Hotel Overlay

In 2023, neighborhood associations from the Victorian, Thomas Square, and Cuyler-Brownville areas petitioned to expand the Hotel Development Overlay District (HDO) to include their historic districts. The aim is to protect neighborhood character, support housing affordability, encourage residential infill, and ensure meaningful public review of hotel projects. In response, the City initiated a study to involve a broad range of stakeholders in evaluating the proposal.

The HDO District was originally established in 2018 to manage hotel development in Savannah’s Downtown Historic District, following a 2017 study and community input. Incorporated into the City's zoning ordinance in 2019, it provides guidelines for the size and location of future hotels to help balance growth with neighborhood preservation.

The Hotel Overlay Study provides information on the proposed boundaries, recommendations, and supporting analysis related to the overlay. As part of the study, three options were presented to amend Section 7.13 Hotel Development Overlay (HDO) by expanding the existing hotel overlay to encompass the Victorian, Streetcar, and Cuyler-Brownville historic districts.

  • Option 1: Within the expanded HDO District, hotels with 40 rooms or less would be permitted as a Special Use in all TC-1 and TC-2 (Traditional Commercial) zoning districts.
  • Option 2: Within the expanded HDO District, hotels with 40 rooms or less would be permitted as a Special Use in designated areas limited to properties facing Anderson and Henry streets between Whitaker and Drayton streets.  All of these parcels are zoned TC-2, except for one parcel, which is zoned TC-1.
  • Option 3: Within the expanded HDO District, no hotels would be permitted.

The study also recommended amending the commercial use standards by adding conditions for hotels and motels in Section 8.4.36 to include:

Within any TC district, the following standards would apply to the hotel/motel use:

      • Such use shall be limited in size to 16 to 40 rooms.
      • Such use shall be part of a mixed-use development.
      • Such use must provide 24 hours, 7 days a week onsite staff to assist guests with lodging services.
      • Reductions in screening and buffering as required by Sec. 9.5 shall not be varied.
      • Reductions in design standards for mechanical equipment and refuse as required by Sec. 7.9.10, 7.10.10, and 7.11.10 shall not be varied.
      • The developer shall submit to the Jurisdiction an affidavit stating that any outdoor pool proposed as part of the hotel development shall be accessed by hotel guests only.
      • The building footprint of a proposed hotel development may not exceed the maximum allowed by Sec. 5.13.5, Development Standards for Permitted Uses, and shall not be varied.

The study’s final recommendation was to amend Section 5.4 of the Principal Use Table to reference the new hotel use conditions outlined in Section 8.4.36.

On October 7, 2025, the Planning Commission provided the following recommendation for the two petitions: 

Approval of the Petitioner's request to amend Article 7, Section 7.13, Hotel Development Overlay District, to extend application of the existing boundaries to include the Victorian, Streetcar and Cuyler-Brownville Historic Overlay Districts prohibiting 'hotel' development (City Hotel Overlay Study Option 3).

Other resources related to this study are below:

Questions? Contact Us

If you have any questions, please email planning@savannahga.gov.