The Petitioner is requesting approval of a Special Use Permit pursuant to Section 3.10 of the Savannah Zoning Ordinance to establish an “indoor amusement” as a use at 100 W. Lathrop Avenue. The proposed amusement will establish a year-round haunted house attraction based on the history and legends of the Savannah area. This Special Use permit will create a new special use in an I-L (Light Industrial) district pursuant to the newly created special use in Sec. 5.4 Principal Use Table with use-specific standards in Article 8, Section 8.5, Commercial Use Standards for Limited and Special Uses. 

The property located at 100 W. Lathrop Avenue is situated at the southwest corner of the intersection of Augusta Avenue and Old West Lathrop Avenue. The parcels consist of approximately 2.36-acres of developed industrial warehouse use, constructed between 1955 and 1963 per the Chatham County Assessor website. Plans submitted for the proposed use include utilizing 8,327.7 square feet for the main attraction/Spook Corridor and 12,857.4 square feet for storage and operations (201.3 square feet for a control room and 402.8 square feet for restrooms). Parking calculations for the proposed use require 47 dedicated off-street parking stalls which have been depicted on the submitted plans.

The Planning Commission recommends approval of the requested Special Use Permit at 100 W. Lathrop Avenue under the following conditions:

1. The Special Use Permit shall be nontransferable.
2. A Specific Site Plan shall be subsequently approved showing conformance with all applicable ordinances and City Department Reviews and Approvals.
3. Any future material change to the site plan shall be further reviewed and approved by the MPC. The MPC may refer to City Council if change is deemed as substantial.