City Council - Regular Meeting

Mr. Clerk, if you would please call the role. Yes, sir. Mr. Mayor, Mayor Van Johnson, present. Mayor Prom and District 5 alderwoman Dr. Ladies and gentlemen, Shabbass. Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen and gentlemen, please continue. Present. Chairman in District 4, Alderman Nick Palumbo, present. Vice Chair in District 3, Alderwoman, Linda Wilder, Bryant, ready. Let's go. Happy Thanksgiving. Post one, Alderwoman, Carolyn H. Bell, present. Post two, Alderwoman, Alicia Millet Blakeley, present. District 1, Alderwoman, Bernetta B. Laneir, District 2, AL,

he's here though. Dietrich Leot, he's here too. And District 6 alderman Curtis Pertie present. Mr. Mayor, you have a quorum.

Thank you. All rise. I call this meeting to order. Today is Tuesday, November the 25th, 2025. The time is about 2:16 p.m. We want to thank everyone joining us in chambers and in on our various media platforms. Savannah will be a safe, environmentally healthy and economically thriving community for all and for us all means all. Uh today's invocate tour will be introduced by fourth district alderman and um chair of council Nick Palumbo.

Thank you Mr. Mayor. It is an honor to introduce our indicators for today. I know that 2025 it's important for us to remember the reason for the season. Uh in 2025's headlines really been food security. Ahead of Thanksgiving this year, it's so important for us to recognize those that who have and the have nots that we continue to provide for our entire community. One of our favorite events uh of the year is when team Savannah joins together for a canned food drive that is renowned throughout entire city departments where they honor the most generous service center. Uh unfortunately I didn't get to make it this year but to make up for it I'm going like to introduce our indicators for today two uh twice as nice. We have joining us from America's second harvest family. We have Miss Jennifer Thomas, uh, chief financial officer, come forward and and former member of team Savannah, and Elizabeth Waters, the director, the director of programs who works tirelessly to distribute food alongside our community's partner angel agencies. Ladies and gentlemen, if you please give me a a warm welcome to our good friends from America's Second Harvest.

Thank you so much. Thank you. Good afternoon. Um, as you just heard, I'm Jennifer Thomas with Second Harvest, where we serve over 21 counties in the coastal Georgia area. As we are only two days away from Thanksgiving, it is important to give thanks not only today or Thursday, but year round. At Second Harvest, we are thankful to our community like the city of Savannah for having such a successful canned food drive this year. Thank you. um other members of our community, they donate their food, their time and their money, and we appreciate that. We are very thankful to give back. We are also thankful for our partner agencies who are running the food pantries and helping Second Harvest to achieve our mission to end hunger and improve lives. We know we cannot do it alone and we are so thankful for all the support that we are receiving to help fight food insecurity. So at this time of year, give thanks and gratitude. I invite all of you to take a moment to give thanks and give gratitude and give back to anyone in need. And at this time, I would like to introduce Elizabeth Waters, the director of programs at Second Harvest. Thank you.

All right. It is an honor to be here today in front of all of our partners and community support. Um the work that we do is all-encompassing and it cannot be done without each and every partner in this room and outside of these walls. So, thank you very much. I'm going to close with a prayer that a mentor shared with me and that is the prayer of St. Francis. So if you'll bow your heads. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. where there is sadness, joy. Oh divine master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

Amen. Thank you. Thank you. Let us honor our country. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Ladies, thank you uh so much. Uh it was a pleasure seeing you yesterday and I was wondering where Aldin Palumbo was cuz he usually shows up, but uh it was again another hard hard fought um competition. Um the championship trophy has changed hands. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh oh.

No longer community services. It is no longer community services. Oh, Mr. Where's Fay Deasio? The champion. Fay. Anybody here who's on phase team, please stand. So, um, broke the record. That's right. They did break a record. Anybody here for phase team, stand up. We want to thank you all. Big round of applause again. Um so after two hard strong years uh uh it has been um victory has been taken. We still

from community services. So um next year um we're starting already. The trash talking is already beginning. But thank you all and let me thank you all for partnering with us the way you did uh during the shutdown. Uh the fact was you were valuable partners. Um, and so it's just it's representative of the work you do all year long. So, thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. We're appreciative. We appreciate you all. Thank you so much. Yeah. Formerly of the third district. Yeah. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Let's You ready, sir? Yes, ma'am.

All right. Let me uh just for um just and we'll get to this point, but items number seven and eight, which are the um petitions for text amendment for hotel development overlay district and zoning map amendment that has been well it's been requested to be continued to December the 11th per the petitioner's request. And so uh I suspect we will entertain uh that uh at that time. So if you're here for that, we probably won't be hearing that today. Mr. Mr. Mayor, that's 7, 8, 12, and 13. Right. Those are corresponding items. Yes. Yes, sir.

So, with that, Mr. Mayor, I'd like to make a motion for the adoption of the regular uh meeting agenda for November the 25th to include the comments of the changes uh that our mayor just mentioned. So, second been properly moved and seconded. All in favor indicate by saying I. I. Opposed. Motion passes. I'd like to make a motion on items number two and items number three for the approval of the minutes for the work session and city managers briefing held on November 13, 2025 at 12:00 p.m. and for the approval of the minutes for the regular meeting held on November 13th, 2025 at 2 o'clock p.m.

been properly moved and seconded. All in favor indicate by saying I opposed. Motion passes. Uh we are uh happy and celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Salvation Army. So y'all come on up. Big round of applause for them.

Yay. Again. Y'all can come close. That's all right. Um, you all don't look a day over 100. So, you look very, very good. Proclamation reads as follows. Whereas the year 2025 marks the 125th anniversary of the Salvation Army of Savannah, a ministry and mission that has sto stood as a steadfast beacon of hope, compassion, and service to the citizens of our community since its founding in 1900. And whereas for 125 years, the Salvation Army in Savannah has upheld its global mission of doing the most good by meeting human needs without discrimination, and extending a helping hand to the most vulnerable among us, providing food for the hungry, shelter for the unhoused, comforted for the hurting, and spiritual care for those seeking guidance. And whereas from its earliest days, the Salvation Army has been woven into the fabric of Savannah's history, responding in natural disasters, economic hardships, and periods of community need with unwavering dedication, resilience, and compassion. And whereas the organization's local programs, including emergency assistance, youth enrichment, disaster relief services, senior support, and life transformation ministries, have empowered countless families and individuals to find stability, hope, and renewed purpose. And whereas the Salvation Army has remained a dependable presence in Savannah. The success and longevity of the Salvation Army are the result of the tireless work and unwavering commitment of officers, volunteers, donors, employees, and supporters whose compassion fuels the organization's mission each day. And whereas the city of Savannah honors and celebrates the legacy of the Salvation Army in Savannah

and the enduring impact of this organization's dedication to improving the human condition in our city. Now therefore, I Vanar Johnson the second mayor of the city of Savannah to hereby proclaim 2025 is the 125th anniversary of the Salvation Army in Savannah. And I encourage all citizens to join me in recognizing, honoring, supporting, and contributing to this vital institution whose ministry and mission has strengthened our community for more than a century and witness wherever I've set my hand and caused the seal of the city of Savannah to be affixed on this day signed by me and our clerk, Mark Massie. Congratulations and thank you for all you do.

Thank you. Well, good afternoon everyone. I'm Captain Chris Borwitz along with my wife and uh this great team. Uh we serve as the leaders of the Salvation Army serving uh the city of Savannah and the Coastal Empire. I prepared a speech and a lot to say, but that proclamation was very well written and beautifully read. So I just simply just simply I just simply want to on behalf of uh our advisory board members, our staff, volunteers, donors, and most importantly the clients that we have the privilege of serving each and every single day that come through our programs and services. We just want to say thank you to the city of Savannah and to everyone here. So God bless you and thank you very much. So, why don't you introduce yourselves and say how long you've been with the say hello tell them how long you've been there as well.

