Victory Drive plans being presented Thursday (Savannah, Tybee Island: landscaping, live, restaurant)

[Airforceguy]

Transportation recommendations will include additional sidewalks, upgraded bus stops and parallel routes for bicyclists, said Jane Love, MPC transportation planner. Proposed landscaping improvements include plantings along the medians and around the Truman Parkway Interchange, along with the replacement and addition of trees on public and private property.

“If landscaping goes beyond right-of-way, there would be incentives for developers to help re-establish the landscaping as well,” Love said.

In terms of urban design, planners are recommending parcel connectivity that would relieve traffic pressure by eliminating the need to drive onto Victory to get from one store to the other, Love said. Consistent setbacks for buildings fronting Victory based on existing historic patterns are also being proposed, she said.

Land use along Victory has spurred concerns among residents as the corridor continues to attract new development after the addition of new businesses such as Whole Foods. Residents had recently made a failed attempt to prevent the demolition of the Johnny Harris restaurant for a commercial development on an 11-acre site bounded by Victory, Wicklow Street, Kerry Street and Dixie Avenue.

While some opponents were concerned about the loss of what they saw as a historic landmark, others were opposed to the scale of the project.

Developers have since abandoned that plan, but the area is expected to eventually be developed.

There are no new height or building size limits being proposed for the corridor, but there are existing regulations such as open-space and parking requirements that restrict the scale of developments there, Love said. After Thursday’s meeting, Love said the MPC expects to have a final report by the end of December after further review by commission officials.

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.”

The plan is seen as long-term and will likely take years to get the funding and support needed to implement all of the recommendations, according to officials. Some of the easier parts of the plan, such as some landscaping improvements, will be implemented faster than other components such as transportation infrastructure, which will be more costly and time consuming, Love said.

Victory Drive plans being presented Thursday | SavannahNow

[deadsavannahian]

The Truman-Victory area is already ugly and congested, so expand away. I'm for it as long as the beautiful, canopied section remains untouched.

[SavannahLife]

Plant oak trees in the areas they are gone would be a nice development as well so to speak. Also encouraging driving between adjacent commercial lots from one parking lot to the next instead of having to go back out on Victory would be helpful for traffic. Better walkability will be good. Live/work/shop. Pocket parks sound neat. Hopefully there will be less of the typical big box such as by Truman and Savannah will continue to encourage unique and creative development that blends into the fabric of our city.