The joint venture that has purchased the site known as Savannah River Landing unveiled a new name and brand for the revitalized project.
 
“We reached out to community leaders and various stake holders to understand the sentiment and emotion around the name, Savannah River Landing. We felt that it was important to give this site an identity that matches our team’s vision for the future,” said Reid Freeman, president of Regent Partners.
 
To find a new name for the site, the team looked to the past.
 
“It was important to our team that we were respectful of Savannah’s history. When we started to learn about the site and the significant role it played in the early commerce of Savannah, we knew what direction we wanted to go,” added Trent Germano, a principal with Mariner Group.
 
Eastern Wharf is the name that has been chosen for the development. The history of the Savannah Eastern Wharves dates back to the early 1800’s as Savannah was on the rise as one of the major ports on the east coast. In 1836 a group of businessmen formed The Eastern Wharf Company and purchased 75 acres of land just east of downtown.
 
The Eastern Wharf district was a thriving hub of industry. Home to businesses such as A.N. Miller’s Foundry, Hydraulic Cotton Press Company and the Bullock and Winton Steam Saw Mill, the area saw decades of prosperity that played a key role in the state’s economic growth. And while the wharves eventually gave way to industrial progress, the legacy remains.
 
“With this new name, we want to pay homage to the site’s past, and also give a nod to its future as we bring it back to prominence as a hub for not only commerce but community as well,” says Scott Jenkins, president of ELV Associates, Inc.
 
Project Plans
 
The joint venture comprised of ELV Associates, Mariner Group and Regent Partners closed on the landmark deal in September of 2017. Since that time, the team has worked with local leadership, planners and architects to plan a mixed-use development that includes retail, office, hospitality, and a significant residential component. The plan outlines nearly 7 acres of public open space including squares and a substantial park along the Savannah River. Current plans devote a majority of the total build-out square footage to residential uses, increasing the mix of available housing inventory adjacent to the highly sought after Landmark Historic District.
 
The group plans to break ground early this summer on the first phase of the project, which will include:
 
·      More than 300 apartments

·      An 1100 space parking garage including a 700 space city garage

·      40,000 SF of food, beverage, entertainment and service oriented retail uses

·      Approximately 80,000 SF of Class A office space

·      A 200 key life-style boutique hotel

·      A linear park and a 2 acre riverfront park
 
Representing approximately a $225M investment, the team estimates that Phase I will be complete in the spring of 2020.
 
Patrick Malloy, who has been selected as the residential developer, is already underway with deep foundations on the eastern side of the project which will be the future home of the single-family town homes and residential stacked flats.
 
The 57-acre site sits adjacent to the Landmark Historic District in Downtown Savannah and will have vehicular access from General McIntosh Blvd and President Street. The site has excellent pedestrian connectivity to downtown via the river walk that was extended as part of the infrastructure work already in place around the site.  The total project value is estimated at more than $600 Million and will take approximately 8 years to complete the full build out.