Savannah’s Waterfront Community Improvement District (SWCID) has been working diligently to lay the groundwork for future success and enhance the vibrancy, safety, and economic prosperity of our waterfront community by creating a Vision and Implementation Plan for River Street.

Fact Finding

The SWCID Board began a year-long visioning and planning process in early 2024 to comprehensively study the aesthetic, landscape, hardscape, lighting, service, security and other associated improvements to the River Street area between Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and East Broad Street. The board members and staff along with City of Savannah representatives worked with Christian Sottile, Principal of Sottile + Sottile to study the East-West areas of River Street, Factors Walk, and the Riverfront Plazas, as well as the upper areas along the north side of Bay Street and the streetscape of Bay Street. Fact finding began in March 2024.

The group began the field survey equipped with background materials to support their fact-finding efforts. After starting together, they split into smaller teams to focus on specific improvement themes while surveying the entire SWCID area. Each team documented existing conditions through photographs and detailed notes. Study findings were grouped into five improvement themes.

Visioning

The visioning sessions aimed to imagine the future of Savannah’s waterfront based on insights gathered during the fact-finding phase. Concepts developed during the session were designed to enhance the area’s security, functionality, attractiveness, and opportunities. The process included reviewing observations from the field survey, exploring global waterfront design precedents, and collaborating in small teams to create a vision map. SWCID Board members and staff worked together in these teams to draft strategic ideas for the vision plan, culminating in small team presentations.

Waterfronts around the world

Vision and Implementation Plan

This Vision and Implementation Plan for River Street in Savannah Georgia was developed to integrate collective goals for improvement and builds upon previous plans developed by the City of Savannah, including the 2009 River Street Vision and Gateway Plan, the 2017 EDSA Savannah Downtown Streetscapes Plan, and the original design of River Street commissioned by the city and developed by Eric Meyerhoff in the 1970’s. 

Working in partnership with the City of Savannah, this collaborative process has provided a coordinated vision for our district, aligning with the community’s aspirations for the waterfront while setting priorities for short-, mid-, and long-term goals. These priorities will guide SWCID’s work as we focus on improving infrastructure, safety, and the overall experience along the waterfront.

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