Latest news with #Savannah-based
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Savannah waterfront vision plan details concrete measures for improvement
The emergence of the Plant Riverside District on the Savannah waterfront's west end transformed an industrial relic into a fixture of the city's retail and entertainment profile. Far on the other end beyond East Broad Street, revitalization is running at full speed, fueled Eastern Wharf. That revitalization on the waterfront's anchor ends has only highlighted the need for improvement and reinvestment along the riverfront's core, which has received various plans for improvements dating back to at least 2009. Such is the subject of the Savannah Waterfront Community Improvement District's vision plan for waterfront improvements. Done in collaboration with SWCID board members and Savannah-based design and architectural firm Sottile & Sottile, the vision plan maps nearly 50 potential improvements broken down on the east, central and west waterfront areas. Christian Sottile, the design firm's principal who is also a consultant on other city projects such as Civic Center redevelopment, discussed the plan with the Savannah Morning News. Here is a deep dive into some of its key points: Sottile said one of the themes from the visioning sessions was connectivity, exploring how people navigate the waterfront area by using the riverwalk, River Street, Factor's Walk or even Bay Street. But there are also north-south connections at each of the streets on downtown Savannah's historic grid (Bull Street, Abercorn Street, Whitaker Street). "We really diagnosed each of those connections to see what's working very well and what's not working very well, because that's a big part of making the riverfront accessible to everyone and enjoyed by everyone, that it's safe and accessible for residents of the city, for visitors as well," Sottile said. As a starter, the plan posits that points of access to River Street should be recognizable and easy to find. The same could be true in the inverse, where access points to streets on the grid are identifiable from River Street. Those key connections are one area where the waterfront area could be improved through more identifiable wayfinding. Use of signage can also contribute to the iconography of a place, such as New York City's subway signs. "When we come up and down from the river, maybe there is a Savannah way of creating a signature ... those kinds of ideas of doing wayfinding, not in a temporary way, but in a very thoughtful and durable way," Sottile said. Other options for improved connectivity include linking the riverwalk at sections where it is currently separated. At one section on the east end, the riverwalk is separated by a sliver of water. The plan proposes a bridge joining the paths. At a different point, the riverwalk is broken by a surface parking lot, and the plan outlines potentially reconfiguring that lot to connect the path. When it comes to reimagining how certain spaces are explored for different uses, a few surface parking lots along the waterfront come into focus. Sottile's plan proposes two potential new uses for those lots: multi-use plazas and parks. Gathering space for pedestrians or potential outdoor dining options in current parking lots could reduce auto traffic and create more activated spaces, the plan states. The need for parking lots on the waterfront is less than when those lots were created, given new parking decks exist at each end of the river, Sottile said. "(The plan) calls into question: are some of these spaces underperforming today, and could they perform at a higher level and provide more benefit to the city and to the to the life of River Street?" Another opportunity for transforming a portion of the waterfront is at Factor's Walk. The plan offers two recommendations: make the entrance to Factor's Walk more of a gateway and create an art gallery walk along its walls. The start of Factor's Walk is currently dimly lit, with bare brick walls and scattered graffiti. Sottile noted that River Street is in many ways the most historic part of Savannah's National Historic Landmark District, and the street is lined with historic buildings and multiple-story facades. But when the sun goes down, the faces of those historic structures are invisible. A lack of lighting along the facades leaves the primary lumination on River Street coming from restaurant lighting and open storefronts. The vision plan sees the lack of lighting as an opportunity to increase the waterfront's vibrancy by uplighting its signature facades. "There are certain buildings that just have a really good potential for that. They have good architecture, and they'll benefit from that," Sottile said. Other lighting opportunities include the tunnel under the Hyatt Regency Savannah Waterfront hotel. The plan also proposes fully enclosing trash bin holding areas, many of which are located along ramps connecting Bay Street to River Street. Today, garbage bins are exposed to the public eye and often in those prominent places. The plan envisions those enclosures as having low-sloped roofs and doors to fully close the holding areas. Evan Lasseter is the city of Savannah and Chatham County government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@ or on X (formerly known as Twitter) @evanalasseter. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah waterfront vision plan details concrete measures for improvement
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Alice In Wonderland…with a twist
