Preservation Alert: Revised Height and Mass Proposal for Queensborough Bank, 402 East Broughton Street

This project is returning for the fourth time to the Savannah Historic District Board of Review (HDBR). The meeting is to be held on 8 April 2026, at 1:00 pm, at the Arthur A. Mendonsa Hearing Room, 112 East State Street, Savannah, GA. It is item 8 of the provisional full agenda which can be viewed at https://www.thempc.org/eagenda/x/hrb/2026/april-8-2026-historic-district-board-of-review-meeting/april-8-2026-historic-district-board-of-review-meeting.pdf 

If you object to this re-submission, 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 April 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.

The applicant’s analysis (below) of this18th century neighborhood, which forms their justification for an oversized block design, ultimately ignores the Visual Compatibility and Building Form requirements in the City Ordinance for a COA Part I.

The HDBR has endeavored to convince the applicant to address many issues, including the required 20-foot 2 story lane setback without success. Instead, the applicant has simply requested a Special Exception to allow the block design to remain unchanged.

ABOVE: Current proposal

BELOW: Previous 12/10/2025, 1/14/2026 and 2/11/2026 HDBR submissions which were continued. The applicant keeps returning with essentially the same design.

12/10/2025

1/14/2026

2/11/2026

If you are opposed to this new iteration, please send an email to historic@thempc.org with the subject line “Opposition to 402 East Broughton St., HDBR - 25-005674-COA” and copy opc.preservation@gmail.com

Dear HDBR,

I oppose the proposed new building at 402 East Broughton Street.

It is not visually compatible in height and mass with the notable 18th and 19th century contributing buildings surrounding this project and is inconsistent with the Design Standards.

Distant mid-century modern commercial buildings have been used to justify the proposed design.

Using such examples undermines the ordinance's stated purpose of protecting visual relationships amongst contributing resources and thus must not be allowed.

 

[Signature]

[address]

 

NOTE: A helpful historic resource for understanding the background to the city ordinance governing HDBR decisions is the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission's "Design Manual for the Savannah Historic District" (2011, updated October 10, 2017), available at https://www.thempc.org/docs/lit/hist/designmanual.pdf. Sections 7 and 8 are particularly relevant and illustrate how far the project at hand has strayed.

Editor's Note: Andrew Jones, Chair of the Oglethorpe Plan Coalition, Inc., has a financial relationship with Queensborough Bank and has therefore recused himself from this matter.