Savannah, Saving the Soul of a City

     In 20 years, will downtown Savannah be cashed-out to a soul-gleaned, mall-ish district: showcasing premium liquors, over-valued food, and high-end trinkets; all of it fronted as a charmingly haunted, American historical centerpiece which draws tourists into an experience indistinguishable from any other city; shunned by locals who question whether their low-wage and unsteady jobs are worth the bus fare or parking fees?
     Or will it remain an experience found nowhere else, a reflection of its southern roots providing a sense of discovery, with tastes, sounds, and sensations that offer a unique mix of historical exploration enhanced by modern conveniences?
     Keeping the Savannah experience unique is of great concern to Daniel Carey, President and CEO of Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF).  He looks at the balance between short-term versus long-term gains, especially when it comes to the economic development required to sustain Savannah.
     “We prefer to take the long view,” Carey said.  “Planning is important for all those reasons… avoiding gentrification while encouraging economic development.  We don’t want to create a city of divides: those who have versus those who do not. The healthier the middle then the healthier the whole.”
     Carey went on to say that preservation is mostly about people not buildings. “It is important that people experience Savannah in a good way and small businesses have opportunities to prosper along with that growth. As the value of real estate increases, so do the taxes that can price out small businesses operating in or wanting to operate in downtown Savannah. Those same dynamics affect residential areas as well.”
     Carey continued, “We also contend with zoning complaints from residents as well… when someone proposes something that a neighborhood group doesn’t like, they call HSF to complain.  Often, however, it’s a matter of what the zoning will allow.  Without historic designation overlay, there is little we can do. Getting local designation means residents become part of meetings and the process to address those issues.  That’s healthy.  HSF brings people together— a necessity in a city built on relationships— so private citizens, local governments, and non-profits can sit down and work through issues.”
     Carey believes those engagements will help Savannah remain intact. “HSF works for locals and helps to preserve the pedestrian feel. It’s imperative that the Oglethorpe Plan remains intact.  As tourists encounter local people and local hospitality, it is they who can share and relate our unique history. Then and only then will tourists know they have been to Savannah and enjoyed an experience forever etched in their minds.”
     Jamie Credle, Director of Davenport House Museum, sees a direct connection between the feel of the city and buildings because of the lives of the people who built, have lived or currently live in them.
     “Tourism is a strong economic driver,” Credle said.  “The quality of life of those in the surrounding communities is important. Additionally, introspection is part of insuring our institutions provide meaning.  We need young people and people with deep roots who can describe content about the artisans, craftsman, immigrant populations, and others who made this city.”
     Pin Point Heritage Museum is not downtown: however, it is an experience which some see as a great example of local people who can relay local history in a powerful way. Tania Smith-Jones is the site Administrator for Pin Point and is active in Coastal Heritage Society’s Community Outreach and Development.
     She describes Pin Point as, “A cultural goldmine. It is an experience that exemplifies the meaning of it takes a village. It's the last Gullah/Geechee enclave that hasn't been commercialized in the United States. I am connected to this tightly-knit community and committed to preserving the soul of this site.”
     Pin Point, located on the bank of the Moon River, is the birthplace of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The museum is centered in the A.S. Varn & Son Oyster and Crab Factory which a Texas real estate developer helped restore.
     Smith-Jones added, “Baby-Boomers greatly sustain this site. We need to transition that to include others. We want to cultivate, educate, and motivate kids to appreciate what we have here and let them share in the unique and memorable significance of this site.”
   

