Local businessman Andrew Daniels says he attempted to purchase a tiny piece of property adjacent to his warehouse on Milledgeville Road, and the Augusta Land Bank Authority is refusing to sell the property unless he pays almost double what the land is worth.
The land in question is only .16 of an acre, too small to build a structure upon. Its assessed market value is $7,000.
However, according to Daniels, the Land Bank Authority wants him to pay $13,000 for the vacant lot.
“All I want to do is put in a driveway to have better access to the warehouse from Tubman Home Road. Right now, it is just a vacant lot that nobody wants,” Daniels said.
The Land Bank Authority acquired the land through a forced sale, and records show that some $6,200 was owed in back taxes on the property.
However, the Land Bank Authority has the ability, according to state law, to waive previous taxes owed so that the land can be sold at market value and returned to the tax rolls.
Shawn Edwards, executive director of the Land Bank Authority says that the back taxes are not the issue, and the extra $6,000 tacked onto the sale price is for attorney fees.
Local real estate attorneys, who asked not to be named, say that if ownership is unclear or if a search for legal heirs to a property must be conducted, that legal bills can become steep. However, the sources say that a $6,000 legal bill on property valued at only $7,000 seems outside the norm.
Property records do not indicate any search or probate work needed to be conducted in the sale of the property. The owner simply did not pay her taxes on the land, and so the land was seized and turned over to the Land Bank Authority.
Land Bank Board Chairman and Augusta Tax Commissioner Chris Johnson says that the board was only following the advice of the staff and was not intentionally trying to gouge Daniels with the sales price.
“We can’t lose money on a piece of property, and the board didn’t totally reject Mr. Daniels from buying the property. We simply voted not to accept his offer based on the advice of staff,” Johnson said.
According to Sherman and Hemstreet president and publisher of The Augusta Press, Joe Edge, who acted as a non-commissioned broker on the land deal, it is just another example of cronyism on the part of Edwards.
“(Daniels) is simply not a member of the club. There are plenty of examples of Edwards’ staff fleecing some buyers and showing favoritism to others,” Edge said.
In October of 2022, The Augusta Press reported on former state senator Charles Walker Sr. negotiating a deal with the Augusta Housing and Community Development Department through the Land Bank. In that deal, he bought potentially prime commercial property worth $119,195 for a mere $32,000.
The Augusta Press also reported this past January that Edwards attempted to use his position to broker a deal involving Land Bank-owned land on Gordon Highway to be developed into an adult entertainment outlet.
At the time, Edwards hotly denied he was involved in opening a potential strip club, stating it would be a conflict of interest.
However, in emails obtained through an open records request, Edwards referred to the project as a “personal endeavor” when writing to Carla Delaney, director of the Planning and Development Department.
Edwards wrote to Delaney on Dec. 13, 2022, “I am building an investment group interested in pursuing an adult entertainment venue in Richmond County.”
Meanwhile, Daniels says he isn’t interested in getting into politics and just wants the Land Bank to treat him fairly.
“I’m not asking for preferential treatment. Nobody else wants the land, and nobody in their right mind would pay double the price for a vacant lot,” Daniels said.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
