Augusta/Richmond County: Cracking the code (Atlanta, Grovetown: 2015, apartment, houses)

[Airforceguy]

A nice write up in this month's Georgia Trend about Augusta and the growth in the area. I'm most interested is the proposed western bypass for Grovetown.

The challenges lie in preparing the community and its roadways for population growth. It’s common to hear Augusta residents say they have no desire to go to Atlanta because of the traffic, but around Fort Gordon, backups are growing. Meanwhile, Tuckey says about 1 million square feet of class A office space are available or projected to support the influx of cyber security businesses/contractors. That will result in even more commuters.

Fort Gordon is requesting $750 million worth of construction, renovation and roadway projects. A proposed $40-million access gate onto the installation has been okayed for construction in FY 2018, but it will need congressional approval, Tuckey says. A later phase would create a bypass around Grovetown that links the growth in western Columbia County with the new gate.

“That being said, we still have a tremendous amount to do in Augusta,” Sprouse says.

For example, James Brown Arena, which brings in acts such as Elton John and Lady Antebellum, is aged and may be replaced. In downtown Augusta, $103 million worth of T-SPLOST programs are expected to bring urban renewal over the next six years, Parr says. Thoroughfares such as Broad Street are part of eight major projects.

When Unisys’s Drake recently walked along Broad, he envisioned how having more millennials and other professionals could impact the city. “As we go from having 200 to 300, 400, 500 people [living] downtown, we will bring a new excitement to downtown Augusta,” he says. “This is something that can change the way downtown works.”

Augusta | Richmond County: Cracking The Code - Georgia Trend

[tigerhokie08]

Augusta needs to focus its efforts putting a full court press to revitalize downtown instead of little projects here and there. I see so much untapped potential in Augusta but it's frustrating in my just over two years of living here I have seen very little progress downtown. The millennial generation is not interested in living in the Columbia Counties of the U.S. and I expect growth to slow as the population ages. For Augusta to have success for the coming decades a huge investment is needed to revitalize downtown. I have many ideas but don't know if there are even any groups that city officials listen too.

[Pu239]

Seems many of the millenials will live where ever Mom and Dad live.....

A Rising Share of Young Adults Live in Their Parents

[Dburger]

Originally Posted by tigerhokie08

The millennial generation is not interested in living in the Columbia Counties of the U.S. and I expect growth to slow as the population ages.

I have a gen Z son that loves being at our plot of land between Harlem and Grovetown (because there is no development whatsoever), and he likes being at our houses off of Deans Bridge Road in south Augusta. That said, he doesn't want to live there year round

Gonna have to work on him.

[Eastclevelandguy]

Originally Posted by tigerhokie08

Augusta needs to focus its efforts putting a full court press to revitalize downtown instead of little projects here and there. I see so much untapped potential in Augusta but it's frustrating in my just over two years of living here I have seen very little progress downtown. The millennial generation is not interested in living in the Columbia Counties of the U.S. and I expect growth to slow as the population ages. For Augusta to have success for the coming decades a huge investment is needed to revitalize downtown. I have many ideas but don't know if there are even any groups that city officials listen too.

Not true Millennials will live where ever the development is I am one so we have completely different opinion on this matter. You cannot group a whole generation of people into a single box. This model you think Augusta should adapt doesn't work everywhere and isn't the only method a city can you to stimulate its growth. The downtown area will never be what some expect it to be and that's okay. The area needs better public transportation but I don't see the downtown area ever being the place to go in Augusta.

[nortonguy]

Originally Posted by Eastclevelandguy

Not true Millennials will live where ever the development is I am one so we have completely different opinion on this matter. You cannot group a whole generation of people into a single box. This model you think Augusta should adapt doesn't work everywhere and isn't the only method a city can you to stimulate its growth. The downtown area will never be what some expect it to be and that's okay. The area needs better public transportation but I don't see the downtown area ever being the place to go in Augusta.

The Canalside opened between the CBD and Medical District.. There's a reason why the didn't build it 10 miles from the urban core..

I can't think of any other place in the metro that can become the place to go except for downtown. It's already the place to go for dining, nightlife, and employment.. Living and retail/shopping are the only two options left for downtown to capitalize on..

I don't see how you believe the area outside Grovetown where you live will become this great place, but somehow downtown can't become what people expect.. Maybe you should become familiar about what's happening downtown first..

[All In for Augusta]

Downtown is getting there its just need major improvements to the river levee and and some places to shop like a jcrew or another national retailer and downtown will be the place to be it kinda is right now but needs some sort of national retailers.

[All In for Augusta]

And there is plenty of development happening downtown and near downtown like canal side and the building there are building on Walton way and hundreds of studio apartment rooms being converted from old ware houses and abandoned buildings and a couple of new restaurants that have just opened.

[GRU_Minion]

Originally Posted by All In for Augusta

Downtown is getting there its just need major improvements to the river levee and and some places to shop like a jcrew or another national retailer and downtown will be the place to be it kinda is right now but needs some sort of national retailers.

Yes, improvements to the levee....like bulldozing it. Downtown has a LONG way to go before attracting something like a J.Crew or comparable store. What we have is a start, but there's a lot to be done before anything like that happens. Things like clearing out Richmond Summit, losing the sunken parking lots on Broad, a convenient public parking deck on Broad (convenient not being the one on Reynolds or any on Ellis...heck, raze Richmond Summit and put it there even, or somewhere between there and 10th St), beautifying the middle of Broad St parking between 10th and 13th, tearing down the levee, extending the Augusta Common to the river (WITHOUT public funding for private entities). Once all of that is in motion or done, THEN maybe J.Crew, Urban Outfitters and other similar type stores might be interested. But that's 10+ years away if you ask me.

Originally Posted by All In for Augusta

And there is plenty of development happening downtown and near downtown like canal side and the building there are building on Walton way and hundreds of studio apartment rooms being converted from old ware houses and abandoned buildings and a couple of new restaurants that have just opened.

"Hundreds" being converted from old warehouses and abandoned buildings? There are a nice number, but nowhere near "hundreds".

[All In for Augusta]

Now I agree there is some major major work to be down on lower broad were the Richmond summit apartment buildings are and they do need to tear it down cause that fire that messed up the building a while back and move those people to a better newer building and I was referring to each room thats hundreds not each building and if you ask me I think we could that in no more than 12 years but agree with you on everything