Yamacraw must be redeveloped to address downtown reasonably priced housing woes

This is the Metropolis Discuss column by Monthly bill Dawers, a longtime contributor to the Savannah Morning News.

Yamacraw Village, an 80-yr aged public housing growth in downtown Savannah, has 315 units on 22 acres. Two new apartment properties north of Yamacraw throughout West Bay Street have more than 400 models on less than 4 acres.

As noted in this newspaper last week, the Housing Authority of Savannah (HAS) ideas to submit an software for demolition of Yamacraw to the U.S. Division of Housing and City Enhancement (HUD). The demolition would give the HAS and Town of Savannah a amazing prospect to improve the household existence downtown. Good redevelopment would increase considerably a lot more very affordable models than are currently on the site and at the exact time insert industry-price housing.

A new, denser, mixed-income Yamacraw neighborhood could rework the downtown economic climate and give a lot of much more Savannahians the chance to reside in proximity to employment, services and general public transportation.

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A grasp strategy for Yamacraw would clearly need to think about Initial Bryan Baptist Church at 575 W. Bryan St. Significantly less rigorous improvement appropriate for households would possibly be a good match for the land all-around the historic church.

Planners would absolutely want to fix the wonderful Yamacraw Square Community Art Park near the church and would very likely want to retain the park that extends north to Bay Road.