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — If you like your fairy tales a little bit twisted, then get ready for 'Alice In Wonderland' like you've never seen! Presented by The Assembly Of Phantasms, a Savannah-based performance troupe dedicated to creating mesmerizing and unforgettable dark theatrical experiences, this 'Alice' will push some boundaries. 'It's definitely a 21-and-up show,' says producer/director/adaptor Valerie America Lavelle. 'You'll see all kinds of performance genres: burlesque, drag, puppetry…there is something for everyone…who's over 21!' Lavelle has selected local performers for the show. She says, while they will follow the general framework of the original Lewis Carroll story, she picked people who can bring the words to life, while infusing their own talents and enthusiasm. 'I love to see what people come up with for their parts. I give them a lot of free rein with their assigned roles.' As with many local performances, this is a labor of love. The actors choreograph scenes, make their own costumes, and collaborate with each other. Valerie is excited about staging 'Alice' at Club One. 'I know that space and feel comfortable with what we can accomplish. Working with talented crew, like stage and set designer Erin Muller and sound designer Cami Nicole Hall, makes this such a great collaboration. And we've got a cast of familiar faces –Jeremiah Kizer is our White Rabbit! — and a lot of new faces too. So get ready to go down the rabbit hole with Alice as she eats and drinks her way to a show like no other. Catch 'Alice In Wonderland' with the Assembly Of Phantasms April 4th and 5th at Club One. Get your tickets here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fast-growing convenience store chain Parker's is closing this Port Royal store. Here's why
Fast-growing gas station and convenience store chain Parker's Kitchen is opening new stores right and left as part of an ambitious expansion. That's why a demolition of a Parker's at the busy intersection at Ribaut Road and Lady's Island Drive in Port Royal is turning heads. The town of Port Royal issued the demolition permit to a contractor for Drayton-Parker Companies LLC, which develops Parker's Kitchen stores, to tear down the building and heavy equipment operators have been on the scene these week. Parker's Kitchen issued this statement about the closure: 'We recently made the difficult decision to close our store at 1451 Ribaut Road in Port Royal, which did not meet our brand standards,' the statement says, 'and hope that future development at this site will serve the community's needs in Port Royal.' Now the property is listed for sale, meaning a new use will be coming to the highly visible location eventually. Parker's is expanding into new markets including Myrtle Beach, Columbia and Jacksonville, Fla. The company employs 1,600 people in Georgia and South Carolina. Last month alone, the Savannah-based company celebrated the opening of two new stores — a 200,000 square-foot store at Beaufort Station, the new Beaufort shopping center at 311 Robert Smalls Pkwy. in Beaufort, and at Moncks Corner, which is north of Charleston in Berkeley County. The new stores were the company's 95th and 96th stores overall and the 44th and 45th in South Carolina. There are 17 stores in Beaufort County. Despite the demolition of the building and the sale of the property at 1451 Ribaut Road, Parker's will continue to have a strong presence in the Port Royal area. Another Parker's is located at Ribaut Road and Paris Avenue, about a mile south of the Lady's Island Road-Ribaut Road site where the store is being torn down. Other nearby stores are located on Parris Island Gateway and the Old Savannah Highway and on Sams Point Road on Lady's Island. Parker's was changed to Parker's Kitchen when the company began emphasizing its food service. Some older stores retain the 'Parker's' signs and do not have kitchens but they are still owned by Parker's Kitchens. The Port Royal station that closed was an older store without a kitchen. Parker's also is the name of 11 coastal Georgia stores owned by Patrick Parker, the brother of Parker's Kitchen CEO Greg Parker. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Forsyth Farmers' Market to offer biweekly educational workshops
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Forsyth Farmers' Market has announced a new biweekly series of workshops called the Fresh Perspectives Series. The workshops will be offered on Saturdays at the Forsyth Farmers' Market in Forsyth Park at 13 E. Park Ave. between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., and will officially launch on Saturday, February 8 at 10 a.m. The bi-weekly events will cover a wide variety of topics, including gardening, composting, mushroom cultivation, edible plant identification and more. 'Our Fresh Perspectives Series is an exciting new addition to our weekly market and is a fun way to engage with our local food system while learning new skills,' said Asia Harold, Director of Community Engagement for Forsyth Farmers' Market. 'We're delighted to collaborate with local small businesses, agricultural experts, master gardeners and horticultural leaders to establish Forsyth Farmers' Market as a trusted source for food and information that has the power to improve the overall health of our community.' The Forsyth Farmers' Market Fresh Perspectives Series will offer ongoing interactive workshops led by local experts, including: GETTING YOUR GARDEN PREPPED FOR SPRING Master Gardener Anisha Cook will discuss pre-Spring preparations for local garden management. SHITAKE MUSHROOM CULTIVATION Swampy Appleseed Mushrooms owner Ancil Jacques, a mushroom farmer based in Reidsville, Ga., will teach attendees how to grow shitake mushrooms on a regenerative sweet gum log. UNCOMMON CROPS THAT THRIVE Ben Chaffee, the founder of Fruitful Futures — a Savannah-based 501(c)3 nonprofit helping to build a resilient, equitable and resourceful culture for coastal Georgia through urban agriculture — will discuss uncommon edible plants that can thrive in a backyard garden. COMPOST TEA: NATURAL FERTILIZER Code of Return Compost co-founder Maria Vaughan will demonstrate how to make an aerated compost tea that can be used as a natural fertilizer. POWERED BY PLANTS Local pediatrician Dr. Yolanda Caudill will discuss the health benefits of a plant-based lifestyle for children as well as adults. SALSA AND BACHATA LESSONS Roger Wilson will offer Salsa and Bachata lessons, offering the opportunity to learn classic Latin rhythms. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
