This agenda item was continued from the City Council Meeting on December 6, 2018.

This is the first of two related agenda items.

Petitioner Robert Brannen for Figure 8 LLC (File No. 18-005271-ZA) is requesting approval of an amendment to the text of the New Hampstead Planned Unit Development (PUD) and Master Plan. The New Hampstead PUD contains 4,045 acres located in the western portion of Chatham County within the corporate limits of the City of Savannah between Fort Argyle Road and Little Neck Road west of Bush Road. The New Hampstead PUD was included in the December 9, 2004 annexation of 6,561 acres.

The New Hampstead PUD (Article L of the Zoning Ordinance) and Master Plan were approved by the Metropolitan Planning Commission and the Mayor and Aldermen in 2005.  The Master Plan doubles as the Zoning Map for the New Hampstead PUD as the Master Plan Land Classifications are the Zoning Districts and vice versa. Therefore, a related agenda item is for the rezoning of certain parcels within the New Hampstead PUD (18-006151-ZA).

The requested New Hampstead PUD (Article L) and Master Plan amendments include an overall reduction in residential dwelling units, and a reorientation of some of the other approved uses.  No new uses are proposed.  If approved, the proposed amendments would not be a significant change to the previously approved land use plan and therefore would not be detrimental to the properties within the New Hampstead development, or to properties within the general vicinity.

The proposed changes to the text are as follows:

• Sec. 8-3242 and Sec. 8-3270:
  • The “Public Park” designation has been changed to “Park”. There may be a combination of public and private parks depending on which areas the City of Savannah accepts through dedication.
  • The “Highway 204 Commercial” designation has been changed to “Commercial”. This is proposed because all the proposed commercial may not abut Highway 204.
  • Revise the Tracts Encompassed for each Zoning District to match the proposed map changes.

The proposed changes to the Master Plan are as follows:

• Conversion of 863.26 acres of single family residential, institutional, multifamily and village areas to parks. These areas were submitted to a conservation easement and are labeled as “P Nature Preserve” on the Master Plan.

• Relocation of the village area westward outside of the new parks, labeled Vil-1, Vil-2A, Vil-2B, Vil-2C and Vil-3.

• Conversion of multi-family parcel on Ga Hwy 204 to single family residential, labeled R-3A, and conversion of institutional parcel across the street to multi-family labeled MF-4.

• Conversion of single family residential parcel on High Gate Boulevard to commercial, labeled C-6.

• Conversion from institutional and residential to commercial of parcel labeled C-7 on Little Neck Road.

• Conversion from single family residential and institutional to multi-family and commercial of parcels labeled MF-5 and C-8 on Little Neck Road.

• Conversion from single family residential to institutional of parcel labeled I-7 on Little Neck Road.

Revised Development Data: The proposed amendments to the New Hampstead PUD and Master Plan will result in a net decrease in dwelling units. The currently approved dwelling unit maximum of 11,275 is reduced to approximately 9,800 based on the proposed changes. The petitioner has indicated that actual buildout will likely not exceed 9,500.

On October 30, the Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of the amendments to the New Hampstead PUD (Article L) and Master Plan as outlined. 

Approval