Housing Authority of Savannah: Yamacraw Village being considered for demolition

Constructed in 1941, Yamacraw Village, a 315-unit public housing development just west of Savannah’s downtown core, is being considered for demolition by the Housing Authority of Savannah (HAS).

Speaking during the City Council workshop on Thursday, Earline Davis, HAS executive director, said the organization hopes to submit an application for demolition to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by late summer or early fall. It could take up to a year for HUD to make a decision on the application. Davis said the development meets requirements for demolition under Section 18 of the Housing Act of 1937. “There’s a formula that says, if the work that is required is greater than 60% of the redevelopment cost then that property is eligible for demolition,” she said.
Yamacraw Village located just off of Bay Street in downtown Savannah.

Davis said all residents received letters last fall and the organization also conducted small group meetings. According to a document on the HAS website, if the demolition plan should move forward residents will receive relocation assistance. “We told them and shared in writing that anyone who has been living there for at least two years, if the (demolition) application is approved they’re eligible for a voucher,” Davis said.

“For those who have lived there for fewer than two years, we must rehouse them and we’ll do that. We’ll pay any transfer of utilities, any expenses related to them having to relocate.” A replacement voucher is a type of rent subsidy for eligible low-income families that makes up the difference between what a family can afford and the market rent for suitable housing.

Relocation would begin approximately 90 days after the HUD approval. Residents would be relocated by February 2022 if HUD approval is given on or before October 2021, according to a Q&A document on the HAS website.

Alderwoman Alicia Miller-Blakey expressed concern over whether the property would continue to include affordable housing if it were to be redeveloped.
“A lot of people say that area is historic, therefore you can’t do anything with it. Is there a possibility that a hotel or some other business entity could go there opposed to housing?” she asked.

Davis said the Yamacraw area is separated by several streets, creating four quadrants, which will help determine the biggest needs. “Housing is in our name, so that would be our first choice, housing,” Davis said. “And affordable housing. The folks who are impacted who live there now and would have to relocate, they would have the first right of refusal to come back.”

Since the application has yet to be submitted to HUD, a timeline for the Yamacraw Village plan isn’t available, but Davis noted that it took five to seven years to complete the Sustainable Fellwood project.

Built in 1940, Fellwood Homes was the first neighborhood HAS created on a 26-acre westside tract off Bay Street. It was demolished in 2007.

The new development, renamed Sustainable Fellwood, includes 320 multifamily and senior living units along with 13 single-family homes. The final phases were completed in 2012.

Katie Nussbaum is the city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. Contact her at knussbaum@savannahnow.com. Twitter: