The city of Augusta, which has a track record of having to condemn its own buildings due to neglect, has now secretly added another derelict property to its portfolio.
According to local real estate agent Clifford Bramble, the real estate market in the Sand Hills area is hot with 18 properties being sold in the past year. However, one of those recently purchased properties is drawing attention.
It is important to note that Bramble did not draw attention to the sale; he is just one of many real estate agents that works in Sand Hills.
The abandoned Weed School, located at 2403 Mt. Auburn St., was sold to the city by way of the Augusta Housing and Community Development Department for $1.3 million, and the property was then transferred over to the Augusta Land Bank.
However, according to the latest appraisal, the property is only worth $255,000.
Local real estate investor Lucien Williams once owned the property and says he was shocked to learn that his old building went for such a large price tag.
“I know the lady I sold it to made some improvements, but it doesn’t sound like they negotiated at all. They simply paid the asking price,” Williams said.
The city purchased a Phase I environmental assessment for the property, which is normal for commercial buildings, according to Joe Edge, broker of Sherman & Hemstreet Real Estate Co. who is also publisher of the Augusta Press.
“That assessment would scare off any normal private sector investor due to the asbestos, lead paint and mold noted in the report. It would be cheaper to tear the building down and build ground up than remodel the existing building,” Edge said.
The assessment found asbestos, lead contamination and black mold throughout the building.
City records do not show any attempt to document the future costs of abatement before the property was purchased and handed over to the Land Bank.
The finding of asbestos came as a surprise to Williams as he thought the material, which is dangerous to humans, had long been removed.
“As part of the sale agreement, the School Board was supposed to have thoroughly removed and abated that material,” Williams said.
According to Williams, his original intent was to transform the old school, which was built in 1936, into modern apartments, but eventually found the project financially risky.
“I just wasn’t comfortable taking on that amount of debt for one building,” Williams said.
Atlanta attorney Josie Alexander purchased the property with the intention of making it a multi-use residential facility, but Williams said the Augusta Planning and Zoning Department created problems for Alexander, particularly over parking issues, and she finally gave up and put the property back on the market.
A source within the government, who wishes not to be named, said the money used to buy the property came from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and is strictly to be used for low-income housing. However, the plans that were submitted to HUD are plans that were drawn in 2019, and they appear to be for luxury condos.
Neither Hawthorne Welcher, director of the AHCD, or Shawn Edwards, head of the Land Bank, returned calls for comment.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Investigative Reporter and Editorial Page Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
