SHEP "invasive", "sketchy" says Charleston Post and Courier

Court will put DHEC to test Posted: Monday, June 4, 2012 12:27 a.m

Summary: Editorial hopes the S.C. Supreme Court with see through legal morass and decide against DHEC.

Key Quotes:

Plaintiffs say the DHEC board acted inappropriately when, after Gov. Nikki Haley intervened in the process, it reversed an earlier decision and approved a water quality permit for Georgia. We agree.

If the Supreme Court agrees that DHEC was in the wrong, the prospect for stopping the ill-advised plan improves.

Yes, it will slow down the Georgia Ports Authority in its environmentally sketchy plan to dredge the Savannah River. But when you tease apart the controversial details, you still get a system that awards federal dollars to projects with the most political muscle instead of the most merit.

The disputatious situation calls for a more reasonable approach to funding projects like the dredging of the Savannah River and of Charleston Harbor.

The S.C. State Ports Authority believes the Charleston Harbor dredging proposal would fare well if it were compared to the much more expensive ($600 million) and environmentally invasive Savannah River proposal. And industry analysts suggest that only one of the projects is necessary.

Read the full article at Court will put DHEC to test.

A. Joseph Marshall
Coldwell Banker Commercial
Commercial Real Estate Advisor
Savannah, Ga

Hotel/retail complex planned for River St.'s east end

Posted: June 1, 2012 - 12:21am  |  Updated: June 1, 2012 - 10:16am

 

By Adam Van Brimmer  

 

By Jennifer Branch

River Street’s quiet east end is about to generate plenty of noise.

Plans for Georgia Power’s four-plus acre site that includes the company’s former region headquarters and nearly three acres of riverfront property were unveiled Thursday during a specially called meeting of the Savannah Historic District Board of Review.




The plans call for a hotel, 500-space parking garage, four small retail buildings and a park on the waterfront property currently devoted to a fenced-off parking lot and greenspace formerly utilized by Georgia Power. Another new hotel is to be built next to the existing Georgia Power office building on the south side of River Street.

The project represents an $80 million to $100 million investment, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Georgia Power spokeswoman Swann Seiler confirmed the property is under contract for sale. She anticipates the deal closing by the end of the year.

However, the project is contingent on the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission and Savannah City Council agreeing to amend the Historic District Height Map. The change would allow the would-be developer to build part of the riverfront hotel as well as the parking garage to a height equal to the Georgia Power office building across the street.

The hotel/garage property is currently subject to the two-story restriction imposed on new construction along the waterfront side of River Street east of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.  The limit is meant to protect views of the river from the bluff and the properties located on the south side of River Street.

The hotel developer, Northpoint Hospitality Group, argues part of the property sits east of the bluff’s edge and where River Street joins General McIntosh Blvd. Building to a greater height therefore won’t impede views, according to Northpoint, and the building will still be shorter than the neighboring Savannah Marriott Riverfront. The Marriott sits just outside the Historic District boundary.

The Savannah Historic District Board of Review disagrees. The board discussed the height map change Thursday. A five-story hotel on the waterfront will block river views from the bluff, board members agreed.
The board technically has no jurisdiction over the proposed amendment but will forward a letter, crafted during Thursday’s meeting, to the planning commission recommending it reject the change.

“The site in question has a historic role as a viewing corridor between the eastern edge of the bluff north of Bay Street and the river,” the letter will read. “Views should be considered a vital component of the historic district and a factor in the context of visual compatibility. The (board) believes the existing map best preserves the visual character of the riverfront between Bay Street and the Savannah River.”

The MPC will take up the issue Tuesday and will issue a recommendation, for or against, on the map amendment. Savannah City Council will then decide whether to approve or deny the request.
If approved, the project would still be subject to normal review processes conducted by the MPC and the Historic Review Board.

Georgia Power’s Seiler is optimistic the project will move forward.

“It is our intention to work with the purchaser in the coming months as potential changes and modifications are vetted through the various review board processes as needed,” Seiler wrote in an email.

