Update to an earlier report: This article includes new information about a story we previously covered. Read our earlier report.
A city-commissioned study recommends up to 300 homes and neighborhood retail for about four acres of downtown Savannah, but the proposal is not a final plan. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center arena is expected to be demolished in 2027, after which the city plans to restore the historic street grid and prepare the land for redevelopment.
The analysis lays out a possible mix of 230 to 300 homes and 32,000 to 45,000 square feet of retail. Its housing recommendation includes 130 to 160 market-rate apartments, 60 to 80 workforce units, 30 to 45 condominiums for sale and 10 to 15 rowhomes for sale. About 27% of the proposed homes would be income-restricted.
The city gathered input through open-house events in October 2025 and February 2026, with surveys accompanying both rounds. The report says residents favored attainable housing and a range of home types, including apartments and rowhomes. For retail, respondents showed interest in local businesses offering everyday goods and services.
How the report places housing and retail
The study assigns different housing types to different parts of the site. It recommends market-rate apartments on the southwestern lots, workforce housing and rowhomes on the eastern lots, and condominiums on smaller interior lots near Orleans Square.
The market analysis identifies workforce housing as the segment with the strongest demand, focusing on two-person households earning roughly $64,000 to $96,000. The recommended workforce units would serve households earning 80% to 120% of area median income.
Market-rate apartments could be among the easiest homes to bring forward, according to the analysis, and might help launch later construction. But Savannah City Manager Jay Melder said the city will have to weigh that sequence against its affordability goals. He said workforce housing may need to come first or be developed alongside market-rate units.
The report describes several ways the city could support affordability. Keeping public ownership could give Savannah access to tools such as tax exemptions that may reduce development costs. The city could also transfer land to a private builder with affordability requirements, although the report notes that such restrictions can expire. It says direct public involvement is likely the strongest route if the city wants to maximize workforce housing.
The analysis recommends locating retail on visible, well-traveled streets and names food, beverage and neighborhood-serving shops as suitable uses. It says the site’s block layout could limit the floor space, loading access and parking needed for a full-service grocery store. A smaller corner market could be accommodated, according to the report.
Infrastructure and decisions ahead
Restoring the Oglethorpe Plan’s street pattern, then building streets and sidewalks, is an early task once the arena is removed. The 2025 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax referendum allocated $25 million for Civic Center redevelopment; Melder said some of that funding is expected to support site infrastructure.
The city owns the property and would eventually seek a development partner through a Request for Proposals. The report says the selection should reflect the city’s values. Savannah City Council still must decide what development it wants, and the analysis is intended to inform those choices rather than settle them.
The report also identifies a future funding tradeoff: revenue from development could support affordable housing or help pay for renovation of the Johnny Mercer Theatre, which will remain at the site.
Yolonda Harris
News Now Georgia
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