Hotelier unveils $100M plan before City Council - WTOC-TV: Savannah, Beaufort, SC, News, Weather & Sports

Hotelier unveils project before City Council

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Richard Kessler presents the $100 million plan to the Savannah City Council. Richard Kessler presents the $100 million plan to the Savannah City Council.
SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) -

Savannah native Richard Kessler unveiled plans Thursday for his biggest project yet in his hometown.

A $100 million - three-phase project - including a boutique hotel, store fronts, an event center and a new public parking deck would be partially funded by the city of Savannah.

These are part of the plans unveiled by Kessler to the Savannah City Council. Kessler said he has a vision for the former Georgia Power property and it would take at least a year before investors could be approached. But he has high hopes.

Kessler said he had been watching that building for some time, not knowing what would ever happen to it.

He said he was very curious about it because it has tremendous potential.

Kessler said his project would transform and anchor the west end of River Street. To complement the property, the city is also talking about extending the river walk and beautifying that end of Indian Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.   

Kessler said that if the funding is available and all the pieces fall into place there could be physical changes by the end of 2014.

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