Metro Augusta The mid-size atlanta (Columbus, Savannah: new construction, high school, university)

[richmond county]

i dont want to argue, please get a life stop replying. If you dont like augusta, why are you always on a thread about augusta. Why are you finding statistics on a city you hate. Why go through all the trouble, you dont like it so why bother. There our cities in ga i dont like, but i dont go saying negative comments about they city on every single thread all day every day. Everybody understand's you dont like augusta. BUT THOUSANDS OF OTHER PPL LOVE AUGUSTA

[DisgustaTruth]

Because thousands of people come here to get accurate assessments of a city before they move there... they want the good.. the bad.. and the ugly... not just the chamber of commerce spin.

[richmond county]

How can you give thousands of people a accurate assessment of a city you dont live in & havent seen in 2, 5, or 10yrs. How do you know whats happening in augusta if you dont see for yourself like i do on a daily basis. Last time somebody tried to give a accurate assessment of a city or country, with out havent seen it in years, or only remember it when they was there. Was george bush, who remembered iraq during his father days. Look where that accurate assessment has gotten the u.s. I live in augusta now today in 2007 not some other city only augusta, ga, so my assessement is alot more accurate in my opinion

[richmond county]

As for the comment about no, high paying jobs or fortune 500 or even fortune 300 or 100 companies in augusta. Look at these stats
SRS has over 17,000 very high paid employees

This is some info from a forbes magazine

A great diversity of companies are located in Augusta-Richmond County, including E-Z-GO Textron, International Paper, Tyco Healthcare/Kendall, Kellogg’s, Thermal Ceramics, PCS Nitrogen, Solvay Advanced Polymers, General Chemical, Monsanto, CRL Warehouse & Logistics Company, Procter and Gamble, Ruetgers Organics, NutraSweet, DSM, Electrolux, Castleberry’s. SOLO/Sweetheart Cup, Olin, Con-Agra, US Battery and FedEx Ground’s new regional facility.

Augusta was rated 19 out of 150 metropolitan areas by Forbes magazine as the best in the cost of doing business, which includes price of labor, energy, taxes, and office space.

In the 2007 issue of Expansion Magazine, Augusta MSA was ranked 36 out of 362 hottest cities for manufacturing expansions and relocations.

Augusta was ranked as the country’s 43rd best in new job creation for 2006 out of 300+ cities in figures released in January 2007 by the Milken Institute.

all these companies have facilities in augusta
Amoco
BellSouth
Coca-Cola
Delta Airlines
DuPont
Georgia Bank & Trust
Textron
Kendall
Merrill Lynch
Bank of America
Southern Company
SunTrust Bank
SCE&G
FedEx
Olin Monsanto
Sprint
Wachovia
Cummins
Kellogg's
Electrolux
ConAgra


ADP a fortune 300 company just open its headquarters in augusta about 2 months ago. They will have over 1000 employees
Also almost 90% of the Tide detergent used in the u.s is made in augusta, ga

[richmond county]

People if you are moving to GA in the future. I definitely suggest to you come check out augusta, ga. Where are added new companiew everyday, the mayor has announced that alot of developments are in store for augusta this yr & next that he will share in the coming future. Mayor deke hs been augusta most progressive mayor in yrs, the next 5yrs will bring alot of changes to augusta. The Garden City is a lovely place to call home

[DisgustaTruth]

Check out Richmond County's mangling of English grammar.. that's what you can expect if you put your child in a public school in Richmond county.

As far as fortune 500 companies... I am not talking about bank branches that hire tellers, factories, gas stations, call centers.. etc.. but corporate headquarters.. you know like Synovus and Aflac that are headquartered in Columbus.

[MayorOfMacon2019]

That one thing I had to learn when coming on this site you do have to post the good the bad and the ugly, andd right now your not expressing everything. All of those things are accurate about Augusta, but Savannah is really being represented wrongfully here. Certain things about Augusta are great, and its not being childish its just a matter of correcting the wrong. Pooler, Georgia does a better job of representing the Garden City title than Augusta.

[DisgustaTruth]

A more appropriate name for this thread would be"Metro Augusta.. The Mid-sized Detroit"

[yerocal]

Well, I sorry to Burst you bubble But Augusta is not experiencing no more than what Macon is experiencing and want to know the true Macon actually has more going on than Augusta. So, if you want to put it like that? Macon has the 2nd largest Mall outside of Atlanta, with over 200 stores and a 2nd Mall is under construction in North Macon planned to open in spring of 2008 including 6 lifestyle centers all under construction. Macon Already has a Spaghetti Junctions at I-16& & 75 and Bigger Under Construction at I-75 & 475

To Honest I think is on it way of becoming Georgia Next Largest and major city. It has fast growing Warner Robins, Robins AFB, Interstate 75, 475 & 16. Close to Atlanta and there is so much Development in Macon. Macon has huge development sprawling going on at every end!


