Downtown and inner-city Augusta going to another level (Atlanta, Columbus: luxury, live in)

[Columbus1984]

Originally Posted by nortonguy

The CSA population vs the population of metro Augusta isn't a fair comparison.. Like I said in my earlier post we need a 17k-22k seat arena..

I am sorry but ROFL on this one!

[nortonguy]

Originally Posted by The Magician

Nort, if you want to refute this than list projects in and around the metro supported by private funds.

Huh?? The 115 acre VAR is under construction and Costco opens November 16th(Costco is the anchor of the first phase). I'll agree Wheeler Town Park isn't fully developed, but Carmax is open..

I started the thread due to the major construction taking place downtown.. This thread doesn't include the developments from around the county or metro. I'll pass on using the metro, because the construction in RC speaks for itself.. The projects not under construction/completed weren't included below..

Augusta/Richmond County(excluded Hephzibah & Blythe)
Village at Riverwatch, Augusta Newsprint $55 million, Potash $40 milllion, Bennett International $35 million 15 jobs, DSM Chemicals purchasing the former 40 acre Pfizer plant, Algae facility $10 million initial investment and 200 jobs, Electrolux $2.5 million and over 300 jobs, Hampton Inn hotel, Buffalo Wild Wings, 18k sq. ft. Cherry street shopping center, Bar West, Crazy Turks, former Rite Aid on Washington rd is being renovated, Augusta mall( Flip Flop Shops, The Limited, Bare Escentuals, Brow Bar, Crazy 8)

Central Business District/Inner city
$100 milion Kroc Center, $5 million condo expansion(34) at the Whites Building, $3 million Emporium 9 apts/ commercial space, Red Star building on 9th street 2br apts/commercial space, Tantra Lounge(restaurant), Big Dake Cakes 9th street, Soy Noodle House Expansion, Vintage Ooollee expansion, 967 Broad has four new apts, 566 Broad street(either residential or residential/commercial space), S4 Lounge at 952 Broad, Bar 544 at 544 Broad, Just Essentials at 956 Broad, Killer B Disc Golf at 863 Broad, 1130 Jones street will have 1st floor commercial space and four apts on the 2nd floor, Downtown Barroom 877 Broad Street, 565 Broad(probably commercial)and 586 Broad(commercial or commercial/residential), 314-316 Greene street 12 studio apartments, 220-222 6th street apartments, 1225 Greene street apartments..

The Sprint Food & Metro Market at 851 Broad( renovation of the belk warehouse next to the Augusta common, Sprint home offices and other tenants on the 1st floor, 2nd floor 'urban market' restaurant/convenience store, open air seating) is under construction..

The Kroc Center, Augusta Newsprint, PCS Nitrogen, Bennett International, Costco, and the JB Whites condo expansion equals over $250 million in private funds..

[expatriado]

Originally Posted by nortonguy

The Augusta Commission has passed a plan that will begin construction of a trade, exhibit and event center and revitalization of the Laney-Walker and Bethlehem neighborhoods.

A 400-space parking deck will be built across the street for $10 million, with Augusta Riverfront donating most of the necessary land.

Also under the vote, an $8 million bond will be issued to kick-start redevelopment efforts in Laney-Walker and Bethlehem.

A developer wants to build a mix-use development. Near the TEE center downtown.

Commission passes TEE center plan

The Augusta section is not a forum, it's a cheap publicity stunt by the city and Augusta businessmen to get free advertising space on the web, if you peruse this section, you'll find that the spinners and fluffers who get paid to post here will tell you that this place is Shambala on golden roller skates. Nothing further from the truth. If you DO want to know the truth, log on to WRDW, WAGT, WJBF and the Augusta Chronicle for accurate local news, don't be surprised if one of the PR men who pump this place tell you not to believe your eyes...

[nortonguy]

The new owners will lease the building to WJBF at least through October as the television station moves its studio to a new location in the Augusta West Shopping Center on Augusta West Parkway, according to TelPark Partners. WJBF has permission to extend the lease if necessary.

TelPark Partners officials said they are exploring options to redevelop the property with at least two groups. They have not determined whether the building will be torn down, but said the studio building would be difficult to adapt for office or commercial space.

Television Park, downtown Augusta home of WJBF, sold | The Augusta Chronicle

[EastsideDave]

I'd hope they wouldn't tear it down, given it's age and 'landmark' status you'd think it'd be considered a 'historic' property by Historic Augusta, is it time to put Television Park on the Endangered Properties list?

[tckr83]

I've got a friend that produces one of the newscasts for WJBF... apparently it's not a very pretty sight inside the property downtown. It's hasn't been renovated 3 decades and there's a reason why they're moving... Good piece of property downtown though, I hope they come up with the best approach for the building.

