September 26, 2023
Dear Supporters,
Welcome to our newsletter, in which we will keep you up to date on our activities and other preservation news.
Thank You
We express our extreme gratitude to the large numbers of donors to the OPC. Your generous gifts allow us to cover our minimal administrative expenses and our payment of a portion of the legal fees for litigating preservation causes. To donate further, please visit here.
Volunteers Welcomed
The OPC is a volunteer group, and we want you! Please contact us at opc.preservation@gmail.com if you would like to get involved. We will have a meeting on October 4 at 7 PM. Please contact us at the above email with your contact information if you are interested in attending. Capacity is limited.
Civic Center Update:
Despite the flurry of activity late last spring concerning the future of the Johnny Mercer Theatre and the entire Civic Center, there is not much news to report. The issue appears to be on hold during the election cycle, as most of our elected officials seem not to want to jeopardize their chances by stating what they stand for.
A recent survey of the members of the Downtown Neighborhood Association determined that the general consensus of downtown residents was against refurbishing the theatre. The preference was to fully restore the Oglethorpe Plan. That approach had been recommended in 2018 by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and was approved by the City Council. See the DNA letter to the City. https://www.savannahdna.org/post/civic-center-redevelopment-residents-must-have-a-voice
Subsequent to the approval of the ULI, the City Council announced a different plan involving the restoration of the Johnny Mercer Theatre. The Oglethorpe Plan Coalition has studied the city's proposal and has determined that retention of the theater would:
by its placement prevent the restoration of our internationally acclaimed Oglethorpe Plan, including Elbert Square.
violate existing Historic District ordinances and agreements with the National Park Service that form the foundation of our National Historic Landmark status, already threatened.
require retention of the surrounding surface parking, thus usurping far more of the site than currently admitted.
prevent the taxpayers of Savannah from benefiting from the sale of this valuable land or the increase in the tax base through additional residences.
In considering a remodeling of the theatre undertaken by the City, many residents are skeptical of any project managed by the City, given the vast problems incurred on the Broughton Street project.
Nick Palumbo, the Alderman for the 4th District, seems to be the biggest advocate of retaining the Mercer Theatre, but of course, he does not represent the downtown, which lies in the 2nd District. Such a position, advocating to protect a mid-century modern structure, is strangely in sharp contrast to his September 14, 2023 vote for allowing demolition of two mid-century modern buildings, which the MPC, HPC, HSF and architectural historian Robin Williams advocated to protect as outstanding examples of the architecture of their respective periods.
It would be wonderful for Savannah to gain a fine new theater in the long term, not a "cheap" quick patch job, run by the city, which jeopardizes our existing world class attractions. The potential removal of the I-16 ramp on MLK might provide the land for a new theatre to replace the Mercer. Alternatively, the theater does not need to be downtown at all. Like city offices, it should be easily accessible to all the residents of the city.
The OPC welcomes your views. Please let us know what you would like to see.
Regulating Tithing Block Subdivision - One Year and Still Waiting
Almost a year ago, on September 26, 2022, the National Park Service issued a letter to the Metropolitan Planning Commission regarding the threat to the integrity of the district posed by projects like 336 Barnard Street, a project involving the construction of a McMansion on the rear portion of a subdivided tithing lot. https://www.thesavannahian.com/a-mcmansion-on-every-lane/
A tithing lot is one of the lots to the north and south of a square. Buildings on tithing lots typically front the east-west streets and have subordinate rear buildings on the lane.
In response to the letter, the City gathered a group of stakeholders, including the DNA and the OPC to formulate solutions to the problems created by the subdivision of tithing lots. The recommendations, however, are mired in the opacity of City inactions. As a result, soon a year will have passed without any citywide solution to the problems brought to light by 336 Barnard.
One major concern is that the division of a tithing lot cuts off the front building from access to the lane. The lane is where garbage collection occurs. If subdivision persists, the risk is that the east-west streets become the location for garbage containers. Imagine Jones Street lined with garbage cans!
The stakeholders have recommended that subdivision be permitted only if the front building has an easement for access to the lane.
Demolishing 1880s Buildings in the Victorian District - Does This Sound Right to You?
On September 14, 2023, the City Council, on a motion by Alderman Detric Leggett, voted for a resolution that would effectively allow the demolition of two Victorian-era buildings in the Victorian District. Yes, you read that correctly. These two structures, dating from the 1880s or earlier, although partly covered in a brick veneer and combined into one building, remain largely intact and potentially restorable in our opinion.
The Victorian era buildings are owned by Portfolio Holdings LLC, whose registered agent is Mr. Brad Baugh. Mr. Baugh is also the treasurer of the Victorian Neighborhood Association, which was in favor of allowing Mr. Baugh’s LLC to destroy these two historic structures.
The Mayor and Alderman Nick Palumbo voted in favor of the resolution, effectively permitting demolition. They have received contributions from individuals associated with the property owners/developers and counsel. In the hearing the Mayor refused to disclose those contributions even when asked to by Alderwoman Kesha Gibson-Carter. Neither the Mayor nor Alderman Palumbo recused themselves, and they voted in favor of the interests of their campaign contributors.
Update on Barnard Street Litigation
The litigation regarding 336 Barnard Street is extremely important to the Downtown Historic District. This case will likely determine what rights residents have to appeal anti-preservation decisions of the Historic District Review Board, the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) and City Council. This case will determine whether the provisions in the Ordinance that protect our district are enforceable or are just a meaningless set of rules only used when in a developer’s favor.
In January 2023, the ZBA denied the appeal of the Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) for Barnard Street. The OPC, thanks to your generous contributions, is assisting a petition of certiorari to Superior Court, which will likely review the ZBA decision. Superior Court has sanctioned the petition and issued a writ to the ZBA to send up all documents pertaining to the COA proceedings to Superior Court.
The City appears to be doing its utmost to prevent the petition from being heard, challenging the right of the petitioner to file the petition, refusing to send up all the documents requested by the petitioner and trying to prevent the court from seeing images of the proposed building or even the relevant section of the City Zoning Ordinance. We are currently awaiting the Court’s decision on motions filed by the parties on these matters. We will keep you apprised of the outcome.
A Harbor Light Without a Harbor
In the current fanatical effort to ever expand tourism, we are actually destroying the historic monuments people come to see.
At the eastern end of Emmet Park stands the Old Harbor Light. Built in 1858, the Old Harbor Light used to guide ships through fog, storm and the dark of night from the outer harbor into the river channel. It stands among numerous large anchors, a symbol of its maritime significance. One of Savannah’s tourist sites, it has been featured in postcards and etchings by the famous southern artists Elizabeth O’Neill Verner https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/The-Harbor-Light-Savannah/48BD340788B57D77AF37405040AB92AF
and Christopher Murphy, Jr. https://collections.telfair.org/objects/8428/harbor-light?ctx=80f781a81a10e066112827cf52108640ee20b4cb&idx=0
Now, after years of hotel development, when looking east and northeast from Harbor Light, one can no longer see the harbor. We have replaced the view of the harbor with a multistage parking garage and hotel. All one can see of any water is a snippet of the river looking to the north.
To make matters worse, it appears that this degradation of the monument was planned by the City. When the City designed the building height map in 2019 it deliberately set the height for the buildings around Emmet Park at 3 stories – not 3 stories from the ground, but rather 3 stories above the park itself. For an image from just a few years ago, click here https://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=1&guid=72b5a002-c834-4d10-9cea-5aa93ad9b15a
Here’s a more recent view, showing construction in the background.
June 12, 2023
Dear Supporters,
Welcome to our newsletter, in which we will keep you up to date on our activities and other preservation news.
Dear Supporters,
Welcome to the second edition of our newsletter, in which we keep you up to date on our activities and other preservation news.
Our Mission:
The Oglethorpe Plan Coalition, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization. We are dedicated to preserving the Savannah Downtown National Historic Landmark District and its unique Oglethorpe Plan.
Update on the Civic Center:
The city has cancelled all public meetings on the Civic Center, including those scheduled for May. No new date has been announced.
It appears the most recent design has been developed by the City without any public input.
The Oglethorpe Plan coalition remains committed to a restoration of the Oglethorpe Plan as mandated by Section 7.8.10(a)(i) of the City of Savannah Code of Ordinances.
We will update you when public meetings are scheduled.
The Downtown Neighborhood Association recently delivered a letter to the City decrying the lack of public input and the abandonment of the proposals for full restoration of the Oglethorpe Plan. See the DNA’s letter here. Join the DNA to get their newsletter.
Correction: In the last newsletter we referred to the design as dating from April 2023; however, it dates from April 2022. No subsequent version is known.