Southwest Macon:
• Golden Corral - Presidential Pkwy - Now Open-SW Macon

• Firehouse Subs - Eisenhower Crossing - Coming Soon-SW Macon

• Pizza Hut/Wing Street - Eisenhower Annex - Coming Summer 2007-SW Macon

• World Farmers Market - Columbus Rd./Thomaston Rd. - Coming Soon-SW Macon


List of what development are Proposed or either un construction NOW!
South Macon/Bibb County

Lifestyle/"Strip Center" in South Macon just off of I-75 South on Hartley Bridge Road. Moon Family Properties is behind this 1.1 million sqft project. It will include 1,700 single family units, two to four story condos, and apartment community, retail, dinning, a mid-rise hotel, and office space. The development will be on both sides of Hartley Bridge Rd
Three fast-food restaurants, a convenience store, drug store, auto parts store, a bank and two hotels have committed to be part of a $500 million mixed-use development in south Bibb County off of Hartley bridge rd. The businesses that have committed to the project are Zaxby's, Flash Foods/Dairy Queen, McDonald's, CVS/pharmacy, Advance Auto and Atlantic Southern Bank and 2 Hotels.
The I-75/I-475 interchanges reconstruction

• Hartley station retail & commercial, residential developments,
• Sara less plant
• Kohl’s DC
• Nicnochi plant


Northwest Macon, lifestyle centers

• Opus Shoppes of Macon come to 125,000 sq. ft. bring the total retail space of the Zebulon Rd. /I-475 area over the 1 million mark, along with 300 upscale garden apartment units.

• New sub division and commercial area at Lake Tobesofkee. The commercial area will know as town center with 20,000sq ft of light and low impact retail and commercial use professional offices and a restaurant and another area which will provide additional 12000 sq ft more commercial space. The sub div. will include 70 town houses and 281 detached single family houses. The project was supposed to include condos but they were deleted from the project...

North Macon Developments:

• Bass Pro Shops - 600,000 sq. ft.

• Market place at bass project -a major national department store and five anchors

• Bass Rd. Upscale Retail Shopping Center - 400,000 to 500,000 sq. ft.

• Lullwater Village - 284,000 sq. ft.


• Providence Town Center - 750,000 sq. ft.- Welcome to Providence - A Family Village
Providence, two mixed-use buildings with retail on the ground floor and two levels of loft apartments above, a four-story hotel and conceptual plans for a bank and a pre-school facility, according to the staff report.


• The two mixed-use buildings include plans for 23,320 square feet of shop space and 131,500 square feet for loft apartments. The design includes wide sidewalks, parks, a fountain, lake and nature preserve.


• North Winds Office Complex - 400,000 sq. ft. it will be a big-box development. One large big-box retailer (144,000 square feet), with 22 out-parcels,
• Fuddruckers was also going to be a part of North Winds

• Shoppes at River Crossing- 2008 completion date- Riverside Dr. Upscale
• Retail Center - 850,000 to 900,000 sq. ft.

• Total New Retail Space of North Macon developments: 2.8 to 3.0 million sq. ft. That's more retail space than the Mall of Georgia! That total doesn't include the hotels or the North Winds Office Complex. In addition, more businesses are trying to relocate offices to the area surrounding Lull water.

• Butler Mega Dealership ( Toyota, BMW, Lexus & Scion)

• Plans include 24 single-family lots, 55 town home units, 36 quad-apartments, 420 garden apartments, 12 lofts and 15,000 square feet of retail space on Ark Wright Road from single-family and multi-family
• Ruby Tuesday's – Zebulon Rd. - Coming soon-NW Macon

• Advance Auto Parts - Zebulon Rd. (In Opus Shoppes) - Coming Soon- NW Macon
• Five Guys Burgers and Fries - Tom Hill - Coming Soon-North Macon

• Starbucks - Bass Rd. (In Lull water Village) - Coming Soon-North Macon
• CVS Pharmacy - Zebulon Rd. (In Opus Shoppes) - Coming Soon- NW Macon
• Capital City Bank - Zebulon Rd. - Coming Soon- NW Macon
• Walgreen - Zebulon Rd. - Coming Soon- NW Macon

• Giuseppe's Pizza - Tom Hill - Coming Soon-North Macon
• BB&T Bank - Bass Rd. (Market Place @ Bass) - Coming 2008-North Macon

