Shoppes at Wicklow Farms development cancelled (Savannah: sale, leases, attorney)

[Airforceguy]

Didn't see this coming, but I guess in the end this is a good thing...

Although the building that housed the restaurant for 80 years has been demolished, the commercial development planned for the site has been abandoned, according to Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission officials.

Gary Plumbley, MPC project planner, said Thursday he heard issues regarding the time the project was taking and with the planned tenants led to the developer’s decision to halt the plan.

“That particular project has gone by the wayside,” Plumbley said.

Attorney Robert McCorkle, who has served as the developer’s representative, did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday afternoon.

The development submitted by ARS Ventures LLC had consisted of retailers, restaurants and a specialty grocer on the site bounded by Victory, Wicklow Street, Kerry Street and Dixie Avenue.

The plan faced opposition from residents who had been concerned about potential traffic congestion and the project’s design, in addition to the loss of the Johnny Harris building they had considered a historic landmark.

Despite the opposition, the development — the Shoppes of Wicklow Farms — was approved by the planning commission in February. In turn, the City Council approved in March the sale of an unopened right-of-way in the middle of the site for the development.

If a new development is proposed, it would have to again be submitted to the planning commission for consideration.

Plumbley said he did not expect the property to remain undeveloped for long, but that no new plans have been submitted.

“Nothing has surfaced,” he said.

The development site is located along a stretch of Victory that has been identified by planning officials as the area along the corridor most affected by commercial development and increasing traffic.

Residents have a chance for input after development at Johnny Harris site called off | SavannahNow

[WanderingImport]

Good. Here is a chance to create some true long lasting, sustainable development which can encourage walkability.

[Carolina Knight]

A longstanding restaurant in Savannah was demolished for a retail center that is not being developed? That has to be a waste of time and money.

[WanderingImport]

Originally Posted by Carolina Knight

A longstanding restaurant in Savannah was demolished for a retail center that is not being developed? That has to be a waste of time and money.

It was an old restaurant that many people and their grandparents ate at. It became sentimental unnecessarily. Therefore, many people accustomed to not seeing change got upset and started fighting for a butt ugly building that had no real historic significance.

Same deal with Marvel Drycleaners on the west side. Exception being it was only the owners upset. No one else really cared I don't think. Over a cinder. Block. Building.

Anyway, at least the owners were stubborn about it (or weren't depending on how you look at it) and decided to get rid of it in favor of something more contributing to the area.

[Carolina Knight]

With the Shoppes at Wicklow Farms cancelled, what could happen next on the site?

[SavannahLife]

Originally Posted by WanderingImport

...It was an old restaurant...

Agree. it just an old restaurant. whooppie. We now have a chance to guide it into something other than Another Bland Stripmall paving everything. Infill is good.. agree with you all the way, hopefully it's walkable mixed use that takes the existing traffic patterns, landscape and the big trees into account and with nice aesthetics. Victory Dr is really visually stunning it never gets old for me anyway and hopefully we can attract the kind of infill that will maintain and even enhance it!

[ajc100890]

Originally Posted by Carolina Knight

With the Shoppes at Wicklow Farms cancelled, what could happen next on the site?

I don't think it's canceled. The newspaper called it canceled, but I bet the developer returns with a new plan that doesn't require any variances. Then, there is no way for the development to be denied if it meets all the City's codes.

The thing about the originally proposed shopping center was that it met like 95% of the City's code. I think it only needed a landscape buffer variance. Really, we should be asking the City to require improved pedestrian amenities in their code if we want walkability.

Here's something else we should be annoyed with. Developers (residential and commercial) pay impact fees to the City when they develop land. These funds can be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for something like a shopping center, and the money is meant to help with the "impact" of new development on roadways and public utilities.

So often developers are cited as the problem, but really the City has collected money from the project that should be used to improve the public infrastructure. And, often the money is reallocated to more pressing needs on the other side of town.

[pink caddy]

Originally Posted by ajc100890

I don't think it's canceled. The newspaper called it canceled, but I bet the developer returns with a new plan that doesn't require any variances. Then, there is no way for the development to be denied if it meets all the City's codes.

I agree and was thinking...big bucks and developers aren't THAT stupid that they didn't "have a plan" or an "endplay". It's not like "Hey, let's throw a few million into the pot and see how it goes". Nope, don't work that way.

[Carolina Knight]

The article Airforceguy sourced mentioned a specialty grocer in the plan I guess we can say that will not be executed. I wonder if Trader Joe's was targeted under the initial plan.

Could a supermarket be targeted in another plan?

[DanielAvery]

I occasionally wondered if that whole 'specialty grocer' aspect of the plan was actually The Fresh Market attempting to move from Abercorn to be closer to its main competitor, or more likely opening a second location in Savannah. A year ago, Fresh Market was on an expansion binge, opening dozens of stores all over the place, including second locations in towns where their "single" stores were successful. They got bought out by a venture capitalist firm in April/May who actually closed about twenty stores, slowed the pace of openings, and broke leases or otherwise wiggled out of agreements to open stores. I would not be surprised if it turned out they'd been in talks to open another location there, but Fresh Market notified them they'd changed their minds...causing the developer to re-think their plans also.