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Week of August 4,2010 - August 10,2010 • Yol. 38 No. 23 • www.savannahtribune.com • 912-233-6128 • Fax: 912-233-6140
Carver Commons Could Begin Community Revival
They came from every
sector of the community to wit
ness the Groundbreaking
Ceremony for Carver
Commons, an exciting new
commercial development that
will include a new office for
the Carver State Bank and a
Food Lion supermarket.
The audience at Carver
State Bank on Thursday, July
22, 2010, included State,
County and City officials, as
well as religious, business and
other community leaders, and
residents of the communities
who will shop and bank at the
new site.
In addition to The
Savannah Tribune weekly
newspaper, all of the television
stations serving the Savannah
market were present. The
Savannah Morning News, the
local daily newspaper, fol
lowed the event with front
page coverage on Friday, July
23rd.
The Carver Commons
project could signal a new era
for the Martin Luther King, Jr.
Boulevard and Montgomery
Street Corridor. It could begin a
revival for an entire section of
Savannah that has been
bypassed by significant new
investments. Unlike
Broughton Street and the
northern end of Martin Luther
King, Jr. Blvd., the other sec
tions of this historic corridor
have not been enhanced by any
major capital infusion and
redevelopment.
Carver President Robert
E. James presided during the
program that preceded the tra
ditional shoveling of soil. He
opened the event by saying
“This is a wonderful day...a
wonderful day in the history of
this financial institution, but
even more important, it is a
wonderful day in the history of
this community.” There are
people in this room who have
been dreaming of a major
supermarket for the Martin
Luther King, Jr. Blvd. and
Montgomery Street corridor
for at least 15 years that I know
about,” he continued. The audi
ence applauded when James
added. “Now, it looks like
somebody is going to be turn
ing some soil.”
Prior to delivering the
invocation, Bishop Willie
Ferrell of the Royal Church of
Christ said that we are blessed,
honored and privileged to live
in a country, state, and city that
affords an opportunity for
dreams to become a reality.
After the prayer, he said, “it's a
good day in the neighbor
hood.”
Chatham County
Commission Chairman Pete
Liakakis commended the offi
cials of Carver State Bank, and
St. Philip A. M. E. Church for
their leadership in bringing this
supermarket to the neighbor
hood. He emphasized the
importance of working together
to make the project a success.
Mayor Otis Johnson
commended the “visionaries”
involved in this project. “If you
can conceive it and believe it,
you can achieve it.,” he said.
He praised the wonderful col
laborative between St. Philip
A. M. E. Church, Food Lion,
Carver State Bank, SDRA, and
the institutions providing the
financing. “I am happy to be
the Mayor of the City of
Savannah when this is happen
ing, especially since some of
us have dreamed about the
revitalization of this corridor
for so long.”
He praised Acting
Assistant City Manage
Rochelle Small-Toney who
has been working with this
project. He pledged that the
City will continue to support
this effort.
SDRA Chairman Tony
Cooper emphasized the his
toric significance of the devel
opment and its potential
impact on the neighborhood.
“Now, I don't have to tell my
son who is 9 that I remember
when we talked about doing a
grocery store...instead, I will
be able to tell him that this is
See Carver Commons, pg.3
MLK, Jr. Blvd and Montgomery Street Revitalization
Vision and Goals, River to 52nd St.
Article and possible
ML King, Jr. Streetscape
courtesy of SDRA
undreds of commu
nity, neighborhood
and civic leaders
have participated in the
comprehensive planning
processes to develop a
framework for the revital
ization and redevelopment
of the Martin Luther King,
Jr. Blvd and Montgomery
Street corridor.
Guided by the
Savannah Development
and Renewal Authority
(SDRA) in conjunction
with the City and the
Metropolitan Planning
Commission, these
processes resulted in the
development and adoption
by the Mayor and
Aldermen of two critical
documents to serve as the
blueprint for guiding the
revitalization and redevel
opment efforts:
* MLK/Montgomery
Street Corridor
Revitalization Plan, River
to Gwinnett Street, 1999
* MLK Streetscape
Plan, 2001
* MLK/Montgomery
Street Corridor Urban
Redevelopment Plan, Jones
to 52nd Street, 2002
* MLK/Montgomery
Land-use and Design
Strategies, 2004.
More than 60% of the
strategies have been put in
place and are achieving
results. As funding became
available, $1.2 million was
invested in phased
streetscape improvements
along the 52-block corri
dor, beginning first with
planting and irrigation of
the medians on MLK from
Victory Drive north to
Gwinnett Street in 2002;
the block between Liberty
Street and Oglethorpe
Avenue in 2004; and incre
mental improvements to
support private investment
between Gwinnett and
Zubly Streets.
Private property
improvements along the
corridor have been slower
to take hold. Improvements
have been challenging
because of the shift in the
economy, and the large seg
ments of vacant land that
resulted from the impact of
the 1950's and 60's Urban
Renewal efforts that
brought the 1-16 Flyover
and exit ramps, as well as
the public housing to the
south.
Even with these chal
lenges, more than $347
million in property
improvements and acquisi
tions have taken place since
2000 along the corridor,
resulting in a net gain of
185 new businesses and the
creation of more than 886
new jobs. The bulk of this
investment has been seen
between the River and
Gwinnett Street in keeping
with the 1999
MLK/Montgomery
Corridor Revitalization
Plan strategies.
Seventeen (17) proper
ty owners have taken
See Vision, pg. 6