City Moves to Dismiss Appeal of 336 Barnard Street Certificate of Appropriateness:
The grueling work of preparing the certiorari petition (the appeal) for the controversial building proposed at 336 Barnard Street is complete. Documents have been served, and the petition sanctioned by Superior Court.
The City’s response is to file a motion to dismiss the case, which we are responding to.
This appeal will set the parameters for public input on projects affecting our historic district going forward, not just this one building.
We cannot emphasize enough how critical the rules and processes set forth in existing ordinances will be in upcoming projects, particularly the wide-ranging Civic Center redevelopment.
If we allow errors of law and process to stand, they will be used as precedent for future projects.
Matching Gift Challenge:
An Anonymous $5000, matching gift is now on the table. Help us meet and even exceed this generous offer to help pay for attorneys fees. Use this QR or click this link to give.
If you want to donate directly, please send a check to the Oglethorpe Plan Coalition, Inc., c/o Andrew Jones, 324 East Broughton St., Savannah, GA 31401.
Monitoring Projects in the District:
The OPC testifies on select projects appearing before the Savannah Downtown Historic District Board of Review. In these meetings we emphasize the importance of adhering to the Ordinance that protects our historic district. We also coordinate with the Downtown Neighborhood Association and others to ensure consistency of messaging.
For example, in May, the OPC testified before the Savannah Downtown Historic District Board of Review regarding renovations of an 1855 Greek revival structure at 17 East Perry Street.
The staff of the Metropolitan Planning Commission had recommended approval of the destruction of an original window and its decorative 1850s cast iron grille to help the developer make the building more useful for commercial profit. The OPC presented to the HDBR as the only witness with actual pictures of the historic conditions that were going to be destroyed. The images showed that the window appeared to be original to the building and that the cast iron window grille matched the pattern of the balcony above. Therefore, under the Ordinance, these features required protection. The Downtown Neighborhood Association and Historic Savannah Foundation concurred with our recommendation. Subsequently, the Board voted unanimously against the destruction of the window and grille.
While this example may appear to be small, each change matters. A historic district rarely dies as a result of a single calamity, rather, without proper stewardship, it deteriorates over time as the result of multiple incremental changes.
It is sad to note, however, that without our input, there would have been no visual evidence at the hearing of the historic nature of the details of the building at issue.
Purpose of the Oglethorpe Plan Coalition:
Over the last decades, the organizations tasked with moderating the pace and nature of change in downtown Savannah have evolved into organizations more interested in development than in preservation. There is no longer any group dedicated solely to preserving the Downtown Historic District. The OPC proposes to fill this void.
We hope to inform interested Savannahians as to the dire current state of affairs in our city and why it matters to protect the principles embodied by the Oglethorpe Plan. Please see our recent presentation to the Downtown Neighborhood Association here. (Starts at minute 43:27.)
What We Do:
Advocacy: Protecting the district and oppose inappropriate development, including supporting residents with appeals and litigation.
Outreach: Working with community groups and city officials to solve important preservation issues.
Education: Increasing public awareness of the importance of the district and the challenges it faces.
Assistance: Providing the public with assistance to understand the Certificate of Appropriateness application and appeal processes, and the requirements under the Ordinance.
May 11, 2023
Dear Supporters,
Welcome to our newsletter, in which we will keep you up to date on our activities and other preservation news.
Columbia Square
Dear Supporters,
Welcome to our newsletter, in which we will keep you up to date on our activities and other preservation news.
Our Mission:
The Oglethorpe Plan Coalition, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) organization. We are dedicated to preserving the Savannah Downtown National Historic Landmark District and its unique Oglethorpe Plan.
Why is this new entity needed?
One of the great legacies of the early preservation efforts here in Savannah was the enactment of ordinances (laws) that serve to protect the essential character of Savannah and its Oglethorpe Plan. Savannah is fortunate to have appropriate laws in place. These laws support our National Historic Landmark status, such a source of pride to residents not only of the downtown, but the entire city, state, and country.
Over the last decades, the organizations tasked with guiding the pace and nature of change in downtown Savannah on behalf of the public have changed their focus. The Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) and the Historic District Board of Review (HDBR), too often ignore the laws they are supposed to enforce and the unique historic features they are mandated to protect. Projects brought before them are now approved based on exceptions or precedents rather than the carefully crafted ordinances developed for our unique historic city, creating a truly slippery slope.
At a recent public meeting, the Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF) explained that the Downtown Historic District is now only a small part of its extended interests.
The lack of a group dedicated solely to preserving the Downtown Historic District, as HSF originally was, has inspired our group of residents and supporters to collaborate to form a new entity to fill this need.
