A project manager for the new Savannah arena development has been chosen, as the city has signed off on a contract with Jones Lang LaSalle.
Officials in the Georgia city have been discussing the potential development of a new arena, which would be constructed as part of the broader Canal District project. To move forward with that plan, the Savannah City Council recently approved a contract Jones Lang LaSalle that is valued at $2.8 million. As part of that arrangement, the firm will work the city to help keep the $160-million project within its estimated budget. More from The Savannah Morning News:
The Savannah City Council has approved a $2.8 million contract with Jones Lang LaSalle for the firm to manage the construction of a new arena, in addition to allocating $845,000 to maintain the existing Civic Center next year.
The planned 9,000-seat arena is expected to take about 38 months to design and construct with the help of the consultant, who is charged with keeping the project on schedule and within budget – now estimated at $160 million.
Meanwhile, the city’s 43-year-old Civic Center is showing its age and city officials have been wrestling with what improvements to make to the facility that could be demolished after the new arena is completed.
“We’re only going to do stuff that is needed, and with a building that’s 50 years old there’s stuff breaking there all the time,” said City Manager Rob Hernandez.
Revenue from a special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) is expected to help cover the cost of a new Savannah arena. The development will be located at a site between Louisville Road and Gwinnett Street, west of West Boundary Street
Rendering courtesy City of Savannah.
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