Preservation Alert: Multiple Proposals, October 2

Two projects are back on the tentative October agenda for the Savannah Historic District Board of Review. The meeting is to be held at the Arthur A. Mendonsa Hearing Room, 112 East State Street, Savannah, GA on October 8, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. The full agenda can be viewed at: october-8-2025-historic-district-board-of-review-meeting.pdf

If you object to these resubmissions, you will have to write a new letter or attend the meeting in person and speak. This is the case even if your objections remain the same. Please send your letters by October 6 to Caitlin Chamberlain, Director – Historic Preservation & Urban Design, Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission, at historic@thempc.org. Please cc opc.preservation@gmail.com.

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York Lane Carriage House Returns to the HDBR

219 EAST YORK LANE (AKA “DARTH VADER”)

No. 4 on the tentative Regular Agenda 

Petition of J. Elder Studio, Martin Ronaszegi | 25-004198-COA | 219 East York Street | New Construction (Accessory Building, Parts I & II)

The HDBR denied this COA at several previous hearings of the HDBR. Located on East York Lane between Abercorn and Lincoln, it was dubbed the "Darth Vader" carriage house because of its first design, featuring an ominous dark metal clad structure.

The designers have again redesigned the proposal however, not everyone is pleased with the newest version. Nonetheless, the fact that the building has been redesigned is a testament to the power of the many letters that OPC supporters have sent in opposition to the earlier designs.

If you want to weigh in on the proposal, please attend the hearing and/or email historic@thempc.org with the subject line “219 E. York Lane”  and copy opc.preservation@gmail.com. For those of you who oppose this proposal, a sample letter of opposition is below:

First, July

Second, August

Third, September

Fourth, October

Dear HDBR,

I oppose the proposed carriage house at 219 East York Lane. While the latest version is an improvement over prior versions, it is still not visually compatible in height, mass, and design with the contributing buildings in view and is inconsistent with the Design Standards.

[Signature] [Address]

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Oversized Addition Proposed at 118 West Harris Street

118 WEST HARRIS ST (EXTENDING TO LIBERTY LANE)

No. 5 on the tentativeRegular Agenda

Petition of Rose Architects, Kevin Rose | 25-003528-COA | 118 West Harris Street | Addition & Variance Request

As stated in our comments regarding the two earlier iterations, this proposal has negative implications for the district’s historic integrity. The status of the Savannah National Historic Landmark (NHL) District is now “threatened.” The next category is “emergency” and after that, the loss of NHL status. Currently all NHLs are in a non-status category while the requirements are under review. There is no guarantee that, after several years of overscale and inappropriate development, Savannah can return to being an NHL.

In 2018, when the National Park Service (NPS) downgraded Savannah’s NHL to threatened status, it issued a detailed report addressing the entire downtown and listing the overriding threats. One threat was overbuilding of the garden space between the main houses and lane buildings.

 In the new submission for this project, as in the two prior versions, the two-story walls running the full depth of the lot behind the main structure are a particularly concerning feature and a dangerous precedent, cutting off the openness of the rear yards of historic properties. This feature flies in the face of the NPS guidance.

In addition, note the features of the east elevation, showing oversized windows, the protruding elevator shaft, and unusual “carriage house.” (Should the neighbor ever decide to build their own carriage house, this opening would be blocked off.) None of these features are visually compatible with those of neighboring buildings.

The applicant is also requesting a variance, but OPC believes the criteria are not met.

If you are opposed, please send an email to historic@thempc.org with the subject line “Opposition to 118 W. Harris Street” and copy opc.preservation@gmail.com. A sample letter is below:

Dear HDBR,

I oppose the proposed addition at 118 West Harris Street. It is not visually compatible in height and mass with the contributing buildings in view and is inconsistent with the Design Standards. This proposal flies in the face of guidance from the National Park Service. In particular, its two-story wall down the full extent of the property line is not visually compatible with the prevailing walls and fences that separate lots of nearby contributing buildings. Moreover, the variance request does not meet the criteria for approval.”

[Signature]

[Address]