A survey has been launched for public input on a new Savannah arena design, as officials hope to receive feedback on the city’s upcoming facility.
Officials in the Georgia city are planning the construction of a new arena, with the venue slated to be one of the main anchors of the broader Canal District development project west of downtown Savannah. The firm Perkins + Will has been tasked with designing the facility and, as part of the design process, the city has launched a survey to gather public feedback on potential arena amenities.
Savannah officials are hoping that the survey will yield as much information as possible, and help to provide a strong sense of what prospective visitors expect from the arena. More from the Savannah Morning News:
The survey, which will allow users to share their priorities for the arena in multiple choice and with open-ended responses, was promoted during a press conference Thursday as a way for the public’s voice to be heard.
Pete Shonka, executive director of arena development, said the city will be able to tell if users are filling out the survey more than once, to prevent the results from being skewed. Also, city officials are promoting the outreach effort through news outlets, advertisements and neighborhood leaders to ensure they get a full representation of what the community wants.
“We would like all the input we could possibly get,” he said.
The survey was touted to be one method for soliciting input to help guide the pens of Perkins+Will, the international design firm the city recently selected for the project. The city will also be hosting a meeting concerning the arena’s amenities on Sept. 12 at the Civic Center. After the feedback is collected, the design firm will draw up various renderings of the arena, and residents will get a chance during another meeting in late October to select their preferred architectural style.
The arena has been pitched as a more modern event space in comparison to Savannah’s aging Civic Center, as well a key feature in a broader development project could better connect the area surrounding the venue to downtown Savannah. The venue is slated to cost $140 million, a price tag that includes site work and surface parking spaces.
RELATED STORIES: Design Firm Selected for New Savannah Arena; Designer Sought for New Savannah Arena; Project Manager Selected for New Savannah Arena; Officials Detail Vision Behind Savannah Arena Plan; Savannah Moves Forward with Arena Plan; Savannah Looks for Arena Funding