The proposed development would transform the east end of the waterfront and essentially extend the River St. commercial corridor all the way to the Marriott. The first of the four waterfront retail buildings would sit at the eastern edge of Morrell Park near the foot of the East Broad Street ramp.

The retail complex is broken into four buildings with walkways between each to ensure pedestrian connectivity to and sightlines of the river. The riverfront hotel sits east of the retail buildings and stretches past the ferry boat landing.

The riverwalk frames the property.

Georgia Power’s office building will remain as part of the complex, although its use has yet to be determined. The developer plans to construct a pedestrian walkway between the office building and its neighboring hotel that would provide a new connection between Bay Street and River Street.

Release of the project’s plans ends – at least temporarily – nearly three years of speculation about the future of the property. Georgia Power announced it would list the site for sale in September 2009.

Georgia Power and its predecessor, Savannah Electric Power Co., occupied the property from the opening of the office building in 1961 until relocating to its new headquarters on Reynolds Square in January 2011. The original building once featured a sales showroom and three demonstration kitchens. Home economists staffed the kitchens and offered cooking lessons as well as demonstrations in the latest all-electric appliances.

The building long hosted community meetings in an auditorium. And economic development officials once utilized the fifth-floor veranda overlooking the river to welcome visitors and dignitaries to Savannah.


ABOUT THE BUILDING
Located at the east end of Bay Street, the 4.1-acre Georgia Power property includes a 50,000-square-foot, five-story, brick building and nearly 3 acres of parking.

ABOUT NORTHPOINT HOSPITALITY
Northpoint Hospitality is based in Atlanta and operates five Savannah-area hotels, including the SpringHill Suites, the DoubleTree and the Hilton Garden Inn in the Historic District.
SAVANNAH HISTORIC BOARD OF REVIEW RECOMMENDATION

The historic review board will forward a letter recommending rejection of the proposed text amendment to the Historic District Height Map. The letter will read as follows.

“Historically, buildings along the north side of River Street were no more than two stories (except for a small portion, the now lost Neal Blun warehouse on the site of the Hyatt). The site in question has a historic role as a viewing corridor between the eastern edges of the bluff north of Bay Street and the river. The historic Harbour Light was always visible from the river. Further east, the 18th century Fort Wayne (along the northeast edge of the Trustees Garden) maintained an open view to the river. Views should be considered a vital component of the historic district and a factor in the context of visual compatibility.

“The Savannah Board of Historic Review recommends that the MPC reject any effort to alter, amend or change the two stories above River Street and three stories above Bay Street portions of the existing Historic District Height Map. The BHR believes the existing map best preserves the visual character of the riverfront between Bay Streets and the Savannah River.”

 

A. Joseph Marshall
Coldwell Banker Commercial
Commercial Real Estate Advisor
Savannah, Ga

Troy Expands again with Savannah, GA Freight Station

This article is short so I'm just posting it entirely.

press release Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Georgia-Based Warehouse Marks 21st Export Receiving Station for International Shipper.

Troy Container Line, one the world’s largest American-owned NVOCCs, today announced it will open a new container freight station on June 1, 2012 in Savannah, Georgia.  Located just eight miles from the Port of Savannah, the new CFS location is strategically placed between Charleston and Miami, and offers enhanced convenience and service to the South Atlantic marketplace.

The 175,000-square-foot facility includes 47 dock doors and a C-TPAT approved security system.  It marks Troy Container Line’s twenty-first warehouse location in the continental U.S. and will conveniently serve the local market, as well as customers across six continents.

“At Troy Container Line, we continually evolve to meet the needs of our growing client base,” commented Patricia L. Fitzgerald, COO of Exports.  “In conjunction with our Charlotte, N.C. office and Miami warehouse, the Savannah container freight station solidifies Troy Container Line’s growing presence in the South Atlantic United States.”

Having recently celebrated its 28-year anniversary, the Savannah warehouse is just one of many additions to Troy Container Line’s shipping capabilities.  The NVOCC recently announced a new Chicago to Rotterdam service, as well as a direct consolidation service to Liverpool and Manchester, England earlier this year. To learn more about Troy Container Line, please visit the company’s new website www.TroyLines.com or call 1-800-331-0058. 

