Push to preserve Yamacraw Village more about public housing site's future than its past.
This commentary is written by opinion columnist Adam Van Brimmer.
If ever a row of Savannah houses deserved to meet with the wrecking ball, the apartment buildings at Yamacraw Village are it.
The dwellings are not just moldy and infested but are also an insult to Black Savannahians. Erected during the Jim Crow era and overtly meant as segregated “low cost negro housing,” Yamacraw Village is a reminder of the ugly racism and bigotry that’s marked much of Savannah’s 300-year history.
Yet there’s a push to save the 315 units of public housing, led by two members of the First Bryan Baptist Church located adjacent to the apartments. Their case is flimsy, based in large part on a conspiracy theory about doctored property documents, as reported in a news story published May 22 and written by journalist Zoe Nicholson.
More: First Bryan Baptist Church puts Housing Authority on notice: We want our land back
What’s really driving the “Save Yamacraw” movement is the lingering uncertainty about Yamacraw’s future, not a desire to preserve the substandard apartments. This week marked the two-year anniversary of the public disclosure about Yamacraw demolition plans. In that time, the only discussion about where residents will go and the redevelopment possibilities for the site has been speculation.
The silence has created a vacuum, and the public has filled it with wild guesses. The 22 acres are in a prime real estate location on the edge of the Historic District, a stumble away from hotels, museums, bars, restaurants, luxury apartments and SCAD classroom buildings and dormitories. Unfounded visions for the site suggest it could be a future home for more SCAD dorms or hotels, or a grocery store with other retail, or new public housing high-rises.
Until the property owner, the Housing Authority, comes forward with a public planning process, conceptual drawings or site plans or a request for proposals and a timetable, fears about Yamacraw’s future will persist. So, too, will challenges like those put forth by the First Bryan Baptist Church group.
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What's the plan? Is there one?
The top priority at Yamacraw should be the citizens who currently live there. The waiting list for public housing in Savannah is seven years long, and demolition of Yamacraw would displace a significant number of residents, even if only temporarily until new housing is built on the site.
Sharing the plans for how these people will be taken care of ― beyond giving them Section 8 housing vouchers, which puts the onus for finding a new place to live on them ― will provide a path forward for Yamacraw Village redevelopment.
On the site’s future, local leaders need to weigh in. Savannah’s mayor appoints the Housing Authority’s board, and the city government will be intimately involved in infrastructure improvements in and around the property.
More: Documentary on fight to preserve Yamacraw, First Bryan Baptist to screen at church
Business leaders, including the Savannah Chamber and the Savannah Black Chamber brass, should be at the table, too. They should come with ideas for how to incorporate public housing, workforce housing, retail and quality of life amenities into Yamacraw.
Officials should also be clear about what’s not going to be acceptable on the site. The federal government can place covenants on the property that restrict some uses, such as hotels and bars. Other tourism-related businesses should also be prohibited. Any market-rate housing built in Yamacraw must be balanced with affordable units, be they federally subsidized or unsubsidized and intended for downtown service industry workers.
As for SCAD, the First Bryan church and public housing should be the only tax-exempt development on the property. SCAD is already expanding its footprint across Bay Street from Yamacraw, complete with a 17-story dorm that is a blight on the downtown skyline.
Knowledge is power ... and security
For now, Yamacraw is stuck in government review limbo. The Housing Authority is still working with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to check all the boxes for demolition approval, which in turn releases funds for redevelopment.
But the bureaucratic hold-up shouldn’t preclude planning for the site’s future. Yamacraw is arguably the most significant property awaiting redevelopment in Savannah, rivaling the Savannah Civic Center. On the Civic Center real estate, city officials have at least put forward a vision for restoring the Mercer Theatre, constructing a city office building and selling off parcels for mixed-use development.
Many dislike the Civic Center proposal, but at least the possibilities are there for the public to consider. At Yamacraw, the only certainty is demolition is coming … eventually.
Contact Van Brimmer at avanbrimmer@savannahnow.com and follow him on Twitter, @SavannahOpinion.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Protesters challenge Yamacraw Village public housing demolition plans
