West River Street has never bustled like East River Street.
At least not since River Street completed its decades-long transition from a port to a tourist destination. But we could sure see a whole lot more action at the west end of River Street in the coming years.
One weeknight last week, I spent some time wandering the blocks bordering the quiet corner of West River Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Other than a couple of mildly curious security guards, I had the street pretty much to myself.
Standing there today, especially in such pervasive quiet, it’s hard to imagine that the intersection of West River Street and West Broad Street once joined two of the city’s most vital commercial corridors and transportation hubs.
The docks on River Street connected Savannah to the world, and the railroads put the rest of the country within reach.
As most of you know, Georgia Power’s Plant Riverside with its 3.79-acre tract is up for sale. In this increasingly upbeat economic environment, the site is certain to attract attention.
The brick facade of the original building deserves preservation, but the metal extension on the east side could go. There’s room for new construction on either side of the existing building. The most obvious use would be one or more hotels. There’s already another hotel slated for the south side of River Street.
No matter what happens, we need to get this right.
I think preservationists are sometimes overly concerned about height restrictions, but height is critical here. If we end up with additional riverfront buildings as tall as the existing plant, we’ll dramatically restrict some of the city’s best views – of the bridge, of Hutchinson Island, of the big ships gliding by.
Those views could also be unduly compromised if new buildings adjacent to Plant Riverside are too close together.
And the old power plant isn’t the only property in the vicinity waiting for a new use.
There’s 10,000 square feet of continuous commercial space in the 300 block of West River Street just east of the MLK intersection.
And there’s almost another 9,000 square feet at the southwest corner of MLK and River Street in a rather grand building that last housed SCAD’s River Club. With the SCAD Museum of Art providing space for larger, more formal gatherings, the college no longer needed to rent that space along the river.
Given the amount of property available in such proximity, we could see a single developer make a bold move to transform the entire corner, similar to what’s happening at the west end of River Street around the other former Georgia Power site.
Of course, it’s also possible that West River Street will continue to struggle compared to the east end. There are certainly some daunting obstacles.
We’ve extended the river walk all the way east along Savannah River Landing, but it ends abruptly on the west end because of the old power plant.
We also allowed the Hyatt to build across River Street, creating a barrier of sorts for many pedestrians.
And we switched River Street from two-way to one-way vehicular traffic. That change dramatically reduced the likelihood that drivers and passengers would ever even see businesses at the west end.
That 2002 conversion was made because of concerns about traffic flow, pedestrian safety and emergency vehicle access.
But there was a big tradeoff when we removed directional choices and many on-street parking spaces. Property values and commerce were hurt, with the less visible west end paying the largest price.
Restricting vehicular access also impacted the accessibility of River Street for local folks.
Back around the turn of the century, I had friends who would regularly drive to the riverfront at quieter times — generally weeknights — when they had the choice of going east or west and generally had no trouble finding on-street parking.
As access became more difficult, they just quit going.
And that echoes the ambivalent relationship that many locals have with River Street, which seems more geared for tourists.
That generalization breaks down to a significant degree at night, since so many of River Street’s bars have primarily local clienteles.
And, sure, you can find lots of locals along River Street during the day, especially if there’s a festival going on.
Still, we have both psychological and physical barriers that prevent many locals from enjoying the beauty of River Street.
Maybe the eventual development of these significant properties at the west end will shake up that dynamic.
City Talk appears every Tuesday and Sunday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net and http://www.billdawers.com. Send mail to 10 East 32nd St., Savannah, Ga. 31401.