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Savannah council reviews River Street vision as tourism‑fund revenues grow
Summary
At a city council workshop, staff updated members on the 2023 hotel‑motel tax authorization and outlined the River Street waterfront vision as a lead priority for newly created tourism product development funds; staff estimated River Street redevelopment costs have risen to roughly $60 million and said work will be phased.
Savannah City Council heard a progress briefing on the city’s tourism product development program and the CID’s River Street waterfront vision on Monday. City Manager (speaker 2) told the council the 2023 state authorization raised the hotel‑motel tax from 6¢ to 8¢ and created a dedicated tourism product development (TPD) revenue stream.
The city manager said, “To date, we have received a total of $112,500,000 total in hotel motel tax collection,” and that TPD receipts from October 2023 through February 2026 total about $16,500,000. He said staff have placed $116,500,000 in a five‑year TPD budget and plan to use a mix of current collections and debt financing to advance projects.
City planning chief David Massimo (speaker 7), presenting the waterfront CID vision, described a multimodal corridor strategy focused on accessibility, lighting, streetscape and a continuous ADA‑compliant path linking the bluff to the riverfront, with elevator connections at multiple points.
Why it matters: the TPD bucket is a restricted, tourism‑tied capital fund created by the state authorization; it allows Savannah to invest directly in waterfront, connectivity and cultural assets that could shape downtown visitation and neighborhood access for decades.
Key details: staff said the River Street project was originally estimated at $30 million in the resolution that accompanied the 2023 rate increase but that updated planning and construction‑cost escalation led staff to estimate about $60 million for a comprehensive redevelopment. Massimo said the effort will be phased and that the first transportation work will be an end‑to‑end ADA multimodal path connecting existing elevators and adding at least one new elevator.
Council members asked about vehicle restrictions, enforcement of no‑parking zones on River Street, and how flood and astronomical high‑tide events will be addressed. Staff said the vision plan anticipates fewer surface parking spaces, dedicated delivery pull‑outs, and waterproofed infrastructure at low‑lying sections to reduce tidal overflow impact.
Next steps: staff said they are developing RFPs for engineering and design, will return a formal master plan for council consideration and will phase construction based on available revenue and financing. Council did not take a vote during the workshop; staff asked the council to indicate whether the city should bring the CID vision forward for formal adoption and programming.