So, my husband and I I'm Captain Alisa Boritz. My husband and I just transferred here to Savannah this summer. Um so, we're still getting our feet wet. Um but we have felt so welcomed into this uh community and we are so happy to be here um serving alongside you all. Um and we look forward to many years to come. Thank you. Amen. Thank you. Thank you. Everybody knows this young man.

I'm not sure. I'm Linda James. I've been with the Salvation Army going on January would be 47 years and uh working in this community. Um I cannot say that I've been in a a more benevolent community than Savannah and help supporting our mission. And so thank you for that.

Thank you. Hi, I am shy. My name is Patricia Patterson. I'm the case management supervisor at the Salvation Army where we are doing the most good impacting the lives of individuals in our community. They need shelter. They need medical um need health mental health providers. We provide mental health uh providers for those individuals. linked them job placements and best thing is they get a good meal every day. Thank you, Patricia.

Hi, I'm Lieutenant Chelsea and I am here new to the Salvation Army of Savannah. And um this being my first appointment as an officer, just seeing the just the love and the joy that people have when it comes to the Salvation Army and what the work we're doing here. Um as well as the support. I definitely appreciate um just seeing that fresh out of school and just being able to be in a community that cares. So, thank you guys so much for allowing us to be here. Well, welcome.

Hi, I'm Keith Cobb. I am the chair of the advisory board and I look around and I see many of you who are our supporters and I thank you. Uh Mr. Mayor, without the leadership helping us, without the citizens of the generous citizens of our city and our county, what we do is not possible. So, we thank you for having a hand in and uh what we do for the community. We are very grateful. Thank you. God bless you. Thank you. Amen. Good.

All right. So, um, when I was growing up in Brooklyn, we used to have this term, uh, M city manager, when we really meant something, it said, "I double dog dare you." I doubled dog me dare members of council to join me and the city manager over the holidays as a bell ringer for the Salvation Army. Oh, you're late. We do that anyway. Well, I mean, but I mean, I want us all to do it. So, I I double dog dare you. Um, obviously, it is probably one of the most visible opportunities to help. And so, um, you all as, um, valued and very visible public servants, um, we would love to see you out there. We'll get you the information about how to do that. So, thank you all so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Mr. Mayor, thank you, Mayor. Mr. Mayor. Yes. I I just want to thank Chris. I don't want to mess up his last name. We met before. And Linda knows I'm in the Salvation Army at least once a week. They are giving and she can attest to that. Thank you. She's the other Linda, Mr. Mayor, but she's taking care. They give vouchers, they give clothes, they do all furniture, and so I appreciate our partnership, and I'm hoping that you guys get to fulfill your vision. Amen. I really do. Thank you so much, Linda. Love. Love is an action word. Yes, it is. This is love and action. TEAM IS PATTERSON. I KNOW. THANK you all so much. We appreciate you

and welcome. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Then ladies and gentlemen, something else is very, very important to me as a small business owner here in Savannah is our small businesses. So I'll ask our small business leaders to come up and join me because we have another great opportunity for everyone to be a part of what's happening. And the proclamation reads as follows. Whereas small businesses are the backbone of Savannah's economy, representing the creativity, diversity, and entrepreneurial spirit that makes our city unique. And whereas these businesses, our shops, restaurants, service providers, artisans, entertainers, and makers strengthen our neighborhoods create jobs, spark innovation, and keep dollars circulating within our local economy. And whereas Small Business Saturday, celebrated each year on a Saturday after Thanksgiving, serves as a national reminder to support the small and independent businesses that shape the character and charm of our city. And whereas choosing to shop small has a big impact for every dollar spent at a local business, more of that dollar stays in our community, supporting local jobs, local suppliers, local families, and the longterm economic vitality of Savannah. And whereas Savannah is fortunate to have dedicated partners who champion, uplift, and develop small businesses year round, including, wave your hand, the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce, the Savannah Downtown Business Association, Blocal Savannah, the Greater Black Chamber of Commerce, um, the Metropolitan Savannah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center, the

Uhhuh. Huh? Oh, yeah. Of course. The Small Business Assistance Center Corporation, the Starland Business Corridor, the South of Duran Business Association, the Savannah Waterfront Association, the Foresight Park Farmers Market, and the Hutcherson Island and Eastern War Farmers Market. And whereas these organizations together with hundreds of small business owners and entrepreneurs across our city work tirelessly to building a thriving and resilient local marketplace that welcomes residents and visitors alike. And whereas Savannah's small businesses reflect our city's story, embody our values, and help make Savannah one of the most vibrant, creative, and economically dynamic communities in the nation. And now and whereas thinking big by shopping small I came up with that is one of the most meaningful ways Savannah residents and visitors can support the people and places that make our city special. Now therefore, I Van R Johnson II, Mayor of the City of Savannah, to hereby proclaim Saturday, November the 29th, 2025 as Small Business Saturday in Savannah, Georgia, and encourage all Savanians and visitors to support our local entrepreneurs by shopping, dining, and exploring small businesses across every neighborhood of our city. And witness whereby I've set my hand and caused the seal of the city of Savannah uh to be a fix. Ladies and gentlemen, I challenge you even don't wait till Saturday. Let's do it this week. There is a small business that you can find for everything you need. Uh there is somebody somewhere in this city who can do this. And it's the best gift because it's the gift that keeps on giving. Small businesses pay local taxes. Small businesses locally hire local folks. They also are able to um not only earn money, but then also to spend money. And so again, we thank our small business

heroes for being who they are and doing what they do day in and day out. Uh many of you know for those of us who live during the pandemic in these seats. Uh you know that we would not have made it through the pandemic if it had not been for our small business economy. So again, thank you all so much and um we'll have all of you the come up. So we'll start with Mia man because she's behind me.

Thank you, sir. Thank you so so much. Um thank you so much city council. Thank you honorable mayor Van Johnson. team Savannah, for without you, the work of the Savannah Downtown Business Association would not be possible. Every one of you represented in the room, you answer our calls, you answer our requests. Thank you. Um, and we just want to reiterate the message that the mayor said so well. We need you. It is about driving our locals to support the downtown business economy, making those stops by those businesses. We just launched shop downtowns savannah.com to spotlight our local businesses across the board. of free service we're providing to amplify the voice of downtown Savannah. And because of each partner that's represented here with us today, thank you police. I see you all across this room. Thank you to every single business organization that allows us to advance the success of our economy for our locals, for our guests, and we thank each of you for this recognition as well.

Thank you. All right. Who go ahead. So there is no business without a buyer and a seller. Businesses can't do good with organizations like the like uh Salvation Army if they're not making any money. So, I'm gonna double dog dare everybody in here to come out on Sunday to our holiday market at the Eastern Warf and spend your money with local makers. Thank you all. I'm Na Hayward, founder of Savannah Sunset Market. This is my team, Curtis Faircloth and Reell Stewart. Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for your support of small business. Yes, it is

on River Street, Savannah's Waterfront. We have all small retail businesses and we invite you to shop small with us on Saturday. And when you get done buying all of your Christmas presents, join us for the lighted Christmas parade. If anyone's wondering why I have on this crazy hat, it's because it's lighted parade week. So, come join us on the waterfront. Thank y'all very much. There you go, Julie. Go dogs. Go dogs. Go dogs. SB uh SPDC from UG is honored to serve the small business community and um we appreciate all of your support in helping make Savannah a great place to do business.

Did you say your name? Liz Over Street. Thank you. Thank you, Minister. Good afternoon. I'm Jennifer Davenport. I'm with the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce. Thank you so much for having us. Um today we're very excited. You know, at the Savannah Chamber, 85% of our members are small business. We could not do the work that we do locally, at the state level, and on the federal level without the support of local business. So, thank you for acknowledging this and giving them an opportunity to shine. Thank you. Thank you.

