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Fairgrounds team presents development map (by Zoe Nicholson, Savannah Morning News)
Detailed plans on how the winning developer will transform the former site of the Coastal Empire Fairgrounds near Tatumville were unveiled to members of the Planning Commission in January.
The development team, P3 Joint Ventures Group, will turn the 74-acre property into a mixed-use project with housing, ball fields, walking trails and a movie studio. P3 beat out two other development groups to win the bid to develop the city-owned property after years of community upheaval over the property's future.
The plan revealed how each piece of the project would be situated. The 6.2-acre movie studio will feature four sound stages and space for a 10,000 square-foot 'creative exchange center' for training and job creation around entertainment careers, gaming and animation. The movie studio will sit on the corner of Meding Street and Kimball Avenue.
Residential properties will border the northern sides of the movie studio. Plans call for 400 units, which will be a mix of single- family homes and multi-family units (townhomes, duplexes or apartments). About half of the housing will be reserved for seniors, who often struggle to find housing on a fixed income.
The neighborhood section of the fairgrounds will also have a Savannah Police substation and a number of retail options, including a food-oriented commercial outfit.
On the back half of the property, the city and developers will partner on a number of public-use projects, including a 20-acre nature preserve which will feature lowimpact walking trails. In between the nature preserve and housing, the city will build four sports fields, two basketball courts, a 75,000-sq. foot indoor recreational facility and maintain the existing water feature on the property, Springfield Lake.
The city will also build and operate 'Central Park,' a 2.4-acre public green space that will anchor the entire development.
Savannah will also be in charge of nearly 12 acres of streets, sidewalks and public right-ofways in and around the fairgrounds.
Metropolitan Savanna