• McDonald's - Bass Rd. (Market Place @ Bass) - Coming Fall 2007-North Macon

• Quiznos - Across from Bass Pro Shop- North Macon

• The Fresh Market (Grocery) - Rivoli Crossing - Coming Soon-NW Macon

• Hampton Inn & Suites - (off of Arkright Rd.) - Coming Winter 2007-North Macon
• New Southern Bank - Bass Rd. - Coming Summer 2007-North Macon

• Microtel Inn & Suite - Bowman Rd. - Coming Soon

• Mo-Joe's Wings - Zebulon Rd. - Now Open- NW Macon


Downtown/Midtown Macon

• Tattnall Place, a new collection of mixed-income townhouses in downtown Macon's historic district

• Beall's Hill Project-Beall's Hill residential development project is the largest of its kind in the state outside Atlanta

• Proposed Convention Center (4 star) Marriott Hotel Downtown somewhere between 250-300 rooms

• Riverside Project -Riverside, Macon's first mixed use live/work/play development, will sit along the banks of the Ocmulegee near downtown.
• Retail, office and a hotel topped by condominiums will extend the central business district farther north along Riverside Drive.

• Mercer’s developed a ( Hilton Garden Hotel) opens summer 2007

• Macon to Atlanta Passenger Rail proposed….

• Macon's first new downtown apartment complex the 80-unit development- Cherry and Spring streets

• Macon Mayor Jack Ellis' administration is pushing a plan to privatize the city's aviation operations, and the company it has picked to take over says it can grow
• Middle Georgia Regional Airport into a secondary destination to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.( TBI Airport Management Inc)

• Georgia DOT gets closer to finally selecting a plan for the I-75/I-16 interchange(I-16 will be 12 lanes at its widest point,
• Coliseum Drive will be widened to 6 lanes
• Second Street will be widened to 6 lanes
• I-75 will be 9 lanes at its widest point

• 2 Proposed riverfront high rise Condos

• 9 story State of that Art Cardiac Center DT( Under construction) 2008

• Market City Cafe' - Cherry St./Third St. - Coming Summer 2007

• Skye Lounge Night Club - Plum St. (DT) - Coming Soon

• Spaghetti Alley - The Alley/Second St. - Now Open

• Parking Deck/70 Apts./Retail - DT (Poplar/Cherry Street Ln.) - 2007

• Molly's Cafe Cherry St
• T.G.I. Fridays & Starbucks Coming to DT Macon




East Macon Developments:
• Ruby Tuesday's - Gray Hwy. - Coming soon-East Macon

• MBM/Chick-fil-A Distribution Center - Ocmulgee East Industrial Park - Coming Fall 2007 (200 jobs)-East Macon



• Mellow mushroom opening spring 08
• Boeing to add 75 JOBS due to a new contract from the U.S. Air Force.
• ACADEMY SPORTS & OUTDOORS DISTRIBUTION CENTER!!! (200 Jobs) - I-16 (Twiggs Co.) - Coming 2009

In the Metro area Developments:

• Fort Valley State University Discussing Hotel/Golf Course Resort Possibility
Crumbly, the college vice president of Collaborative Programs is discussing possibility of developing Public/private Partnerships to build a 250 room hotel/ conference center and 18 holes PGA golf course restaurant and other amenities on the university Farm property. The facilities would be part of a new degree programs for golf course management, turf management and hotel management.

• Frito Lay (Expansion) - 80 Jobs - Houston Co.

• Cimentos North America - Ga 247 Ho. Co. - (Will Employ 100 @ $43,000/yr) Coming 2010-South Macon


• Houston County's Oaky Woods to be Development of 30,000 new homes
Houston to be Developed, Development calls for 30,000 new homes to be built to be Developed, Development calls for 30,000 new homes to be built Woods to be Developed, Development calls for 30,000 new homes to be built

And this is just some of the developments and if you need for me to give you more I can so you said Augusta has more going on for it, Oh that an under statement.

[DisgustaTruth]

I won't say that Macon is one of my favorite cities in Georgia but I agree that it has more potential for growth and development than Augusta. Augusta has only one interstate hwy I20... and it is not a major interstate corridor. Macon is located onthe very busy I75 corridor... it also has interstate access to the port of Savanah, unlike Augusta. Also Macon's proximity to Atlanta is a huge selling point. Augusta is too far from principal cities.. it's simply too out of the way and without adequate transportation infrastructure. Unlike Augusta.. Macon's airport could be a reasonable alternative to Hatsfield. Augusta is more than a 2 and half hours drive from Atlanta.. why not just fly into Birmingham, AL in that case? Muh of the building going on in Augusta are "catch-up" projects.. wideing I20 and building a mini spaghetti junction at I20 and I520... cities like Macon and Columbus have had these road improvements for years already.. Augusta always seems to be about 15 years behind the rest of the sate.