New Downtown and inner-city Augusta/ North Augusta going to another level (Garden City: new construction) (Griffin: lease, credit)

[nortonguy]

Groucho's plans to open summer 2018 at 758 Broad Street.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...73346276038843

[Airforceguy]

In 2008, the Augusta Commission approved the $37.5 million revitalization effort in the Laney-Walker/Bethlehem districts, which works out to a commitment of $750,000 a year for 50 years. Much of the early work was on acquiring land and building in those six key nodes off major roads, such as the Heritage Pine neighborhood off Laney-Walker. The success of that neighborhood can be seen in homes that sold for around $117,000 in 2010 and are now going for more than $180,000 and beyond, Welcher said.

“We know that the revitalization and the transformation from neighborhood back into thriving community, we know that it works,” he said. “We know that there is an interest. We know that there is growth.”

But now there is a need to retain those homeowners, and that means attracting and providing support through commercial and retail ventures, Welcher said.

“Why should they have to drive three, five seven miles to a grocery store to get a healthy meal, those types of things?” he said.

The department is working with a retail recruiter that represents those kinds of stores to create a more comprehensive profile of the area and what is planned, which includes what nonprofits, churches and others are doing in the area. For instance, Augusta University has filled two dorms on its Health Sciences Campus with more than 700 students that sit on the edge of the neighborhood, and the university might add housing there over time. Thousands of medical professionals work near the area and could be potentially attracted to housing there, Welcher said.

“We are very strategic in regards to how we introduce them to this world of Laney-Walker/Bethlehem,” he said. “You have to maintain a balance.”

There is a need to raise the average $25,000-a-year income level in order to be more attractive to retail, but there is also a need to avoid gentrification and pushing people out, Welcher said.

“Urban redevelopment is hard,” he said. One goal is “restoring, maintaining and enhancing history in some ways. But at the same time, being very strategic in what is demolished and cleared, to be sure that modern meets history.”

It is taking out condemned properties, such as the house that sits across from the housing department’s building on Laney-Walker, while maintaining those that can be saved. The area’s history will be celebrated in murals, artwork and plaques in a trail that can be walked.

Other city departments are also contributing to improving the infrastructure. The Recreation and Parks Department is set to begin a major renovation and improvement to Dyess Park, and the Engineering Department has committed to a $5 million improvement to Twiggs Street, the site of one of the housing department’s major developments. The improvement will include water and sewer upgrades along with sidewalks, streetlights and roundabouts, Welcher said.

Inner-city initiative expands on several fronts - News - The Augusta Chronicle - Augusta, GA

[Airforceguy]

Haltermann blames former Planning Director Melanie Wilson, who has left to take a similar position in Savannah, Ga., for reviving the parking requirement about a year ago after previous directors grandfathered in all of downtown to encourage development. But it will take more than just changing that ordinance, he said.

“We need to increase the capacity of downtown parking spaces,” said Haltermann, who spoke to the Augusta Commission in February and got it to create a subcommittee to look at the issue, though it has yet to meet. Part of that will be addressed by city plans to redo major downtown streets in an $84 million makeover to improve the aesthetics and flow and make them more pedestrian-friendly.

As part of that, the city will remove the parking wells that run down the center of much of Broad Street, said City Traffic Engineer John Ussery.

“Just be the nature of the redesign, we’re going to increase the number of parking spaces (on Broad),” he said. “It won’t be a huge increase, but it will increase the number.”


That redesign work probably won’t begin until 2020 because the engineering won’t be completed on all of the projects until the end of 2019, said Engineering Director Hameed Malik.

The first projects will be 13th and Telfair streets, and Broad will come some time later. Each street has money assigned and a budget, but some of the work envisioned already exceeds what is budgeted, Malik said. For instance, there is $14 million to $15 million budgeted for Broad, but the work envisioned could cost nearly twice that, Malik said.

Parking woes plague downtown developers - News - The Augusta Chronicle - Augusta, GA

[Airforceguy]

Augusta's Landbank organized a bus tour to show commissioners how it is help neighborhood create new housing.

the Landbank acquires property that's been forfeited, and sells or trades it to developers.

the Landbank is currently working on projects in Olde town where several new houses are planned, as well as the Sandhills neighborhood.

"Commissioner Fennoy has given us an opportunity or has requested that housing and community development along with the Landbank work in the Sandhills community so we're working with a community housing development organization in that area to put about 13 or 14 new houses over there," said Chris Johnson of the Landbank,

The tour also included Harrisburg where city officials say Landbank properties could be used to help development being created by the growth of cyber.

Augusta Landbank helping new developments - WJBF

[AUGnative]

Is this entire thread nothing but copy and paste from the local paper?

[GRU_Minion]

Originally Posted by AUGnative

Is this entire thread nothing but copy and paste from the local paper?

I applaud AFG's enthusiasm without being a blatant cheerleader like others, but yeah, most of their posts are links to news articles.

[AUGnative]

Originally Posted by GRU_Minion

I applaud AFG's enthusiasm without being a blatant cheerleader like others, but yeah, most of their posts are links to news articles.

I have sometimes wondered if AFG is a bot because there is rarely any commentary or remarks, just links to articles.

[Airforceguy]

I usually just post these articles to keep the thread going. I don't post much commentary because I don't live in Augusta and I'm not familiar with the area and don't want to speak out of terms on things I don't know much about.

[urbandevelopment]

Thanks for posting Air Force Guy. I find your posts very informative and unbiased. I do not pay for the Augusta Chronicle

[amlovingit]

Originally Posted by urbandevelopment

Thanks for posting Air Force Guy. I find your posts very informative and unbiased. I do not pay for the Augusta Chronicle

I second that, haters going to hate.