Federal officials halt Savannah bus terminal pending review

SAVANNAH - Federal transit officials have put the brakes on a proposed $13 million public bus terminal pending a review of whether it would harm Savannah&#39;s historic district. <br> <br> The Federal Transit Administration, which controls $10 million in grant money needed to fund the terminal, had previously approved the project. But objections from local residents and warnings from the National Park Service have prompted the agency to take a second look. <br> <br> ``FTA requests that you take no further project implementation steps, including final design, site work such as building demolition, or other construction activities until further notice,&#39;&#39; regional administrator Jerry Franklin wrote Friday in a letter to Chatham County officials. <br> <br> Chatham Area Transit wants to build a block-long bus terminal with indoor waiting space, retail and a 180-space parking deck at the corner of Elbert Square, now a sliver of grass since it was paved over in the 1930s. <br> <br> Savannah business leaders and preservations opposed to the project say it would choke the area with traffic, hinder restoration of Elbert Square and violate the grid-like town plan devised by Gen. James Edward Oglethorpe in 1733. <br> <br> The National Park Service in February warned that building the bus terminal in the historic district would threaten Savannah&#39;s designation as a National Historic Landmark. <br> <br> At 2.1 square miles, Savannah has the largest national landmark district in the nation. Losing it would mean an embarrassing loss of prestige, and could cost the city millions of dollars in preservation grants. <br> <br> ``This thing would have been built and it would have been a disaster&#39;&#39; if the public hadn&#39;t gotten involved, said Richard Mopper, a real estate broker who has led the opposition. ``This is an opportunity for CAT to look at this again and take time to come up with another site.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Federal transit officials did not say how long their review would take. But if it decides the bus terminal would harm the historic district, planners could be forced to choose another site and start from scratch. <br> <br> ``If they feel like this needs to be reopened, then we&#39;ll do what they ask us to do,&#39;&#39; said Scott Lansing, executive director of Chatham Area Transit. <br> <br> Chatham County Commission Chairman Billy Hair said he&#39;s confident federal officials will allow the project to move forward after reviewing it. <br> <br> ``I just hate to see the project delayed,&#39;&#39; he said. <br> <br> Opponents have suggested relocating the bus terminal one block away to a site outside the historic district. <br> <br> But planners have said that would be unfair to bus riders who would have to walk farther, crossing a busy intersection at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, to shop or work downtown. <br> <br> Sabrina Carter agrees. She commutes by bus daily to downtown, then walks to the riverfront to catch a ferry to her job on Hutchinson Island. <br> <br> ``Elbert Square is a better location ... especially for older people,&#39;&#39; Carter said. ``They would have a hard time getting over there.&#39;&#39;