[Newsboy]

My opinion of Augusta has always been that it is far from the armpit that everybody says it, but hardly the booming metropolis and "fastest rising city in the South" that people like NortonGuy pretend it is. I also find it really funny that based on the criteria Augustans like to tout ad nauseum, Savannah outranks it on almost every measure:

-- ONE OF THE MOST VIBRANT DOWNTOWN'S in the country, with a healthy mix of retail and restaurants, attractions, upscale residential, professional, and institutional.
-- 2nd BUSIEST COMMERCIAL AIRPORT IN GEORGIA with 6 airlines and 50-plus daily departures to 14 nonstop destinations, 2 million annual passengers
-- TWO REGIONAL MALLS
-- LARGER RETAIL TRADE ZONE
-- LARGER MEDIA MARKET
-- HOME TO GEORGIA PORTS, 2ND-BIGGEST ECONOMiC ENGINE IN GEORGIA AFTER H-J-ATL AIRPORT
-- A TOURISM MARKET THAT DREW 11 MILLION VISITORS IN 2010 AND RANKS AMONG THE 10 MOST POPULAR DESTINATIONS IN THE COUNTRY
-- FUTURE HOME OF A PASSENGER CRUISE SHIP TERMINAL (and home port of possibly two cruise lines, Royal Carribean and Carnival)
-- A MAJOR TRADE AND CONVENTION CENTER IN PLACE FOR 10 YEARS
-- 12,000-SEAT SPORTS ARENA ALREADY FUNDED AND IN THE PLANNING STAGES
-- A REGIONAL POPULATION THAT'S LARGER THAN AUGUSTA'S when the entire RTZ and media market that includes Beaufort County, SC is included (and just FYI: Hilton Head Island is 20 miles from Savannah ... the same distance Aiken is from Augusta! Yes, it DOES factor into the greater area and the two are considered ONE MARKET locally, whether the Census bureau officially recognizes it as such or not).

I'm not throwing this out there to take anything away from Augusta -- it is Georgia's 2nd-largest metro after Atlanta, and the presence of MCG does have a big impact on the city. But claiming that Augusta is somehow on some enormously higher level than Savannah or Columbus or even Macon-Warner Robins is just silly. It is what it is!

[tckr83]

Do you feel better now?

[amlovingit]

I was thinking the samething he had to get that off his chest. Savannah is a nice city but they to far away from atlanta charlotte NC myrte breach Memphis its not that we growing faster its the location augusta is in. Augusta is in between to state capital one is two hr away the other is a hour or less depending on the way you drive. Yes we have one mall in our region but we can get to the four malls in columbia sc in a hour then if we want more we can drive 2hrs to atlanta or charlotte NC. We might not have alot of luxury restaurant and hotel but will in about 10 to 20 yrs we will be the size of charlotte nc

[nortonguy]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

My opinion of Augusta has always been that it is far from the armpit that everybody says it, but hardly the booming metropolis and "fastest rising city in the South" that people like NortonGuy pretend it is. I also find it really funny that based on the criteria Augustans like to tout ad nauseum, Savannah outranks it on almost every measure:

In the year 2011 Augusta is a booming metro, and IMO it's the fastest rising city in the southeast.. I find it hilarious I'm pretending, but I can back up every single development...

Senator Johnny Isakson recently visited the $100 million Kroc Center in early August.. He said the city of Augusta had the most ongoing construction in the entire state..

Is Senator Isakson pretending too? http://www.buzzon.biz/wp-content/upl...11COMPLETE.mp3

Malls
Savannah mall 962k sq. ft. & Oglethrope mall 940k sq. ft.
Augusta mall 1.3 million sq. ft. (PF Changs, Apple, Williams Sonoma, Chop House, Flip Flop Shops, Pandora, Sephora, etc don't have locations in Savannah)

Lifestyle centers/Big Box
What shopping area in Savannah comes close to the 115 acre Villlage at Riverwatch under construction?? What in Savannah can compete against the Augusta Exchange or upscale Surrey Center?

Airport
People in Augusta aren't flying to Columbia or Atlanta anymore, the airport while smaller in passenger numbers is groiwng much faster compared to Savannah.. AGS had a 24% growth rate in 2010 compared to the -11% in at Savannah's airport..
Passenger Boarding (Enplanement) and All-Cargo Data for U.S. Airports

MSA Population
There's tons of more people living in Aiken County who work in Augusta and Richmond County. Compared to the number of people from Beauford County working in Savannah and Chatham County.. Hilton Head isn't apart of the CSA and definitely not the MSA.. People forget North Augusta is located between Aiken and Augusta..

2010 GDP
The MSA GDP of Augusta is larger than the CSA of Macon, Columbus, and Savannah and growing faster(since 2009)

Augusta MSA 18,464
Savannah MSA 13,564 + Hinesville-Ft Stewart 2,117 =15,681
Columbus MSA 11,419 + Auburn-Opelika 3,861= 15,280
Macon MSA 8,168 + Warner-Robins 4,644= 12,812

Where is the retail trade market information coming from??