The Mayor and Aldermen approved this map 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 amend the zoning map to create an overlay district known as the West Bay Street Alcohol Density Overlay District (File No. 17-005887-ZA). The proposed overlay is designed to prohibit certain uses typically associated with the sale and serving of alcoholic beverages and to apply conditions to other uses that serve and / or sell alcohol.

The position of the City of Savannah is that within the identified corridor, certain uses have led to ongoing occurrences of littering, loitering, unruly behavior, traffic congestion and a general diminishment of quality of life for residents in the area. The proposed overlay is intended to curtail the proliferation of these uses in the overlay boundaries.

The City of Savannah is also proposing to amend the Zoning Ordinance to create Article O. Alcohol Density Overlay Districts (File No. 17-006636-ZA), along with two other Alcohol Density Overlay Districts for portions of the Montgomery Street (File No. 17-005884-ZA) and Ogeechee Road (File No. 17-005885-ZA) corridors.

On November 21, 2017, the Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of the proposed map amendment.

Approval