The problem we face is not so much to amend existing laws but rather to have the MPC and the HDBR abide by the laws that exist.
Please see our recent presentation to the Downtown Neighborhood Association here. (Starts at minute 43:27.)
What We Do:
Advocacy: Protecting the district and opposing inappropriate development, including supporting residents with appeals and litigation.
Outreach: Working with community groups and city officials to solve important preservation issues.
Education: Increasing public awareness of the importance of the district and the challenges it faces.
Assistance: Providing the public with assistance to understand the Certificate of Appropriateness application and appeal processes, and the requirements under the Ordinance.
An example of what we do:
A developer proposed and successfully convinced the MPC and HDRB to approve the construction of an overscale luxury dwelling at 336 Barnard Street, on the corner of West Charlton Lane and Barnard Street. We believe this project violates multiple parts of the Ordinances and would set multiple bad precedents that developers will cite in future construction, including (1) splitting lane parcels from the front parcels, creating issues for garbage bin and services location, (2) building not a two-story carriage house type structure but an ornate structure with the appearance of having 4 stories, and (3) incorporating design features that are directly in violation of the ordinances.
A major consequence of this proposal, if implemented on a wider basis, would be to strip the lanes of their original function as the proper place for garbage cans, electric poles, meters, garages, and other support functions. These uses would by necessity move to the front of the buildings on Jones St., Charlton St. and others. The benefits to the developers are clear: land on the lanes is cheap so profits from redeveloping them into homes for seasonal residents would be large. The downside is equally clear: garbage cans and other unsightly utilitarian uses will start appearing on our beloved historic streets rather than the lanes.
The developer won approval of this project by presenting a false choice – either preserve the existing single-story cinderblock building or support their overscale luxury dwelling. We are in favor of a third option, a fully compliant new building—one that takes into account the law and the unique character of Savannah and its Oglethorpe Plan.
The genius of the Oglethorpe Plan and its supporting ordinances is its sound framework for new development. Savannah is lucky to already have the ground rules set out. Our mission is to have these ground rules respected.
In February and March 2023, Andrew Jones, as authorized agent for Anna Habersham Wright, filed two petitions to Superior Court appealing decisions of the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) regarding 336 Barnard. We will keep you apprised of developments in this case.
This appeal is not trivial. This project was called out twice by the National Park Service in a letter to the city dated September 26, 2022, in which the National Park Service stated that projects like 336 Barnard Street, collectively, can have ill effects on the integrity of the District. A copy of the letter appears on our website.
Your Help Matters:
As we pursue this appeal in Superior Court, we need help from you. Please help us raise money to pay for our attorneys fees. Use this QR or click this link to give.
If you want to make a donation directly, please send a check to the Oglethorpe Plan Coalition, Inc., c/o Andrew Jones, 324 East Broughton St., Savannah, GA 31401.
Update on the Civic Center:
In April 2022, the city's contractor and architect of 336 Barnard Street (above), Sottile & Sottile, produced a new plan for the Civic Center area. To see the full presentation click here.
Several aspects of this proposal seem sound. It seems quite clear that the arena no longer has purpose and could be demolished without great loss. The restoration of lost streets and lanes, which the proposal partially addresses, is important. The Oglethorpe Plan Coalition would support an open world-wide design competition for the redevelopment of the site. We are not in favor of any backroom deal where the development is handed to a local architect and developer with political ties.
We will update you when public meetings are scheduled.
Tru’s Corner
Our historian, Tru Helms, brings you a recollection of Savannah’s beauty captured within the Oglethorpe Plan.
“The drive through such portion of Savannah as lay between the terminus and Mr Charles Green’s house, soon satisfied my eyes that it had two peculiarities. In the first place, it had the deepest sand in the streets I have ever seen; and next, the streets were composed of the most odd, quaint, green windowed, many coloured little houses I ever beheld…. The fringe of green, and the height attained by the live oak, Pride of India, and magnolia, give a delicious freshness and novelty to the streets of Savannah, which is increased by the great number of squares and openings covered by something like sward, fenced round by white rail, and embellished with noble trees to be seen at every few hundred yards. It is difficult to believe you are in the midst of a city, and I was repeatedly reminded of the environs of a large Indian cantonment – the same kind of churches and detached houses, with their plantations and gardens not unlike.
-Russell, W. H., Sir, My Diary North and South. (1863). Bradbury and Evans.