October 8, 2008

Savannah's Sustainable Fellwood Breaks Ground:
Mixed-Use, Mixed-Income, All Green

Sustainable Fellwood recently broke ground in Savannah, Ga., with a target date of April 2009 for Phase I completion. The $50 million mixed-use, mixed-income redevelopment project sits on 27 acres in the Coastal Georgia city, on the site of the state's first public housing project, and it serves as a principal component of the City of Savannah’s Westside Development Revitalization Plan. 

Sustainable Fellwood is designed to be a walkable, enjoyable community that preserves as many of the mature trees as possible, and is widely considered a national showcase for environmentally-responsible community planning.

"We call it a ground breaking, but it's really a ground healing," said Martin Melaver, CEO of Melaver, Inc. and master developer for Sustainable Fellwood, along with Parallel Housing, Progressive Redevelopment, and Vanguard Developers.  "The City of Savannah had the vision to create a masterplan for the entire West Side that is inclusive of not only mixed-use but mixed-income redevelopment, at a time when so many working poor are being pushed out of vibrant urban core areas.  So when we say Sustainable Fellwood, we mean it in every sense of the word."

Phase I of Sustainable Fellwood will include 110 affordable housing units and approximately five single family homes. The project’s first phase is expected to be completed in April 2009.  Forty percent of the units will be set aside for low-income residents who qualify for public housing, with another 40 percent reserved for families who make up to $34,560 (60 percent of the average median income in this area). The remaining 20 percent of the residents will pay market rate.

Future phases will include 110 affordable housing units, a senior housing apartment building, and single family homes, followed by potential retail, medical and technical space. Amenities will include a clubhouse, an organic community garden, and significant common green space.

Sustainable Fellwood will be built with sustainable materials with high standards for energy and water efficiency.  The project is registered in the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Neighborhood Development pilot program, and will be guided by the Smart Growth Network’s principles for diverse, walk-able, distinctive, attractive communities. Sustainable Fellwood is also registered in the EarthCraft Coastal Communities through Southface Energy Institute.

Rosalyn Truitt, development services manager for Housing Authority of Savannah, said:  “I think it’s transformational for the City's West Side and I feel that the Housing Authority has played a vital role in selecting a developer like Melaver that had a vision of changing affordable housing into sustainable housing.”

Sustainable Fellwood is a Housing Authority of Savannah project.  Master Developer: Melaver, Inc., in partnership with Parallel Housing, Progressive Redevelopment, and Vanguard Developers.  In collaboration with: Lott Barber, Architecture and Planning, Catamount Constructors, Inc., City of Savannah, and CHSA Development of Savannah.