Three blocks ask to allow shops where only houses are permitted

Requests on Abercorn Street, East 40th Street and White Bluff Road would each let businesses open on a residential block.

ZONINGThomas Square, Drayton Street andWhite Bluff RoadJul 20, 2026

Three separate requests came before the planning board on 14 July, and they all do the same thing. Each asks to move a property out of a category that only allows houses, into one that also allows shops and offices.

On Abercorn it is a single lot. On East 40th it is a run of lots along Drayton. On White Bluff Road it is three lots side by side, which matters, because converting three at once creates a stretch of storefronts rather than one corner shop.

Each comes in two parts and both have to pass: one changes the city's long-term plan for the site, the other changes the rule that decides what can actually be built.

Why it matters

This is how shops reach a residential street in a city that cannot build upward.

What to watch

Whether City Council approves all three. The planning board only recommends.

JurisdictionCity of Savannah
ScaleFive lots across three requests
TimelineHeard 14 July; City Council decides next
WhoChatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission
Sources and documents2 sources

See an error, or have an update on this project? Tell Urban Savannah.

Connected coverage

Follow the thread

All updates

Explore the projects, places, developers and public systems connected to this story. Each card explains the link.