City proposing new hotel development zones (Savannah, Montgomery: hotels, residential, metropolitan)

[Airforceguy]

As proposed, the proposed overlay district would allow larger hotels west of Montgomery Street and most of the area north of Liberty Street, with the exception of some more residential areas east of Abercorn. Hotels would be prohibited in most of the district south of Liberty that is east of Montgomery, with the exception of some areas where hotels with less than 75 rooms would be allowed.

The overlay district is an amended version of a similar proposal that had been voted down in June by the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission. At the time, industry representatives had expressed concerns about not being given a chance to participate in the the development of the amendments. The Savannah City Council directed staff in July to work with hotel representatives to address some of their concerns about the proposed restrictions.

As a result of the feedback, large hotels were defined as those with 75 or more, rather than those with at least 55, to match industry standards, according to officials. Small hotels would be classified as those with between 16 and 74 rooms.

City proposing new hotel development zones | SavannahNow