Hi. Hi there. Thank you, Heather Ratkkey. I'm representing by Local. Um, as you know, we have a strong uh independent uh ownership of of businesses here in town. And our group is to is to make sure you realize that these local dollars stay in our community. 76% I believe stays in the community when you buy from a local uh business owner. So remind that PSA buy local. Buy local. Thank you everybody for this proclamation. Buy local.

Buy local. Hi, Victoria Saxton, president of the Small Business Assistance Corporation. So, we do all the small business financing and we actually celebrated 35 years this year and we'll be doing a lot of history that actually started the root of city of Savannah funding that in order for us to grow to where we are today. So, thank you again for your time and the opportunity to be here today.

Thank you. Monolo Stewart with the greatest man of Black Chamber of Commerce, one of the smaller but the fastest growing chamber. And so we're really excited by that. Um love for y'all to support our gayla which is December the 11th and get ready for our expo because there's so much support last year from the city. We were able to uh move the expo from the height to the convention center. So we're really excited about that. Thank you all so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Is that everybody? Mr. Mayor,

so we we're looking forward to this again. Um we were asking you all to um buy local be intentional about it. Um again this is a gift that keeps on giving to our local economy. Uh there's a lot of forces happening out on the national economy uh in Savannah. We have to take care of our own and this is how we take care of our own. Alderman Palumbo.

Thank you Mr. Mayor. To my colleagues out there my good friends. Uh I'm so honored to serve with all of you in my day job and my daily capacity. Uh, this is a culmination of your incredible hard work throughout the year to celebrate small businesses, which as Jen said is the backbone of our economy. And I'd be remiss if I didn't recognize one more person who's probably hiding out there trying not to be recognized because he's incredible modest. Uh, incredibly modest. Uh, Mr. Kiwan Drayton, director of operations of Startup Savannah. Thank you so much. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Yes. Uh, I would be remiss if I didn't say that we have on Skidaway Road, right? We want y'all to duplicate all the things that y'all doing downtown because from President Street to Eisenhower, we have some billocal people that we want you to incorporate, too. So, thank you for what you do. We want to do the same thing. And I'm hoping that splash money that we get to revitalize Skittleway that y'all incorporate what's going on Skittleway. We got a lot of businesses down there. Thank you what you do. Make sure you include us too. Y'all heard that third district. We want them to buy local there, too. Thank you so much. Appreciate it. Thank you, Alderman Shabbaz.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I too colleagues join you and and the message that we are sending out as small businesses. I am a small business owner, been a small business owner for almost 50 years. So I truly uh understand uh the method and the and the um philosophy and business sense. Uh as we small businesses in the city of Savannah, we are truly the backbone of our economy. So I'm asking everyone to continue to support us as we support uh this city uh with our businesses and hiring and also giving back and paying, you know, the work that we do up here on city council. we're talking about uh property taxes and everything else that we do as as small business owners. So, and the increase and also with uh I have to put this plug in for the city of Savannah with our small business um our entrepreneur center and what we can do to encourage those who want to come and walk in the shoes that we're walking in and being small business owners. So, y'all continue to grind, put it on, and we're going to have and I'm just praying for an an extreme blessing uh over the next few weeks during the holiday season as a people pour into Savannah into our economy. Congratulations. Happy Thanksgiving to all of us. All of us. Thank you.

Thank you, Alderman Leget. Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh as a proud papa, I just want to sit here and look over and tell everybody, look at the second district over here from the And not all of them. Not all of them. From from River Street all the way to Victory Drive, you see the improvements in the second district. All of that was intentional to make sure small businesses like this uh we're going to benefit from it. And now we're working along with the uh downtown business, downtown neighborhood as well as the riverfront association to make sure that our hotel motel dollars is going to reflect the need of everybody that come and visit Savannah. So when they come to Savannah, it's intentional that we tell them to to visit all our small businesses, our small restaurants, and have a good time here in the second district. That's how we do it.

Thank you, Alderwoman Bell. Just congratulations, Mal, and all of you. Thank you for all that you do, all the work that you do. I I want to lift this. Go ahead. So all of you all, thank you for what you give to our city. We truly truly appreciate it. The mayor said that during CO if it well I don't think it was the mayor I think it was the the young lady with the lighted hat

during CO if it wasn't for our small businesses um a lot of people could not have gotten the necessary things that they needed and for that we truly appreciate you Asia Hankerson you did not say anything so I'mma say it for you look here thank you thank you for all you do and for what you did while you were here.

Thank you. I I wanted to lift um as well. Can I finish? Um Monel Stewart, thank you so much for all you do for the Black Chamber. You all are having a gayla. Yes, it's up and coming. So, we need support, support, support. Your gayla is on December 11th. could you come back to the mic and let them know where, what time, how can they purchase tickets and what have you.

Y'all talking money now. I can walk over here. Uh December the 11th, actually it's three events that day. Savannah an Savannah Chamber has their annual meeting that day. U I think the um another chamber is having a a gayla that day as well. And in our chamber gayla is December 11th, 6 uh 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Armstrong Center 1:25. Our hashtags are gsbcc.org. You can find everything there. Thank y'all so much. We only got 40 tickets left though, right? All right. Also want to lift that um for businesses we don't have, there is still Savannah is still a ripe ground for people to enter business. Yes.

And we've been helping through our launch Savannah initiative. Um and so entrepreneurial opportunities are still available here and I want people to take advantage of those. So thank you all so much. We appreciate you all. Looking forward to it. And thank you, Trombone Bakery. Trombone Bakery. Trombone Bakery. Thank you. Thank you so much, Mr. Mr. Just Just when we thought our diet had begun. Yes, it is. Thank you so much, Mia. Thank you. And Mr. Meldder, I double dare you. Double dog dare you to third district. All of that. All of that. District on this district, Southside. Yeah, I'm with you, Savannah. Thank you all so much. Okay,

all of them. All right, at large. All of them. That's right. All of them. The whole city.

All right, we're going to go ahead and move to our phenomenal Savannah Airport, which has some great news that I'm not at liberty to say, but I'll let them say it. But great news today. Items number 27 through 32. Item number 27, approval to execute change order number 11 for the terminal security checkpoint expansion project with college construction in the amount of $154,634. Item number 28, approval of the 2026 airports council international North America Premier Airport membership dues in the amount of $37,742. Item number 29, approval to fund an additional year of the professional service agreement with Petri Government Relations in the amount of $60,000. Item number 30, approval to renew the annual license subscription to secure credentials uh from Tadera for one year in the amount of $76,259. Item number 31, approval to execute a contract with Highlight Air Field Services LLC for airfield painting and rubber removal in the amount of $17,600. And item number 32, approval to execute amendment number one for the work to hire agreement with Ben L Consulting International DBA, Benlau and Associates in the amount of $43,500.

I move to adopt the agenda item as written. Been properly moved and seconded. All in favor indicate by saying I. I.

Opposed. Motion passes. Uh we're going now for our first public hearing to receive comments on our 2026 proposed service program and budget. This is required by state law uh in which we provide the opportunity um to for public to comment uh on uh our extensive budget conversations that have continued. I want to commend city staff for being engaged and involved out in our community, listening to our residents. Uh this is the first year that our budget has been fully informed by our strategic plan, Savannah GPS. Uh and so every the expenditures we have are tied to a strategic goal. Uh and so that is based on what the citizens input is. And so it's a novel way. Um, but it's also a way to hold us accountable for the things that our residents have indicated to us that they want us to do. So, I now declare that public hearing open. Um, do we have any cards? Is anyone here want to talk about or offer public comments about the 2026 proposed service program and budget? Going once. Going twice. Speak now if I ever hold thy peace. Yes, sir.

