Savannah, GA

Client: Savannah City Manager’s Office and Housing Department

Team of experts: Joe Schilling, Virginia Tech

Description of work: Campaign Advisory Board Member Israel Small, Assistant City Manager for the City of Savannah, and his staff convened a vacant property brown bag with about 30 representatives from different city departments, the county, the regional council of governments, and several nonprofit developers. Joe Schilling provided a brief overview of the National Vacant Properties Campaign and the insights gained from his recent technical assistance activities. He then facilitated an open discussion among the participants to help them identify key challenges and offered suggestions on possible solutions to the vacant property challenges facing Savannah. Housing Department staff also gave Schilling a tour of the city’s most recent redevelopment initiatives.