City Talk: More aggressive policies needed to strengthen neighborhoods, mitigate tourism

This is the City Talk column by Bill Dawers, a longtime contributor to the Savannah Morning News.

The recent sale of the HunterMaclean building surely came as no surprise to Savannahans who are already cynical about tourism’s grip on the downtown economy and culture.

According to reporting by Eric Curl at Savannah Agenda, Marriott bought the 60-year-old building on Reynolds Square for $18.7 million. The law firm has not shared relocation plans, but there will surely be many options.

The sale reflects the ongoing decline of the office sector in the Historic District. Just north of HunterMaclean, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation building was demolished to make room for a hotel, and the Manger building a few blocks away on Johnson Square is being converted into a hotel. The Manger was built as a hotel more than a century ago before being renovated for offices and other commercial uses in 1977.

Tourism will take a hit whenever the U.S. economy slows or slips into recession, but the general trajectory might not change for decades. No matter how many hotels are built, Savannah will still have the squares, the trees, the riverfront and other physical traits that visitors find so alluring.

I routinely hear folks argue that an overreliance on tourism will eventually strip away so much of Savannah’s character that visitors will quit coming, but that has always struck me as a bad take. Just consider destinations like New Orleans, Nashville and Venice.

But that doesn’t mean we should throw up our hands.

Mayor Van Johnson and several other City Council members were swept into office four years ago in part on the promise of focusing on residents over tourists, but they’ve done almost nothing to address voters’ concerns, despite some obvious policy options for strengthening the residential fabric of the downtown area.

An easy step would be to expand the hotel overlay district, which would make it harder for new hotels to be built in the Victorian, Thomas Square and Cuyler-Brownville neighborhoods. City officials could also begin working on a revision of the current overlay to alleviate fears and create a more nuanced framework for future hotel development.

Johnson and City Manager Jay Melder could also announce new initiatives to manage short-term vacation rentals. More staffing might be needed, but city officials should step up enforcement of illegal rentals. They should also work on ordinance revisions that would eventually reduce the density of STVRs in certain areas.

Yes, ordinance changes could be challenged in court, but the city has some smart staffers and consultants who would be able to navigate the legal minefields.

Officials could also signal that they are serious about a key provision of the Housing Savannah action plan by announcing that residential development, including affordable housing, will be prioritized on the Civic Center site. That announcement should be coupled with a commitment to the restoration of as much of the original town plan as possible, which would allay growing concerns about the city’s historic character.

The additional tax revenues from the Civic Center site could then be targeted for needs in other areas, including west Savannah and the Southside.

Other commentators might read the political landscape differently, but it looks to me like Johnson is a heavy favorite for reelection. He could be tempted to avoid controversy and count on his broad base of support to stick with him.

But at some point, either before or after the election, Johnson and his allies on council will need to decide whether they want to address residents’ growing concerns or simply keep doing business as usual.

Contact Dawers via @billdawers on Twitter and CityTalkSavannah@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Another downtown Savannah office building to be turned into a hotel