The Mayor and Aldermen approved this text amendment request following a zoning hearing at the December 21, 2017, City Council Meeting.  The action being considered now is the approval of an ordinance to create an overlay district. (File No. 17-004803-ZA).  The proposed overlay (Article O) is designed to limit the sale and serving of alcoholic beverages in an effort to address the negative impacts of these uses at certain locations in the city.

The overlay applies to three defined geographic areas delineated in the associated map amendments. The three areas include the West Bay Street overlay boundaries (delineated in file no. 17-005887-ZA) are generally along Bay Street, north to Damon Street and south as far as Augusta Avenue, extending from West Lathrop Avenue to approximately 1,200 feet east of East Lathrop Avenue. The Montgomery Street overlay boundaries (delineated in file no. 17-005884-ZA) are generally between West Victory Drive and West DeRenne Avenue. The Ogeechee Road overlay boundaries (delineated in file no. 17-005885-ZA) are generally between West Anderson Street and the intersection of West Victory Drive and Ogeechee Road. 

The position of the City of Savannah is that an effort has to be made to address ongoing occurrences of littering, loitering, panhandling, noise, and vehicular traffic and a general diminishment of quality of life for residents in certain areas. The proposed Alcohol Density Overlay District is designed to limit the saturation of certain uses deemed undesirable and to decrease harmful impacts on neighboring residents. 

The Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of the zoning text amendment to create Article O: the Alcohol Density Overlay District.

Approval