Read the full article at Troy Expands again with Savannah, GA Freight Station

A. Joseph Marshall
Coldwell Banker Commercial
Commercial Real Estate Advisor
Savannah, Ga

Savannah’s port and the regulatory problem

I like Kyle Wingfield's opinion pieces. They're nicely put together.

Here's one worth reading if you didn't catch it in the AJC: Savannah’s port and the regulatory problem.

A. Joseph Marshall
Coldwell Banker Commercial
Commercial Real Estate Advisor
Savannah, Ga

The right site, at the right price

From http://www.dcvelocity.com/

Strategy December 31, 2011

special report | Warehousing

By John K. Boyd Jr.

Summary: Rising fuel costs and a sputtering economy means warehouse site selection is essential for companies to save money. Important factors are location, shipping costs, right-to-work states and community and state incentives.

Key Quotes:

With fuel and shipping rates projected to rise significantly in 2012 and beyond, comparative costs in areas like labor, property taxes, energy, and real estate are under the site selection microscope like never before.

For many [companies] , a less-than-optimum operating cost structure for their warehouses can compromise their competitive position for years.

These costs are expected to rise throughout the coming year. Despite continued advancements in warehouse automation technologies, overall operating costs for distribution warehousing are expected to increase by 14 to 16 percent in 2012 due to a rise in diesel fuel costs, above-average utility rate increases, and recovering real estate markets in most locales.

Container shipments are projected to increase tremendously at U.S. East Coast ports, creating inland warehouse opportunities (not unlike California's Inland Empire) for communities situated within a few hours' drive by truck from deepwater ports in Miami and Jacksonville, Fla.; Savannah, Ga.; Charleston, S.C.; Norfolk, Va.; Baltimore, Md.; Wilmington, Del.; Newark/Elizabeth, N.J.; and Boston, Mass.

To read the full article see The right site, at the right price.

A. Joseph Marshall
Coldwell Banker Commercial
Commercial Real Estate Advisor
Savannah, Ga

EDITORIAL:Savannah's port: We're No. 2!

From: http://savannahnow.com/opinion/2011-09-29/editorialsavannahs-port-were-no-2

SOMETIMES IT feels good to be No. 2. Such is the case with the Georgia Ports Authority, which now operates the second-busiest container port for exports in the United States.

Only Los Angeles handles more of those metal boxes than Savannah does. And Georgia now moves more than New York-Newark, which is now fifth. So that makes Savannah the busiest export port on the East Coast.

But when you’re No. 2, you still have to try harder — especially since much of these gains could erode if
Savannah doesn’t deepen its harbor.

The current 42-foot depth of the shipping channel is the shallowest of 24 of the world’s major ports, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The depth for most of those ports is in the 48- to 52-foot range.

Size matters in the shipping business. And time is money. An enlarged Panama Canal means bigger ships carrying more containers to places that can handle them most efficiently. That’s why port deepening is critical to the future here and the rest of Georgia.

But it’s not just about boats and trucks. It’s about trains, too.

The stacks of containers streaming in and out of the booming Savannah port atop rail cars have jumped 21 percent during fiscal year 2011. The total also represents a whopping 191-percent gain over the past decade. CSX now has eight trains a week serving the port. Norfork Southern has 11.

Thus the investments made in intermodal rail service are paying off, which helps keep Georgia’s economy moving forward. And watch out, L.A. Once the harbor is deepened, the title for No. 1 will be on the line.

Reposted by A. Joseph Marshall
Commercial Real Estate Agent
Savannah, Ga.

Port of Savannah Sets New Record, Yet Officials Question Expansion

The Port of Savannah boasts that its throughput topped 2.9 million containers in the last fiscal year. This is eleven percent more than last year said Curtis Foltz, Executive Director of the Georgia Ports Authority, to the Associated Press.

The reason for this increase is obviously more imports and exports. The exports are going to China, India and Russia, while the imports are going to Wal-Mart.

Foltz said he does not believe 2012 will be another banner year due to the impact of unemployment and the housing slump on the global economy. The full details of this report can be found on Forbes.com/.

