The Petitioners are requesting a text amendment to Section 7.13, Hotel Development Overlay District, to extend its boundaries to include the Victorian, Streetcar, and Cuyler-Brownville Historic Districts which would prohibit new hotel development. This proposal follows a 2023 petition submitted by the Victorian, Metropolitan, and Cuyler-Brownville neighborhoods seeking to protect neighborhood character, support housing affordability, and promote residential infill. In response, the City conducted a study with broad stakeholder input to evaluate the proposed expansion.

The Hotel Development Overlay (HDO) District was originally established in 2018 to manage hotel development in Savannah’s Downtown Historic District following a 2017 study and community input. Incorporated into the City's zoning ordinance in 2019, it provides guidelines for the size and location of future hotels to help balance growth with neighborhood preservation.

The HDO study conducted by the City provides information on the proposed boundaries, recommendations, and supporting analysis related to the overlay.  As part of the study, three options were presented to amend Section 7.13 by expanding the existing hotel overlay to include the Victorian, Streetcar, and Cuyler-Brownville historic districts.

• Option 1: Within the expanded HDO District, hotels with 40 rooms or less would be permitted as a Special Use in all TC-1 and TC-2 (Traditional Commercial) zoning districts.
• Option 2: Within the expanded HDO District, hotels with 40 rooms or less would be permitted as a Special Use in designated areas limited to properties facing Anderson and Henry streets between Whitaker and Drayton streets.  All of these parcels are zoned TC-2, except for one parcel, which is zoned TC-1.
• Option 3: Within the expanded HDO District, no hotels would be permitted.

The HDO study also recommended amending the commercial use standards by adding conditions for hotels and motels in Section 8.4.36 to include:

• Within any TC district, the following standards would apply to the hotel/motel use:
• Such use shall be limited in size to 16 to 40 rooms.
• Such use shall be part of a mixed-use development.
• Such use must provide 24 hours, 7 days a week onsite staff to assist guests with lodging services.
• Reductions in screening and buffering as required by Sec. 9.5 shall not be varied.
• Reductions in design standards for mechanical equipment and refuse as required by Sec. 7.9.10, 7.10.10, and 7.11.10 shall not be varied.
• The developer shall submit to the Jurisdiction an affidavit stating that any outdoor pool proposed as part of the hotel development shall be accessed by hotel guests only.
• The building footprint of a proposed hotel development may not exceed the maximum allowed by Sec. 5.13.5, Development Standards for Permitted Uses, and shall not be varied.

In addition, the HDO study recommended amending Section 5.4 of the Principal Use Table to include reference to the new use conditions for hotels outlined in Sec. 8.4.36.

On October 7, 2025, the Planning Commission approved the Petitioner's request to amend Section 7.13, Hotel Development Overlay District, to extend application of the existing boundaries to include the Victorian, Streetcar, and Cuyler-Brownville Historic Overlay Districts prohibiting 'hotel' development (City Hotel Overlay Study Option 3).  Revisions shall also be made to Sections 5.4 and 8.4.36 based on the Hotel Development Overlay Study.