News Release
Oct. 29, 2019
For Immediate Release

City hosting Canal District master plan summit

SAVANNAH, GA (Oct. 29, 2019) — The City of Savannah will be hosting a Canal District Master Plan Review Summit on Wednesday, Nov. 6 and Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Savannah Cultural Arts Center located at 201 Montgomery Street.

The highlight event of this summit will feature a Design Review on Nov. 6 at 6 p.m. which will bring together a diverse panel of national experts and local community leaders to review and advise on planning recommendations for Savannah’s Canal District Master Plan.

This review is essential for the success of the Canal District to elevate design in a way that embodies the greater community’s ambitions for the future while addressing concerns including provisions for infrastructure, sustainable finance of public investments, environmental remediation, cultural preservation, historic disinvestment and neighborhood stability.

As part of the summit, planners from within Perkins and Will—the design firm hired by the City to facilitate the creation of the Canal District Master Plan—and local representatives from the Savannah design and planning community will provide essential feedback into the planning process. Panelists include:

• Gabrielle Bullock, Perkins and Will
• David Green, Perkins and Will
• Malcolm Davis, Perkins and Will
• Dr. Mildred McClain, Harambee House
• Michael Brown, Former City Manager
• Dwayne Stephens, Historic District Board member
• Paula Kreissler, Healthy Savannah

During the Design Review on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 6 p.m., members of the Perkins and Will team will present preliminary planning concepts and principles for the Canal District. At the conclusion of the presentation, the discussion with the panelists will be facilitated by Melanie Wilson, Executive Director of the Savannah-Chatham County Metropolitan Planning Commission. Time will also be allotted for questions from the audience.

Additional planned activities during the two-day summit include meetings with neighborhood and community leaders as well as sessions with residents and the local design community.

For more information, please contact Bridget Lidy at 912-525-3097 or blidy@savannahga.gov.