DOUBLE PRESERVATION ALERT, June 1, 2026: Please Send Comments on Queensborough Bank Proposal by June 8 & Write to the Mediator on Tourism Issues by Thursday, June 4
Queensborough Bank Proposal for the Northeast Corner of Habersham and Broughton Streets
Emails Requesting Improvement to Queensborough Proposal Due Monday, June 8, 2026
As discussed in our most recent newsletter [https://oglethorpeplancoalition.org/newsletter-1] the proposal for the new Queensborough Bank proposal on the northeast corner of East Broughton Street and Habersham Street is back on the tentative June agenda for the Savannah Historic District Board of Review (HDBR).
If you object to this resubmission or simply want to encourage refinements, please send your comments to historic@thempc.org. Please CC opc.preservation@gmail.com.
In the subject line, add something to indicate the subject, e.g., “Opposition to 402 E. Broughton Street and Request for Improvements” and copy your email to opc.preservation@gmail.com. Please send in your letter and/or email by June 8 in order for it to be counted. A sample letter of opposition is below, but we encourage you to revise it to express your personal views:
Dear HDBR,
I respectfully urge you not to approve this application in its current state. Please instruct to the applicant to comply with Design Standards and make the proposal more visually compatible with the 18th and 19th century structures that surround it.
[Optional: explain where you live or work and why this matters to you personally]
[Signature]
[Address]
The HDBR hearing is to be held at the Arthur A. Mendonsa Hearing Room, 112 East State Street, Savannah, GA on June 10, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. The full agenda can be viewed at:
june-10-2026-historic-district-board-of-review-meeting.pdf
The Oglethorpe Plan Coalition, Inc. (OPC) opposes the proposal for Queensborough’s new bank building in its current design. While the OPC does not oppose the construction of the bank on this site, the OPC contends that the current proposal does not meet the Design Standards or the Visual Compatibility Criteria in the Savannah Ordinance.
Our detailed analysis of this proposal can be found here.
TAC Survey Closes Thursday, June 4, 2026
Mayor Van Johnson has tasked the Tourism Advisory Committee (TAC) to work with a mediator from the Carl Vinson Center at UGA to engage the tourism industry leaders and neighborhood association representatives in working toward a rebalancing of tour industry activities and residential neighborhood interests. (Mayor’s Letter.)
If you reside downtown and you would like to have your voice and experiences of tourism heard, this is your only opportunity to communicate with the UGA mediator, who will include all letters received by end of day Thursday, June 4th, in the final report.
To that end, you may send an email to the facilitator at suzette.arnold@uga.edu with a copy to the TAC president, nancybeskar@yahoo.com, and also a copy to the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA) at president@savannahdna.org.
The letter must be crafted in the following format:
Your Name
Address (specify Residence, Business or Other)
Your Organization(s) Represented at the Tourism Advisory Committee (i.e., DNA, and if involved in business organizations, list those, too.)
The Problems & Concerns outlined by the Mayor's initiative for TAC
Please focus on how the following items affect livability for you or your neighbors. Be clear whether you are talking about things that happen by day or by night:
sixteen hours of tours from 8:00 am until midnight, 365 days a year
tour congestion due to tour group size and the number of tour vehicles on the street
sidewalk blocking
tour trespassing onto private property and tree lawns
tour-related noise
tour guide and tour group behavior
commercialization of the Landmark District
> Rank the Priority of the Items Above <
Include Possible Solutions to the Problems & Concerns Identified
Important note: There are many other tourism issues like bikes on sidewalks and loud vehicles, but these are not the focus of this mediation. The DNA is working on these through other channels.