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Council approves temporary parking lot plan, adds three-year hotel prohibition for Drayton/Henry site
Summary
After public hearings and MPC recommendation, council approved a future-land-use amendment, a rezoning and a special-use permit to allow a surface parking facility at a three-parcel site on East Henry and Drayton; council attached a three‑year prohibition on hotel/inn uses to reduce neighborhood concerns.
Savannah’s City Council approved a linked set of land-use changes Dec. 19 that clear the way for a temporary off-street parking facility on parcels at Drayton and East Henry streets while imposing a three-year limit on inn or hotel uses at the site.
Edward Morrow, director of development services at the Metropolitan Planning Commission, told the council the requested future-land-use map amendment and rezoning reflect shifting commercial character along East Henry and are intended to enable an interim parking solution that anticipates future infill. The MPC recommended approval.
Robert McCorkle, attorney for the property owner 1210 Drayton LLC, said the block has been commercially used for decades and that a parking lot would tidy a blighted site while preparing it for eventual redevelopment. “These lots have always been commercial,” McCorkle told the council, noting prior uses dating to before modern zoning.
Neighborhood groups urged caution. Jason Combs, president of the Thomas Square Neighborhood Association, warned the rezoning could be a “Trojan horse” that would allow hotel development later; he asked that protections be put in place before any map change. In response, petitioner and staff noted hotels are a special-use class that would require a separate council review and public hearing.
Council sought additional guarantees. On a motion to approve the future-land-use amendment and rezoning on first-and-second reading, council added a condition prohibiting hotels and inns for three years on the affected parcels. Council then approved the special-use permit authorizing a parking facility with the agreed condition; the package passed with recorded support but with notable objections from some members concerned about long-term impacts on neighborhood character.
What the approvals mean: The council’s action allows the owner to establish a surface parking facility under a special-use permit while the three-year hotel prohibition limits the risk of near-term conversion to lodging uses. Any future hotel or expanded use would require a separate special-use application and additional council review.
What’s next: Petitioner, MPC and neighbors may continue to negotiate conditions and staging; the council emphasized the special-use review as a future check on any larger redevelopment proposals.