At the same time, South Carolina and Georgia port officials agreed to further study a potential Jasper Ocean Terminal that shares the Savannah River. Apparently, the officials are “unsure whether [a Jasper Port] would benefit or suffer from plans to deepen the harbor to the nearby Port of Savannah,” according to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

I suppose a question they are pondering is “If the Port of Savannah would benefit from a deeper river, would a Port of Jasper benefit?” That question seems to be a no-brainer because it was already answered in 2010.

A more important question is, “Where do we put the muck from the bottom of the river as we deepen it?” Georgia said, “Simple, we’ll put it where the Jasper Ocean Terminal will go to build up the area above sea level. And we’ll continue to put all of it there for the next 50 years.”

To which South Carolina said, “You want to put 22 miles worth of dredge in Jasper County for 50 years when the Jasper Port requires only 8 miles of dredging for a limited period of time? Yeah, right.”

It seems like South Carolina should just get over it (or under it, as the case may be) so we can move this project along. But the economic and environmental impacts of digging and placing the soil will affect both states for 50 years. These concerns are weightier than the dirt itself. So the issue will be studied more. And rightfully so.

A. Joseph Marshall
Commercial Real Estate Agent
Savannah, Ga.

Atlanta mayor expects 'significant' funds for port .

Note: Mayor Reed was representing the Building America's Future coalition (which is an educational fund) and his speech topic was "Successfully Promoting the Infrastructure Investment Agenda".

Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Just back from visiting the White House, Atlanta's mayor said Tuesday he expects Georgia will win "significant" funding from the federal government to begin a $600 million deepening of the Savannah harbor — an economic priority for the state that's been threatened by the federal budget crisis.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed's ties to the Obama administration have made the Democrat one of the top pitchmen in Georgia's efforts to expand the Port of Savannah. Officials want to deepen the Savannah River shipping channel by 6 feet to accommodate supersized cargo ships expected via an expanded Panama Canal by the end of 2014.

"I believe that we are going to be successful in obtaining a significant appropriation before the budget process concludes," Reed told reporters Tuesday after speaking in Savannah to a seminar of the American Association of Port Authorities.

Reed declined to discuss specifics of why he's so optimistic. But it's one of the most positive statements made by any supporter of the port expansion all year.

The Georgia Ports Authority is counting on federal permits being approved in time for construction to begin in 2012. Securing money from the federal government has proven extremely tough, with the president and Congress focused on cutting the deficit.

Also Republican members of Congress have sworn off so-called "earmarks" — line-item projects inserted into budgets by individual lawmakers, which are typically how port projects get funded — and President Barack Obama has pledged to reject them also.

Curtis Foltz, Georgia's port chief, said the soonest the project will be permitted by regulators is next spring. If the federal funds don't get included in the 2012 budget, but do get approved in 2013, that would only set construction back a few months because of the government's fiscal calendar, he said.

"It's clearly not the end of the world," Foltz said. "It just means it's another three months away."

Though he's mayor of a city 250 miles away, Reed has been aggressively pushing the Savannah port expansion in Washington. He made sure to mention it Monday at the White House, where Obama invited Reed and other mayors to discuss the economy.

Reed said his pitch to the White House and others in Washington has been simple, consistent and persistent: "The deepening of the Savannah port is consistent with the priorities of the nation. It is exactly in line with the president's focus on increasing the export capability for the U.S."

Monday was the Atlanta mayor's second Washington trip this month. Three weeks ago he joined Republican Gov. Nathan Deal for a bipartisan trip to Capitol Hill to strategize on the port expansion with Georgia's members of Congress.

After that meeting June 1, Deal said Georgia might have a chance at getting about $70 million — less than the $105 million port officials had wanted. The governor said he was "hopeful," but far from certain Congress would approve the port money.

Reed said work has continued behind the scenes in Washington. One reason he's keeping mum on specifics, the mayor said, is that other East Coast ports from New York to Miami are also seeking federal funds to deepen their harbors.

"I don't believe we should show our roadmap to people who are competing for the same dollars and for the same purpose," Reed said.
—Copyright 2011 Associated Press.