Then properly moved and second that we close this hearing. All in favor indicate by saying I. I.

Opposed. Motion passes. Hearing is closed. U moving to zoning hearings. Item number seven is petition of Nancy Maya, Victorian Neighborhood Association, Jason Combmes, Thomas Square Neighborhood Association, and Bernardet Perry Ka Brownsville Association for a text amendment to section 7.13 hotel overlay district and automatic districts one and two. Uh at the petitioner's request, this has been requested to be continued to December the 11th. Item number eight, uh is for a zoning map amendment on the same items. Um, it has been requested by petitioner this item be continued to December the 11th. I entertain a motion to do that. So moved, Mr. Mayor.

Second. Been properly moved and seconded that we continue item number seven and item number eight to December 11th. All in favor indicate by saying I. I. Opposed. Motion passes. Item number nine is petitioner Bridget Litty on behalf of the mayor and alderman of the city of Savannah, Georgia for a text amendment to sections 8.7 accessory structures and uses. Mr. Mara, how are you, sir?

Excellent. Pleasure to see you all today. Uh, Mr. Mayor, members of city council, this is probably not going to stand, so I'm going to lay it down. Um, we are here to talk first about an amendment to the zoning ordinance for uh I I believe you all probably did not get to hear about these in the premeating, so I'll describe them briefly. Uh, when we say accessory structures, I'd like you to think of your garage in your house without any um living uh quarters attached to them. Uh, and an accessory dwelling unit would be say a garage apartment or a granny flat, something along those lines. uh this is an uh a dwelling unit that would be uh smaller in relation to your principal dwelling. And so today's first petition is in relation to zoning ordinance text amendments that regulate uh these two types of structures. Uh you can see the eight sections that are proposed to be impacted by um these proposed text amendments. And so the city uh and metropolitan planning commission have been working together for the past few months um on some text amendments to provide greater flexibility with regard to uh accessory structure and ADU regulations uh to reduce the number of variances and to provide greater flexibility. Um and while we do expect some efficiency out of these text amendments, we also expect that we should see uh a new and added opportunity to create um varied housing stock. Uh for some people this might offer the opportunity to have a more affordable uh place to live. For others the opportunity to age in place. Uh and for still others even the opportunity to generate additional revenue from adding a uh smaller apartment on their property. Uh this is not the first time that we have seen text amendments to uh this particular section of the zoning ordinance. Back in 2019, uh, Nuzo was immediately adopted to allow ADUs on lots that were at least uh 200% of the um area that was required for a single family dwelling that would be in an RSF district or a TR district. Uh, in May of

2023, uh, council approved a zoning text amendment that reduced that 200% down to 125%. Um, and so that was a step forward. Uh it also added the provision that this uh minimum lot area could be varied by the zoning board of appeals or by the planning commission. And so today we are looking at a slate of new uh text amendments that will move us yet again forward. Uh and again because I don't believe there was much discussion earlier. I'm just going to walk briefly through these. Uh the first uh of these that you see on the list section 8.7.3E uh will clarify calculation of lot coverage based on the footprint uh of accessory structures. Uh the second will clarify districts where accessory dwelling units are permitted. Uh the third facilitates conversion of an existing accessory structure for dwelling purposes. So if you have um a shed of some sort or a garage that doesn't contain living units, uh this provision will make that uh much easier. Uh the fourth one will reduce the minimum lot area that is required from the current 125% to 100%. Uh and I'd just like to add a note that in many districts this will see um many lots that are permitted to establish accessory dwelling units from um they will see an increase uh in lots that are permitted by 20% uh and some all the way up to 100% of lots permitted by right to establish an accessory dwelling unit uh within those districts. The fifth one clarifies the determination uh of the maximum size uh and it permits the variability of the number of bedrooms. Uh currently the maximum number of bedrooms is one and so this uh slate of text amendments includes the opportunity to add additional bedrooms. Uh there is uh next to the to the bottom this ties the architectural style of an ADU within a given district uh to that district if it is within uh a historic district. Uh and the last section uh removes the requirement that the historic

preservation commission uh would have to offer a recommendation on whether or not um an accessory dwelling unit could be built within one of the districts over which it has purview. Uh and so those are uh the text amendments that are proposed. These are consistent uh with Savannah GPS which was just mentioned the city's new strategic plan. Uh goal two part one item one says to implement programs and partner with organizations to build, retain, and improve affordable and workforce housing options for individual uh individuals and families. Goal two part one item two says update housing policies and ordinances to remove barriers and offer incentives that encourage the development of affordable housing. And so we find that this is consistent with both of those policy priorities. Uh this is also consistent with the housing savannah action plan uh in strategy 5.4 four, which calls uh for the support, sorry, that supports um modifications to our zoning, development standards, licensing, and other similar ordinances and policies for the purpose of promoting affordable housing. Uh with that, MPC staff in its review did find two items that we thought uh prudent that uh this and future council should consider with regard to the kind of housing that we are uh creating through um our uh aim of creating more affordable housing. We want to make sure that uh it is not just affordable, but it is also quality housing. And so we'd like to point out that the text does not set a minimum for area for ADUs. Uh this is a requirement that was removed from the uh ordinance in 2023. Uh currently an ADU is only required to meet the IRC uh 2018 code that is uh the city's adopted building code. Uh and these standards are aimed largely at uh safety. Um they do set minimums for living area, bathrooms, kitchens, ventilation and uh fire safety. But again uh these are largely safety oriented. Uh staff will again refer to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs architectural manual uh for

projects where uh DCA's funding uh is implemented. Um they do set minimums for unit sizes. And so we believe that this is done uh in an effort uh in an appreciation rather for the idea that truly affordable housing is built with respect for the needs and dignity of occupants uh that it recognizes long-term residents requirements for functional space, storage, privacy, and accessibility. So again, we want to make sure that we are not supporting uh potentially substandard housing. Uh also we recognize as we spoke about in the affordable housing text amendment uh that added bedrooms does equate to added demand on all of our engineered systems. Uh staff encourages uh the consideration of dimensional minimums uh to ensure housing quality, criteria for appropriateness of allowing multiple bedrooms uh and also the identification of priority growth areas and contextual guidelines to make sure that again we're not placing a burden on the residents of these areas or introducing substandard outcomes uh in our affordable housing efforts. And so with that, the planning commission did recommend approval of this request with one uh condition, and that is the establishment of variance criteria for section 8.7.4D3. Uh permitting ADUs to contain multiple bedrooms. Uh the planning commission requests that variance criteria be established within 90 days of council's adoption of this amended um text. Happy to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you. Are there any questions for members of council? Well, first of all, this is a public hearing. Um, does anyone have anything against uh the recommendation or what's been stated? Going once. One moment. One moment. One moment. Just just one question. No, no. Well, one moment. Public hearing. Going twice. Speak now. Yes sir. Second. Probably moved and seconded. All in favor indicate by saying I. I. Opposed. Motion passes. Alderwoman Wilder Brian. I just wanted to Well, turn your mic on. Thank you.

Just just curious, you know, when we pass these things, how is it going to affect what's going on in the third district? Um I know we had some people working on this. And so when this comes to our district, anybody who has a setback, how are we going to will this be retro or asis or when we find these uh instances that don't go with the zoning that we already have in place? How is this going to filter in should we bring this to the third district? So, so if I understand, uh, and I know that this is also something I've discussed with Alderwoman, um, Alicia Miller Blakeley, uh, the idea that you have several dwellings in your district that might have non-conforming conditions. Uh, to that, I would say uh, there's a provision to allow an existing structure. Uh, if you are simply uh, turning an existing garage or shed into a dwelling unit, there's a provision to permit that. Um these other uh provisions uh include uh details like the ability to now place the ADU at the same setback as the side setback as the principal dwelling uh for new construction. So it addresses both existing structures that would be converted and it can address uh new construction to make it a little bit more flexible.

