Sandfly residents push back on proposed 3-story storage facility on Skidaway Road

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A vacant lot on Skidaway Road could become a three-story storage facility, and residents and business owners in the Sandfly neighborhood are speaking out against the idea.

Commercial real estate investment firm Wedgewood Avenue is exploring the development. According to a flyer distributed by the firm, the building would be thoughtfully designed and climate-controlled.

No formal application has been filed.

Opponents of the proposal circulated their own flyer outlining objections.

It stated the facility would generate only one to five jobs and represented one of the lowest-value land uses in terms of sales tax revenue and customer traffic to the area. There are also traffic concerns with more vehicles using Skidaway Road near restaurants and retail shops.

What would they rather see, according to the flyer? Local restaurants and cafes, boutique retail and services, professional offices, mixed-use development with places to gather, community spaces and/or green areas.

A public meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at Speedwell United Methodist Church in Sandfly for residents to share feedback on the proposal.

People living and working nearby said the proposed building’s height would clash with the surrounding area, where existing structures along Skidaway Road are one story tall.

Langley Carson, who frequently visits Sandfly, said the scale of the project did not fit the community.

“Nobody’s thinking about seeing a three-story building, but I think people would be really thrown off and you could literally do this anywhere else,” Carson said.

Auspicious Sandfly Baking Company Assistant Manager Adam Powers said the neighborhood has a distinct character worth protecting.

“This is a community bakery, and we have so many great pastries here,” Powers said. “The vibe of most people walking in here is excited.”

Powers also raised environmental concerns about the development.

“We spend most of the time developing things and cutting a lot of [trees] down so I mean it seems like we’re going to take a lot of plant life out to just be able to store some more stuff,” he said.

Isle of Hope resident Cooper Gilstrap saw merit in the firm seeking public input before filing an application.

“If it’s zoned for what they want to build and they have the permission to do it, that’s well within their rights to do it,” Gilstrap said. “It’s not ideal. I think it’s pretty good that they’re asking the community about it first.”

Gilstrap said he would prefer to see a locally owned business on the site.

“Not another chain restaurant, not another big box store but something local,” he said. “We could use another restaurant for sure.”

He added that a strong community response could influence the firm’s plans.

“At least they’re asking about it ahead of time,” Gilstrap said. “If they’re at least being that considerate about it, maybe they get a loud outcry of negatives; they’re investors. They’ll think about something else to invest in.”