 Melody Rodriguez is the co-owner of Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant located on Martin Luther King Blvd, as well as the social media & marketing manager for another downtown business, Tequila's Town Mexican Restaurant, Inc. Rodriguez’ family immigrated to the US from Venezuela when she was very young <I did not speak to Melody about this statement> and she was responsible for founding and directing Hispanic student programs at Savannah’s Armstrong State University from 2002 until 2014.
     Rodriguez and I sat down to talk about doing business downtown and how Rancho Alegre adds to the feel of Savannah. “We worked with the Metropolitan Planning Committee to maintain the exterior green paint that is historically significant to the city,” she said. “We are the last remaining weekly Jazz venue in Savannah with no cover charge. Our family business is built on culture and a historic heritage that fits well with the struggle of this city on many levels.”
     From a food standpoint, “The thing about our restaurant is to offer food similar to what you can make at home but make ours something special, worth coming out for.”
     Rodriguez shares Daniel Carey’s concerns about small business owners being pushed out as well as opening doors to newcomers downtown. “Escalating rents and taxes are an issue,” Rodriguez said. “It’s a free-market. We are all subject to that. But I support breaks in taxes and ways to add value to retain and encourage small, locally owned businesses in the downtown area.  I hope the mayor and council will find ways to sustain this key economic driver that helps give Savannah its soul.  Rancho Alegre continues to be a part of that.”
     Joe Bell is Executive Director of Chatham Association of Educators and a former Executive Vice-President of Carver State Bank. He worries about diminished opportunities when
hospitality-centered service jobs are nearly the only option. “Economics drives all things,” Bell said.  “In Savannah, will we have a service community or one that thrives on a combination of industries?”
     Bell believes that the deepening of the port of Savannah’s river channel should play a role in creating a mix of businesses in shipping, manufacturing, warehousing both technical and financial services, large, small, and mid-sized some of which he hopes are locally owned.  In this growth, Bell says, “We must create <deleted bureaucracies> policies that aid small business-owners, (and provide) avenues for access to capital and even set-asides.”
     “Economic mobility is more than just a workforce concern,” Bell said. “Making our school system stronger is truly important for developing a capable workforce… but spurring workers to become owners… that’s powerful. The next four to five years are going to be important.”
     “Embracing entrepreneurship is the key to Savannah’s economic growth,” recommends Costa Rican native <Andy was born in Georgia, went back to Costa Rica, then came back to GA alone at age 16>, Andy Cabistan. He is the co-founder of Watson Works, a company that specializes in building highly effective business teams through the application of tools and engagements that improve communication and facilitate more effective collaborations.
     “We talk a lot about sports and cocktails at networking events,” Cabistan said. “But we talk very little about how we can help some of the thousands of college students stay and build businesses here in Savannah. Instead, our students go back home or to other places to find employment and upward mobility in higher paying markets like Atlanta or even Charleston, our sister city. This is especially so in the tech sector. Take 3-D printing, it makes manufacturing possible from the comfort of your own home. Think about what could happen if we moved from the silos <Andy said grupos or tribus >of scrambling for a tiny piece of the pie and used networking events to bring these students, these potential small-business owners in contact with the great business leaders we have in the area.”
     With access to Savannah International Airport, the relatively low cost of passenger rail, and low cost of living, Cabistan adds, “City leaders and others should collaborate on how we can foster more entrepreneurial thought in our decision-making in regards to the vision and direction of where we want to take this city. In other words, instead of silos that create fighting over little pieces of the pie, just make the pie bigger; so, we can own more equity in those pieces. Embracing entrepreneurship in this manner helps develop a diversified economy with competitive salaries which can help sustain Savannah for decades to come.”
     “Crowds change every four to five years, new faces, students graduating, military personnel transitioning. The venues change as well,” says DJ Lil G, Conrad Gonzalez.
     DJ Lil G has been in the entertainment industry since age 12, a business he learned from his older brother. He is originally from Brooklyn, New York. He has moved crowds to the beat in New York, Jacksonville, Miami, and Orlando as well as Savannah. “I get a sense of changes and flows by paying attention to the crowd, the time of night they show up, and how they respond to the music. The crowds are about 50/50 local to tourists. No matter what time they come, we keep about 85% of them. So, we are getting local people into downtown. The feel of the crowd shifts depending on the time of year from St, Patrick’s Day to summer to October for Halloween.
     “Latin music is big and our guests are becoming more multi-cultural- European, Asia-Pacific, Latino, and Hispanic are showing up. The development downtown can be a good thing if it means we are still there to show what a Savannah Party feels like.”
     Recently, I met someone who suggested that Savannah may have already become that place mentioned in the opening paragraph. As a latecomer into the area, 2001, my history doesn’t start at the same place as his. I can only put forth the following.
     A few years ago, after a Mother’s Day brunch, my family and I went downstairs to sit near the pool on the Savannah side of the Westin Harbor Resort. Interestingly enough, that’s an interesting perch in regards to this article. The architecture conjures of an image of Disney’s Tower of Terror which both fits with Savannah’s haunted theme and gives rise to concerns about building that may look out of place.
     We all found a place to sit and I leaned back to face Savannah from across the river. Literally, when I looked up, I felt an instant connection to the view of villages in Europe. Then, the squares, the huge ships moving pass, the moss, even the shops beyond River Street - the setting of a small port city that retains the basic design of a man who helped define international trade and entrepreneurship in America centuries ago, a city that has endured both the gains and the sorrows in the dichotomy that came after.... Mostly, I got it.
     How do organizations and citizens work together to make sure that the next 20 years do not raze the last 280? The living soul of Savannah is at stake.

Editor’s note: The author expresses special thanks to Lisette Dominguez, for her assistance in preparing this article. Dominguez, a native of Colombia, is a well-known independent marketing coordinator in Savannah, specializing in Latino and Hispanic events.