Sure. Thank you. Any other questions? Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. How you how you doing today? Excellent. the um I just had a couple of questions about uh what is the parking requirement going to be for a ADU if it's already an existing building on the um space. Do the parking requirement uh remain the same for the existing house?

That is correct. So right now only the principal dwelling requires one off- streetet parking space. Uh currently accessory dwelling units do not count against density and they do not require off- streetet parking. That is not changed by this text. So by having this is it correct that they will uh cause a hardship on the community if they have a accessory dwelling to have more bedroom space and if they have guests their guests are uh subject to park on the street which would take away parking away from the residents who uh are there

potentially uh that that could be the case but uh again we are asking the planning commission is asking that this board um add variance criteria so that if additional bedrooms are to be granted. Uh that factors like those you've just mentioned could be taken into consideration if on street parking is the only thing that's available. Uh that might be one of the circumstances under which additional bedrooms might not be advisable. So So before we uh vote on this today, is it uh permittable for us to uh add edits to or is it a a living document, Mr. uh city manager? Is it a living document we continue to edit uh with our variances um with our current excuse me with our current ordinances? Can we edit

some portions of it? If I think the council can offer any amendment to the um to the zoning ordinance as proposed and adopt from the dis. I do think the the the question you're asking about um how do we protect against um uh a real or perceived um negative impact for additional cars for units being produced on site? Not not even that. Not even that. And also if something else would arise, say they turn that uh accessory dwelling, what was primarily made for um rental, long-term rental, this turned into a short-term vacation rental.

Yeah. Would that would would that go under a different criteria?

Um well, this doesn't change the short-term vacation rental ordinance. So, and this doesn't add an additional pin um into those short-term vacation rental zones. So, it wouldn't it wouldn't it doesn't add to the available capacity of short-term vacation rentals. Um, I uh I think that the condition that was added at the Metropolitan Planning Commission um is addressing a lot of your concerns in that um it it requires some variances for these additional units so that some of those matters can be because they might be specific to that that one project, right? that may not be um the right approach to legislate. Um so it's okay for us to put in

legal language to say to include but not to limit to because if we if we asking someone to build or construct a short a uh accessory dwelling and it's on property and they start off as a accessory dwelling by right and then it turns into a business then that business they They may have four or five uh guests that come, four or five guests bring cars, four or five guests have party, four or five guests call police to site. How do we enforce?

So I I think that the I know the issues are are connected in terms of community concern. You know, if there's an ADU at a property, does that now increase the number of people that might be there for a short-term vacation rental if that property is already a short-term vacation rental? But here's here's my issue and I and I and I ask you Mr. City Manager and Mr. Mayor also is there any way for us in the future, I guess the first quarter of uh 26 that we can have a um a workshop on short-term vacation rentals and Airbnbs so that we really know what's legal, what's illegal, what's zoned, what's not zoned, what's ADU accessible, what what we can have.

Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. We can do that. I I also want to note that um you know since this council since city council adopted an ADU ordinance um there have only been 37 um uh building permits issued for ADU. So it's been a very

But I I I I differ right there sir respectfully and also Mr. mayor that um I've I've worked with city staff and I sent in a lot of uh dialogue to reflect the fact that there are so many being constructed and they're not uh permitted and there's a lot being built and they and in their initial permit they said they're building one structure and they building a garage but actually they building a garage with a uh accessory dwelling on top of it. So,

I mean, we're not I I really want somebody to look into these plans as they're coming up so that we don't we don't look have we egg on our face cuz once they built and we already have the foundation there, we can't tell them to tear it down. They just say, "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you." But I think it's a compliance issue.

Yes, sir. So and that and with that speaking that way I just want to make sure that they we do have a way of um keeping people in compliance when we are at this point because I'm I'm looking at it and I I don't want to say yes to something and we don't have a back door. We not legally um permitted to uh to to the public and let them know that we we can enforce something and we say yes on the front end. We don't have a back door. Well, it appears that they're doing it now. If you're saying they're doing it now and there's no ordinance, I guess my concern would be, Mr. Manager, is that are we issuing stop work orders? And hopefully our teams are in the streets kind of, you know, asking those those questions, you know, for

Yes, sir. I I I respect the alderman's opinion about um uh illegal construction. Um we look at those issues very aggressively. If there is an issue of illegal um we'll take the appropriate compliance steps which is stop work order up to demolition of that illegally built um structure. Um there we've also developed a a GIS permitting tool so people can see what's been permitted at the location. Um and we can continue to uh workshop and educate on that issue. Um I think for my recommendation for this specific issue is I think that the condition added at MPC which requires an additional variance um is the I I think is um I think is getting at alderman your concern about how do we look at some of these adverse impacts um and that can be done on a case-byase basis based on uh this variance requirement. Am I getting that right?

You you absolutely are. And I just wanted to make sure that we were able to go back into it after we vote for it if there's any edits that need to be made. Is there something that need to come back to us for a Of course we could.

Absolutely. Because and I would say that you know this this amendment here is going back into the ADU several year ADU ordinance after several years and tweaking some of the things that we didn't quite get right then. So, I think absolutely we can we can do that sooner than a couple of years. Um, we can bring a a short-term vacation rental um workshop to council soon and we can talk about how any uh additions in um or flexibility in um density in our areas that also allow STV STVRs how that's impacting that. And I think that would help our uh code enforcement a lot if we definitely had uh language and we had a direction for them to go because

they just had somebody on 39th Street had people living in their garage on the floor with a u a portallet outside. I mean they that's not a that's not an ADU. No, that's not an ADU. No, sir. I have Mr. Mayor. Yes, ma'am. I just it's kind of off of the beaten path, but I want to ask you a question. maybe you can direct me in light of all of this uh new development in the denser areas

and so how do you generate I'll give you an example two fixed addresses 2114 and 2116 and in between that space we now have two houses how do you h how do we uh like this right so is it 21A and 21D because 2118 is not wanting to change. And this is a specific problem that I'm having with all of these we're getting set aidized and we're allowing people to uh put these houses in smaller spaces. But when we when we make these rules and stuff, we forget about the people who are actually living there and how it affects them and their addresses. How are we going to determine who gets the main address? On New York is a good example. three houses are been placed between two fixed addresses and uh I think this is going to be part for the course as we continue to develop houses and neighborhoods. How do we fix that?

So, I'll say that that's a a response to the changing housing market. Uh I think there was a time where we had an idea about what our cities would look like, the size of our lots, uh the spacing of our homes, and now we need more housing, and so we're re-evaluating what our minimums should be. Uh, and so I think that's what you're seeing there. Yeah. I want to just throw that out because I have somebody who does not want to be 21A or 21B. They want 2114. And so just this just just this just just this just just this just just this just just this just just this just just this just just just a a point to ponder when we continue to develop these houses and neighborhoods addresses. Thank you so much. Alone Lero.

I'm just echoing Mar just echoing the um district's concern about parking. I am a little bit concerned about um um these this particular uh amendment um having a negative impact on some of our neighborhoods as it relates to parking requirements. And I don't I'm not saying I'm against it because of that, but I do think we need to be made we we need to be aware of it that it could cause problems. I'll say it's a point of discussion. Um we are working very well with city staff. We do go back and forth and discuss uh concerns and the best way to manage neighborhood by neighborhood. Each neighborhood is different. Uh they were developed at different times. They have different constraints, different opportunities. Uh and so perhaps as we go along uh we will be able to determine areas where perhaps adding additional bedrooms is most appropriate and other areas uh where perhaps we want to slow down on adding additional bedrooms. Um but again uh having this uh variance criteria. The idea was that the concerns with which you all are very familiar within your districts uh could be placed um you know in proper context so that we could come back and figure out it's a citywide program. And so uh one sizefits-all is not going to be uh the approach. We're going to have to have something that is varied and nuanced and gives the opportunity that in some areas this is appropriate and desirable and others require a little bit more sensitivity.

