Scuttlebiz: Augusta Concrete tract could be hot property (Martinez, Martin: for sale, apartments)

[Airforceguy]

t’s not every day that two acres of commercial property in Augusta’s central business district come up for sale – especially a tract along a major thoroughfare conveniently situated between the medical district and the downtown corridor.

But that’s exactly what you have in the 600 block of 13th Street, where American Concrete Inc. has its corporate headquarters and maintenance yard on the market for $1.6 million.

There’s no “for sale” signs on the property, sandwiched between Andy Jordan’s bike shop and the Healthsouth Walton Rehabilitation hospital, but there will be in the next week or two.

“We approached our neighbors to give them first rights,” company President T.J. Barton said. “But that didn’t generate any interest, so now we’re listing it.”

The 45-employee operation has been working toward offloading the 1.94-acre site across from John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School since it moved the ready-mix machines out to Appling nearly two years ago to be closer to Columbia County’s nonstop Develapalooza festival.

Of course, construction in Augusta’s urban core hasn’t been too shabby, either – a baseball stadium, a state-owned cyber training center, an expanded cancer research building and three hotels are nothing to sneeze at – but Barton says the company can easily serve downtown from its plants in south Augusta, Martinez and Graniteville.

Even with the CSX railroad alongside the property, it has served the Bartons well since it formed American Concrete in 1993 by acquiring Southern Roadbuilders’ ready-mix division (the family’s previous venture, Clausssen Concrete Co., is now part of the Colombian conglomerate Grupo Argos).

American Concrete’s three tracts are zoned “heavy industry.” That means you could build anything there from a candy shop to a cyanide factory.

Barton says he’d prefer to see the land used in a manner conducive to a modern central business district.

“I want to see downtown grow, so maybe something medical or residential,” he said. “I would not want to see heavy industry there.”

I imagine a lot of downtown stakeholders would agree, particularly since the property is less than a 3-minute drive from the city convention center and every major downtown hospital. In five minutes you can be at North Augusta’s baseball park.

I’m thinking the property will become medical offices. Or possibly an upscale residential complex similar to the nearby Canalside apartments. They could call it “Trackside.”

Scuttlebiz: Augusta Concrete tract could be hot property | The Augusta Chronicle

[amlovingit]

Originally Posted by Airforceguy

Scuttlebiz: Augusta Concrete tract could be hot property | The Augusta Chronicle

Im so glad they are selling that place is a eye sore for downtown Augusta. I can't wait to see what comes next