Savannah seeks public comment on whether to expand city's open-container ‘to-go cup’ zone

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An empty St. Patrick's Day-themed aluminum “to-go cup” next to the Forsyth Park fountain in Savannah.

Credit: Benjamin Payne / GPB News

Savannah residents and visitors may soon be able to carry open containers of alcohol well beyond the tourist-heavy downtown Historic District, if a proposed ordinance passes City Council.

But first, officials are asking the public to give their input through an online form on the city's website.

If approved, the ordinance would add about 1.9 square miles to Savannah's “to-go cup” zone — an area in which licensed bars and restaurants can sell 16-ounce cups of alcoholic beverages for patrons to carry outside on sidewalks, squares, parks and other public places.

Currently, the zone includes most of the tourist-heavy downtown Historic District — as far south as Jones Street — and much of Hutchinson Island, home to the Savannah Convention Center.

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The current boundaries of Savannah's to-go cup zone.

Credit: City of Savannah

The expansion would extend the southern boundary about 1.5 miles south to Victory Drive, effectively incorporating all of the Victorian District — including Savannah's iconic Forsyth Park — and the Starland District, a trendy neighborhood with many newer establishments.

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The proposed expansion to Savannah's to-go cup zone. The boundaries include Jones Street to the north; Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to the west; Victory Drive to the south; Waters Avenue to the east; and Wheaton Street to the northeast.

Credit: City of Savannah

Other areas in the proposed zone include the residential neighborhoods of Dixon Park, Eastside, Midtown and Baldwin Park.

“We want to make sure everyone weighs in,” Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said. “Obviously, to expand anything changes the game for surrounding areas, surrounding communities, and we want to add their voice to our decisions.”

Johnson, who as mayor also casts a vote on City Council, said that he has not decided where he stands on the matter, and raised concerns about how the city and its police department would enforce an expanded zone.

“I've heard from some folks that are very concerned about it,” Johnson said, adding a reference to the adage of “give someone an inch and they'll take a mile.”

A pilot program was implemented in 2020 to temporarily test an expansion to the to-go cup zone, which Johnson said was well received by both businesses and neighborhood associations.

No deadline has been set for public comment through the city's online form, but Johnson urged people to provide their input soon, saying, “We're not gonna wait too late on this. We're going to make a decision.”