Yeah. And and I'll say add too that especially in in for the second district parking concerns um the city has gone through its now second phase of the parking matters study. Um we're about to to finalize the draft proposal um for the community and for council. Um, and the big thrust in that parking matter study, which goes um all the way to Victory and in some cases um dips south of Victory Drive, is really um to protect residential parking um and how we um zone uh and uh manage and do uh uh pay for parking in those areas as well. So, um, that's that's something I think when we talk about these where we're adding some gentle density in places that have the infrastructure to support it and we're talking about parking concerns, I want to just bring that that topic up that the parking matter study is something we're going to be talking about here in in January and February as that plan becomes a final draft as well.

Aldwoman Lair, Mr. Marorrow. Yes, ma'am. I just want to get some clarity. Um, so we're dealing with the size. Um, so we were at one bedrooms. So now you can file a variance to get the two-bedroom ADU. So it's not by right. You have to file the variance. Is that correct? That's a good point. Let me go back just to make sure I don't misspeak. Um variances for more than one bedroom in an ADU 8.7.4D. That's correct. That's correct. A variance to permit a a second bedroom.

And on the setback, what what's the difference on that? U because it it was already restricted to Yes. So now um in order to make it a bit more efficient in reviewing uh ADU petitions uh these setbacks would be consistent with the primary dwelling depending on your base zoning district. So for instance in a lot of our traditional districts um single family housing requires a three-foot side setback. You would now be allowed to put your ADU uh at 3 feet rather than five feet from the side. Got it. Okay. Okay.

And what was the other thing? Coverage. Now it was a height. We discussed height to some extent before because there were some concerns about the ADU needed to not exceed the height of the main structure. Is that changed? Uh so within certain district conservation districts uh historic districts, we would not want the ADU uh to exceed uh 25 ft or the height of the principal dwelling, whichever one was lower. Um that that has not changed. Uh outside of those districts, however, I I'm not aware of the ordinance prohibiting um the height. There is a a height maximum within the base zoning district itself, which in most of our districts is about 36 ft for residential uses.

Uh that's not something that would change. So there's no variance to be filed for that. That's that's set. If you are going to exceed whatever the height limit is that applies to your development, you would be required to seek a variance. Yes, ma'am. Although I'm allowed to brain,

Mr. City Manager, can we put something in writing that says that these um ADUs cannot be converted into uh STVRs? Can we have something in writing? if because if it's for that person's uh particular livelihood like a mother-in-law or somebody like that then we want to make sure that they don't turn into uh short-term vacation rentals. Isn't that already in the ordinance? I don't know if it is. I want Yeah. I mean short-term vacation rentals are are governed by our short-term vacation rental ordinance which has caps on each community by pin. Um so I'm I'm I'm looking over at the city attorney. It's not in there from what I understand.

I

I just want to make sure if we're saying all of the uh districts have the ability to uh put a mother-in-law in there or something else that is specific for that family and not for other people to come and take advantage of the the the the privilege that they get or the setbacks that they get and then they turn them into a moneymaker. because when we went to class, uh, we found out that these, uh, short-term, uh, vacation rentals have generated $68 million in Savannah. That's how much they're making. The ones that are, uh, legal and illegal. And so I I don't want because we've given uh, me, I want my mom to stay in my house, okay? It's for my family. then that turns into uh more uh cars that are becoming in that neighborhood because they've turned it into uh short-term rental.

Yes, ma'am. And that's not in the I think the the places where this would become an issue. Um let's say there are many houses in downtown or the Victorian district where there's already a carriage house, right? What we call a carriage house, which is an ADU,

right? Um, and like there are people that live on my block. There's a um a row of houses that have carriage houses, and many people live there full-time. Um, and their carriage house is a short-term vacation rental, and it qualifies as an owner occupied vacation rental, and they're able to do that because the ADU um is already there on site. So, the places that this would um allow that is uh in places that already allow short-term vacation rentals um but don't yet have a carriage house. So, if you if council would like to that would have to be a question for this the city attorney if it's to put in this ordinance, but if you'd like to restricts ADUs to not be allowed for short-term vacation rentals, then you could write that in. the I think the the the the the con to that would be

um you're not allowing other property owners who might not have a carriage house now but not might be allowed to build one in the future to be able to have that additional um income on their property that they live in um due to short-term vacation rental as well. Okay. So, I'm not talking about that they can use that as part of their livelihood to rent a a long-term lease. I'm talking about we Let me just Are AUDs legal in the third district? Yes. Yeah. It's my understanding that they're only permitted north of Victory. I can add that to

So, that is my point. And so when we sit up here and we're voting for stuff that is not applicable for us when they come to our district, that's going to create a problem with me because because of the illegal ones that we have now, nobody knows who's in your in your uh using those facilities. But if it's a long-term lease, I can say, "Okay, then we have a problem with the person, the tenant you have." But when we have all these random people coming into these community, that creates uh parking because they're partying and if they're three or four bedrooms and we're trying to limit how many bedrooms, then that's a problem for Edward. We just want to be proactive instead of reactive.

So again, I think Edward, can you go over the specific zoning districts that our ADU um zoning ordinance covers? Uh ADUs are largely targeted toward uh single family dwellings. Okay. So let let me just be specific. Okay. So you're giving us permission the these the these the city ordinance and saying I can have an AUD, right?

I can build one or audihood what I got going on. So I got to put one in my yard and I'm going to rent it to somebody and that's fine. The problem that I have is that I'm going to put this in my yard and then Tom, Dick, and Harry can have a party anytime they want to. There's nobody that we can hold accountable because most of the illegal ones that we have in my neighbor, they don't even live here. So you got people buying property, right, that not supposed to be having these short-term. And so we got people invading our propert and the people who actually live there can't even park in front of their houses. And so if we continue to move forth, I would want to be able to have some type of uh ordinance to say that you can't turn your AUD into a short-term uh rental place because it's going to create uh uh first of all um the parking that we're always talking about. And so if you have carriages already, I'm not worrying about those. I'm talking about anybody who wants to come in third district and do these type things with some type of standard. I mean, we just creating stuff that's okay, but we don't have compliance. That's the problem that we have. It's okay to do all these things, but the problem that I'm having is the compliance of anything that we generate and say it's okay. We don't have anybody saying you can do this, you can't do this. When we do a better uh um uh we we just got to do a little better than what we're doing now if we want to get buy in. and especially my signature on something that that that I'm signing for something that does not even exist in the district that I'm currently serving. Thank you, sir.

Alderman Bell and then Alman Palumbo and then we're going to move on. Um Mr. City Manager, perhaps you should repeat that short-term vacation rentals are already governed by I mean where they can go.

Correct. And I know they're illegal ones, but I also think the city's doing a better job even even um identifying those illegal ones by spotting them. I guess you're checking the advertising and all of that. I just I mean I know of a personal case where um a gentleman was in had a short-term vacation rental in an area that was illegal and staff caught him and he had to pay his fine and he had to turn it into a long-term. So I think we're doing a better job regulating Uh yes, we are. And that's uh thanks to dedicated staff work. It's thanks to some technology that we purchased several years ago. That's what it was. You purchased additional technology.

Yes. Um the And I I completely understand the concerns. I think that in the majority of our single family districts, um uh short-term vacation rentals are not allowed.

