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Council approves hotel site plan at East Palace Parkway with variance to landscape buffer
Summary
City Council approved a site plan for a hotel at 340 and 360 East Palace Parkway in PD‑217, granting a variance to reduce the required landscape buffer from 30 feet to a 10–16 foot buffer; applicant agreed to add a 6‑foot masonry screening wall adjacent to a neighboring multifamily project.
The City Council approved a site plan for a proposed hotel at 340 and 360 East Palace Parkway in Planned Development 217 and granted a variance to reduce the required landscape buffer.
Savannah (city planning director) described the project as allowed in PD‑217 and noted the applicant proposed a 10‑ to 16‑foot landscape buffer in place of the 30‑foot requirement. Staff said the hotel will add a six‑foot masonry screening wall adjacent to the multifamily development to the west and will provide an outdoor pool that does not meet the 3,000‑square‑foot pool requirement; staff noted prior hotel projects had also not met that pool threshold.
Hotel owner Amish Patel attended and answered council questions. Mayor Pro Tem and other council members expressed appreciation for changes the applicant made since an earlier review and supported approval with the variance. Planning staff said the site plan was before council as a site plan rather than a specific‑use permit because PD‑217 allows a hotel by right.
Why it matters: The approved variance reduces the buffer setback on a site abutting multifamily housing and requires screening measures from the applicant; council approval advances the project to permitting and building‑permit review.
