Aug. 02–Area property owners have given up their legal challenge to stop developer Richard Kessler’s West River Street hotel project from moving forward.
A lawsuit the 10 plaintiffs filed in Chatham County Superior Court on June 11 against The Kessler Collection and Savannah has been dismissed after an agreement was reached between the plaintiffs and the developer, said city attorney Brooks Stillwell.
Savannah Realtor Richard “Dicky” Mopper, whose wife was a plaintiff in the case, said the settlement was reached about two weeks ago, but a confidentiality agreement prevented the disclosure of any details.
The legal complaint stemmed from the developer’s request to double the allowable heights for the project to four and six stories. The City Council approved making the text amendment on May 15, followed by two votes approving the actual amended ordinance. Plaintiffs claimed the change was actually a map amendment that had additional notification requirements. An injunction was also requested to prevent any further actions that would move the project forward.
The settlement comes after the hotel developer had sought approval of a map amendment on July 15 in response to the lawsuit. The Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission approved the amendment, which Stillwell had recommended as a way for the developer to eliminate any argument against the project proceeding.
Final approval of the map amendment will be considered by the City Council at their meeting on Thursday, said spokesman Bret Bell. A majority of the council supported the increased height limits three times previously, with only Aldermen Mary Ellen Sprague and Tom Bordeaux opposing the change.
The hotel plan includes the renovation of a decommissioned power plant into a luxury hotel and the construction of four new buildings for hotel rooms, a parking garage and retail space.