That is correct. And in the places where short-term vacation rentals are allowed, um ADUs are in many cases um by right already um and have been for um the beginning of Savannah. Um, so there there are some of those issues that may not be. While I think the concern is absolutely valid, Alderwoman, the the the fear of that happening in our single family neighborhood districts um it uh may be limited one based on our just what's allowed and what's not allowed and two on our increased ability to enforce that allowance. So, I I I understand the concern. Um I think that the the ADU ordinance here is um more about trying to allow, you know, people to build mother-in-law suites. Um people to be able to um create some uh density in their in their own property for um uh for reasons for long-term rentals, etc. The majority of these districts are outside of our what's allowed for in short-term vacation rentals. this because I know we have them in my district and people are about them all the time.

So, I'm just trying to avoid some things. Thank you for your time.

Uh, thank you, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Mr. Morrow, for the presentation, and thank you for coming back. uh you know this has been a process that's been uh going on for a couple of years and I remember the what's ironic about it is we're returning back to form for the original application as intended and I remember we took a more cautious approach originally uh that was more restrictive to try to ease into accessory dwelling units to make sure that we did not have an ADU apocalypse uh and what we found is that it's been slow incremental change uh and we're back to square one with the same discussion do we address the housing crisis from the top down or the bottom up. Uh and it it's precient that we address this right after the adoption of our strategic plan. U because we want to have an equitable approach to our city and and this is the ADUs have been a privilege for the select few in Savannah from the 1940s up until we adopted this provision I believe in 2024 maybe 2023. Uh, and really what we're doing today is we're going to make this accessible to everyone or more more people. Uh, and you know, so I I welcome this. Thank you for bringing it back and remembering. Thank you to the team for doing their their hard work and diligence and thank you to council for taking, you know, a deliberate approach to be able to bring this forward.

Thank you. Thank you. Is there a motion in our future? Mr. Mayor, I move that the first be second and the ordinance placed upon its pass. Second motion proply moved and seconded and item number 14 that the first reading be considered a second ordinance place upon his passage to pass. All in favor of the case by saying I I

opposed. Motion passes. Uh um item number 10 is a petition of John D. Northrup III on behalf of Keegan Statue Southeastern Retail Development LLC to amend the future land use map of 2.8 8 acres at 11750 Abocorn Street from civic institutions commercial suburban alback district 6. And item number 11 is a petition of John D. Northrup on behalf of Keegan statute southeast retail development LLC to amend the zoning map of 2.8 8 acres at 11750 Abacorn Street from OIE um office institutional uh expanded to BC community business and automatic district 6. I'm sorry sir Mr. Borrower.

Thank you Mr. Mayor. Uh this is a combination future land use map amendment and reszoning. Uh the first request would amend the flume from civic and institutional use to commercial suburban. Uh and the second would permit the reszoning of the property from its current designation of office and institutional expanded uh to BC community business. Uh you can see the subject parcel on your screen outlined in yellow right now. Uh many of you may remember this as the site uh where the uh red roof in caught on fire uh several months ago. There are some remaining buildings there, but there is now an area that is developable uh that adjoins uh Abberorn and Mercy Streets. And so you can see the uh policy document, the future land use map on the lefth hand side of your screen. This is right next to St. Joseph's Hospital. Uh and so this is actually a commercial entity that's on the corner. Uh it is also an area that is very much suitable for uh commercial use. You can see on the right hand side of the screen uh the zoning map which shows office institutional expanded zoning. Uh and on uh three other sides of this corner you have BC zoning already. That very same zoning designation is presently requested. Uh this is an aerial view of the site. You can see St. Joseph's Candler. Sorry, yeah, St. Joseph's there on your right. Uh this is also across the street from the public's shopping center. And so just to show you a view, uh the plan 2040 designation uh is suburban commercial. That is the character area for this um parcel at present. Uh but it has a civic and institutional flume designation. And so the request would be to take this from that blue color to the red uh commercial suburban which is identified as business areas supporting shopping centers and corridor commercial uses. Uh obviously either of these uses is appropriate at this location. Uh both being on a um high high volume um thoroughfare and in proximity of regional uh or larger neighborhood uh

focused retailers. Uh the BC zoning district uh according to Nuzo is established for the purpose of accommodating a range of non-residential uses that serve a communitywide market area and upper story residential uses. Uh unfortunately we don't see those upper story residential uses very often, but we are familiar with the big box locations that we typically see in this zoning district. Uh this is appropriate for areas such as a Walmart uh or other big box retailer. Uh the site is 2.8 acres in total. 1.6 6 acres would remain uh the red roof in buildings and 1.2 acres would be the new commercial. Uh you would see a drive-through coffee establishment and a fast casual restaurant established on this site. Uh primary access would be off of Mercy Boulevard and not off of Abberorn. Uh site plan review would be required. It appears that there are going to be some variances that would have to be reviewed by the Metropolitan Planning Commission uh in this development's future. And so to offer you a view of the proposed site plan here, not sure if you can see my cursor. You cannot. Uh so on the frontage uh closest to Mercy Boulevard, uh you will notice that would be the fast casual restaurant that's proposed. Uh and a large portion of the site is actually dedicated to the entrance and um drive-through stacking for what would be a drive-through uh coffee restaurant um on this other frontage on Abberorn. Uh with regard to some of the criteria uh the first whether the range of uses permitted by the proposed zoning district is more suitable uh than that in the current zoning district. Uh staff found that it would be in that uh the range of uses proposed under BC is more suitable uh because it would support um or continue this pattern of BC zoning on the adjoining three sides of this intersection. The change would promote consistency in land use and better align with the established commercial character of the area. Uh and uh with regard to whether the proposed zoning district addresses a specific need in the city, uh these are um this is an

area that is home to several large institutional users. Uh of course uh Georgia Southern's Armstrong campus is nearby uh Walmart, Kroger, and other uh uses that are autooriented along the corridor are located nearby. Uh and this will continue to meet current and future service needs of the community in that particular vicinity. Uh with that, the uh planning commission did recommend approval of the first request to modify the future land use map uh from civic and institutional to commercial suburban and also the resoning request uh from OI and E to community uh business. Happy to answer any questions.

This is a public hearing. Does anyone have anything against uh this recommendation? Going once. Going twice. Mayor Johnson. Yes. Oh, sorry. Go ahead. We're going to move to close the hearing. Second. Second. And probably moved and seconded. All in favor indicate by saying I I opposed. Motion passes. Um, let's move to the corresponding item which is item number 15. Mr. Mayor, can we can we take both 15 and 16 together? I believe because it's first and second, we probably need to take them individually. We need to take it's two different things. So yeah, one is basically for the flum amendment and the other one's for the reasonzoning.

Uh you just have to say it twice. Yeah, sure. No problem. Mr. Mayor, in reference to number 15, I move that the first reading be considered the second the ordinance placed upon its passage and passed. Second. Second. Then probably moved and seconded that the first reading be considered the second it ordinance placed upon its passage and passed on item number 15. All in favor by saying I I oppose. Motion passes. Item number 16. Mr. Mayor, I move that uh item number 16, the first reading be considered a second. The ordinance placed upon its passage and passed. Second. Been promptly moved and seconded. All in favor of the case by saying I. I.

Oppose. Motion passes. Items. Thank you, Mr. Mor. Appreciate it. Um item number 17 and 18 are first readings. Um approval of the 2026 revenue ordinance. And item number 18, adoption of the amendment to the 2026 revenue ordinance to establish a storm water utility rate ordinance. These are first readings. Therefore, requires no uh council action. Moving to your purchasing items, items number 19 through 26. Huh? 19. All right. Any other pull outs? Mr. Mayor, regarding items number 20 through 25 move 20 through 26. I move for approval.

