning commission will be seeking feedback on land use and urban development.

Samuel Williams had plenty of suggestions while walking along Victory on Tuesday, including the need for more lighting, wider sidewalks and better maintenance of the area. While developers have been accommodated, amenities for residents are also needed, Williams said.

“The improvements around are for finances, but not the living,” he said.

Identified as the area most affected by commercial development and increasing traffic, the stretch of road includes the former site of the Johnny Harris restaurant. The building that housed the restaurant for 80 years was recently demolished to make way for a new 11-acre commercial development between Dixie Avenue and Wicklow Street. Some residents voiced concerns the commercial development would soon spread further west, as they made failed attempts to block the project because of traffic worries and issues with the design.

There is not as much control over development in that area as there are in other places, and Thursday’s meeting will provide an opportunity for residents to voice support for additional regularity tools such as height, landscaping and setback requirements, said Jane Love, MPC project manager.

“Of course the property owners, we want to hear from them as well,” Love said. “Not everyone wants more regulation.”

Focus on the area comes after the planning commission’s recent completion of the first and second phases of the study. The first phase, which looked at the entire corridor between Ogeechee Road and the south end of Tybee Island, included recommendations for the addition of small “pocket” parks and pedestrian facilities, as well as the restoration of curbs and improved drainage systems.

The second phase looked in more detail at the most western segment from Ogeechee to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, with the aim of revitalizing the section as a “classic main street.” Recommendations include the elimination of one lane in each direction of the four-lane road to expand the sidewalks and add landscaped tree lawns as well as a wider median.

Savannah residents to get vocal over Victory Drive plan | SavannahNow

[deadsavannahian]

The bee to skid away section of victory does need improvement, but yes the beauty must be preserved