After nine months of design and renovations, the Savannah College of Art Design unveiled the new version of Pulaski House, a former student dormitory the school turned into workforce housing.
The red-brick building on Pulaski Square will have 22 units, a mix of studio, two-bedroom and loft-style apartments with modern appliances, high ceilings and bright, white walls. Tenants will begin moving in next month.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
The Lofts at Pulaski are aimed at downtown Savannah workers who make up to 130% of the area's media income, or up to about $34,000 a year. SCAD wanted to target high-impact, low-earning professions in the city such as hospitality workers, teachers, firefighters and nonprofit employees.
The Lofts will be managed by Mia Madison Properties, which will check applicants income levels to ensure the workers who most need affordable rent will receive it.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
SCAD representatives said Pres. Paula Wallace "answered the call" from the City of Savannah to develop below-market rate housing because the city is in the middle of an affordable housing crisis.
"Workforce housing is one of Savannah’s most challenging concerns, and the Lofts on Pulaski jump-starts a new era that redefines excellence, accessibility, and affordability," Wallace, SCAD's president and co-founder, said in a school press release.
Credit: SCAD/Colin Douglas Gray
Credit: SCAD/Colin Douglas Gray
Rents will range from about $775 for a studio, $1,065 for a two-bedroom and just under $1,000 for a two-bath loft apartment, which can fit two beds. Utilities are included and the apartments are wired for cable and internet, which tenants will have to set up themselves. Parking, in-building laundry machines and mailboxes are included.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
The Lofts are an initiative of SCAD Serve, "which empowers the SCAD community to listen to the needs of its neighbors and local leaders and to implement meaningful design solutions that improve quality of life."
SCAD Serve Director Scott Linzey said he hopes other institutions and businesses in Savannah will follow suit and help provide affordable housing for workers in the downtown area, where the costs to buy or rent have priced out many long-time and low-wealth residents in recent years.
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
SCAD and other large employers in the area have raised the city's profile for the past few decades, which have increased property values and cost-of-living expenses. But wages have not matched that growth, leading to large-scale displacement and gentrification of neighborhoods across the city.
The Lofts at Pulaski are part of a larger tapestry of housing projects aimed at fighting this displacement, which is one of the city's top budget priorities for the next fiscal year.
Zoe covers growth and how it impacts communities in the Savannah area. Find her at znicholson@gannett.com, @zoenicholson_ on Twitter, and @zoenicholsonreporter on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: SCAD unveils Pulaski House, 22 units aimed at non-student, downtown, low-wage workers
The Latest
Featured