Second. been properly moved and seconded there. Item number 20 is authorized city manager to execute a contract for one remote operated track slope mower with jetback equipment company LLC in the amount of $67,176. Item number 21. Authorize city manager executed contract for services to repair damage on fire pumper with William Fires apparatus in the amount of $62,946. Item number 22. Authorize the city manager to execute a contract for one mini excavator and compact track loader from Yansy Brothers Care of Caterpillar Incorporated in the amount of $197,716. Item number 23. Authorized city manager executed contract for one valve maintenance truck from Allen J. Fleet Sales Care of National Automotive Fleet Group in amount of $284,940. Item number 24, authorize city manager to execute contract modification number one to increase the annual contract amount with Genuine Parts Company Napa Integrated Business Solutions in the amount of $800,000. Item number 25, authorize city manager to execute a contract for two 4tonon hoist replacement with cone cranes in the amount not to exceed $139,914. And item number 26, authorized city manager executed contract for a disaster recovery base and support services with Ashbridge Primary, MLU services secondary and USA upstart tertiary and amount that will vary based on severity of the national disaster. I'm going to pull that by items number 19 and 25. All in favor indicate by saying I.

I. Opposed? Motion passes. Item number 19. Yes, Mr. Mayor. I'm going to yield to Chairman Palumbo to make the motion. Yes. Regarding uh this particular item, I move for approval. Move for approval. Second. Been probably moved and seconded. All in favor indicate by saying I. I. Opposed. Opposed. Motion passes. Uh that' be what? Six. 61. 71. Thank you. Item number 26. Yes.

All right. Go ahead. Thank you all very Wow, they got super 19 correct.

Okay. All right.

Right. Yeah, it's done. Yeah. Okay. Um um item number 26. Mr. Manager, we're clear. All right. I move for approval. All second. Probably moved and second. All in favor indicate by saying I. I. Opposed. Motion passes. Um moving on to

sorry 26 I'm sorry 26. Um, under agreements, approval of a water sew agreement with HP Agichi Road LLC for Point Grand Chadam, a development consisting of 411 apartment units at 10 Patriot Drive off of Chadam, I mean Highway 17 in the Gateway area and unincorporated Chattam County. There's motion, Mr. Mayor. Yes. Move to approve. Second. Properly moved and seconded. All in favor indicate by saying I

opposed. Motion passes. Item number 34 is approval to change the name of a visual arts studio one in the Dr. Otis S. Johnson Cultural Arts Center to the Bill Durren Visual Arts Studio in Automatic District 2. Alman Leget. Yes, sir.

I may ask the uh president of DM DNA to come with me, Mr. Mayor, please, sir. Yes, sir.

Mr. Mayor, the applicant is requesting approval to change the name of the visual arts center studio 1 in the Otis Johnson s Cultural Center at 2011 Montgomery Street to the Bill Durren Visual Arts Studio. In recognition of the contributions of Mr. Bill Durren, sir, Bill Durren, known as Bill Durrence, William Henry Durren Jr. is a native of Savannah, a professional photographer of almost 60 years of experience shooting editorials, commercials, and a promote professional assignments. Mr. uh Durrence, a photographer teacher for more than 40 years and a former Savannah alderman from 2016 to 2019. His fine art prints include a number of private collections as well as city of Savannah multiple archives uh prints. In 2025, he donated extensive archive of presented in full breath of his photography career to the city of Savannah archive. Will it would be accessible to the public? Mr. Mayor, I ask to approve the change of the name of the visual arts studio number one in the Otis Johnson Cultural Center to be named the Bill Durren Visual Arts Studio in automatic district 2. Yeah.

Well, it would be nice if you made a motion, though. Uh, I did. I said I asked for the approval to change. I moved. Second to change the name of the visual arts studio one in the Otis Johnson Center to be named Bill Durren's Visual Arts Studio. Sir, properly moved and seconded. All in favor by saying I. I. Opposed? Motion passes. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Item number 35, authorize city manager to approve a major subdivision Bradley Point South phase 7 in the automat in automat district 6. Mr. Mayor, yes. Move for approval. Second motion. Properly moved and seconded. All in favor of the K by saying I oppose. Motion passes. That ends our agenda and you're 10 minutes off. Alman Palabo. So that's what are there any are there any

3:30 now. Are there any? Yes. Yes. Yes. You're absolutely correct. I'm going to start Alden. Yes. Can we please turn your mic on when speaking or it will not be captured. Thank you. One one announcement uh the 6th that's the first Saturday in December. Come out to the West Bay Street Community Market. It's on the first Saturdays. Free fish and grits. Everybody eats. That's it. Thank you. Thank you, Alderman Lean. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

Again, thank you. I'd like to uh I see Carrie's in the out in the gallery. Thank you, Carrie. I was um definitely want to continue to offer prayers on behalf of the council for you and your entire team. I know this is a difficult time, but you definitely been in our prayers. Thank you, Aldoman Wild Brian. We want to make sure that

we we have two parties. one for on the 19th at Savannah uh Savannah Gardens and then at the park we have one and they have uh requested your presence, you and the city managers to peep your head through. We do an amazing party over there, sir. We'll give you the information and we want to say how we had such a good time with the uh the Hispanic gala. Thank you for that. They did an amazing thing. Miam, I think we talked about it. She got uh what was the award she got? Two awards. two awards representing city Savannah and Hispanic community. Go for Miriam. Thank you. Thank you, Alderman Palumbo. Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm going to skip alman for appointed personal privilege. Aldwoman Miller Blakeley. Thank you, Mayor Johnson. I just want to send out our deepest um sympathies and condolences to the family of Natasha Exley. She was my next door neighbor. She lost her life on Friday. And also to the Coney family. Um they their son van son was the one that they found in the river um on Wednesday. Um deepest and sincere condolences and sympathies to both of those families. Thank you. Thank you. And we extend ours as well. Thank you Alderwoman Bell. Happy Thanksgiving everybody. Thank you. Mayor Johnson, his name is Tummaine Moore. Yes,

Tmaine Moore. Thank you. Um and then Alderman Pal uh Alderman Perti. Thank you Mr. Mayor. I'm going to read this into record if that's okay. Please do, Mr. Massie. It is with a This is hard. This is It's with a heavy heart that I share the passing of one of our very very um wonderful women of Windsor Forest, Joanne Renee Panzerella Sappella. Yes.

Passed away uh recently. Someone who meant a great deal to Windsor Forest. uh and so many of us who had the privilege of working alongside of her, if you if you knew her, uh you knew her as the the woman in the scooter, the wheelchair, uh or her mo mobility uh throughout Windsor, she wasn't just involved, she was invested.

Whether she was advocating for animal welfare, pushing for better mobility and safety in our neighborhood, or volunteering with Keep Savannah Beautiful, she gave time and energy with genuine love for this community. You always knew that when Joanne spoke up, it was because she genuinely cared. In Windsor Forest, she was one of those neighbors who lifted up others. She showed up to the meetings, asked thoughtful questions, and never hesitated to offer a hand. She made people feel welcome, heard, and valued. Our neighborhood is so much stronger because of her voice, her compassion, and her determination. Joanne also carried her dedication into her nursing career, caring for others with the same kindness that she brought to her community work. It was simply who she was. To her husband, Robert, and her children and her grandchildren and all of her family and friends, please know that our entire community and our entire city stands with you. We are grateful for everything Joanne poured into Windsor Forest and into the city of Savannah. Her spirit will not be forgotten. A celebration of life will take place at the Moose Lodge on Norwood on December 6th from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. If you if you come, please wear purple. That was her favorite color. I do want to say that uh to my friend, my colleague, my neighbor, my community advocate and a strong voice. Uh she can now rest easy. Thank you, Joanne, for making this a better place for all of us. Amen.

Amen. And Joanne was a force of nature. Um, and we we are better because of Joanne. So to uh her family, to Windsor Forest family, to the greatest Savannah community, we have lost a champion, but we we appreciate her. May her memory be a blessing. Happy Thanksgiving. Yes. And let us remember that we all have a lot to be thankful for. And when we return, um, God willing, the H season will be over. We're ajourned. The H season H. The word we don't use the H. H.