Along Peach Orchard Road north of I:520, there are several redeveloped sites including a Chick-fil-a, Starbucks, and Dunkin Donuts. This once-depressed part of south Augusta has experienced substantial revitalization over the last ten years.
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However, growth seems to have hit an invisible wall at Lumpkin Road on the north and I:520 on the south. Over the last decade, redevelopment along Peach Orchard Road south of I:520 has been stagnant.
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Tim McFalls, the Manager of Commercial Retail Development for the Augusta Economic Development Authority, stated, “A lack of density has caused a chronic and severe impact on retail and commercial development in South Augusta’s investment and economic growth. This area of our city has grappled with the impact of declining “density” of its neighborhoods for decades.”
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But there is good news for the area between I:520 and Tobacco Road. Progress appears to be finally building steam for both commercial and residential development.
Super District 10 Commissioner John Clarke stated that “Growth anywhere in Augusta is always a positive thing to see happen. With that being said, of course, more good things need to happen in the area most call South Augusta.”
Clarke indicated he would also like to see more supermarket options that were closer to public transit access.
“Everyone would love to see upscale restaurants and more dining options. Among the wish list would also be stores that sold a variety of goods, from clothing to hardware,” Clarke said.
McFalls believes that the economic decline for local manufacturing and retail businesses that occurred in 2000-2005 is slowly reversing course.
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“The cure for all these economic ills is the return of the area’s original residents and the influx of new residents spurred by new single and multi-family residential development, combined with a rehabbing of existing homes in the area,” McFalls said. “Density is the key and the disposable income of the new and the returning resident in South Augusta is a very encouraging sign indeed.”
South Augusta has seen growth in certain geographic pockets in recent years. Multiple business have chosen to relocate to the southern portion of Peach Orchard Road.
A new Jiffy Lube/carwash combination location is being built at the corner of Tobacco and Peach Orchard. Headed back towards I:520, the old drive-in movie theatre is now a University Hospital Prompt Care.
Across the street from the prompt care facility, a Poteet Funeral Home burned down in April of 2020. There is a sign next to this site indicating a new Papa John’s Pizza location is coming to the area. Many other new businesses litter the area showing that commercial growth in the area is moving in the right direction.
Commissioner Clarke stated, “We all have our sights on growth. However, before commitment from a large investor, a market survey is conducted that consists of several aspects. Rooftops, population, traffic patterns, employment, crime statics and median household incomes. A hard fact is that a business does not locate to a community out of the goodness of its corporate heart, it locates out of the good to its bottom line. Hard fact but a true fact.”
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It is true that most national retailers choose to relocate to an area solely based on the demographics of that location. An increase in manufacturing jobs is often the first catalyst for any type of growth. Once there is an increase in the manufacturing base; ancillary jobs, housing, and eventually retail can follow.
According to McFalls, “Augusta is taking that step to increase the rooftops and population to the area. With that will come more income and spending power. Sometimes it takes that first step back to recovery, no matter how small that first step is.”
In addition to retail growth, a new residential subdivision is coming to south Augusta.
Earlier this week, the Richmond County Commission approved a new residential subdivision on Peach Orchard Road approximately 1.5 miles south of Tobacco Road at the intersection with Boykin Road. The development is planned to have 72 lots with homes for sale in the low to mid $200 thousand dollar price range.
Jesse Bray, a representative for the developer indicated that they are still in the early planning stages for the development.
“Zoning was just the first hurdle and there are many more steps and market analysis to complete in order to determine the projects’ feasibility, “ Bray said.
MORE: Click Here for details on the development and zoning request
“The needed development has begun, and home builders and housing developers are moving into the gold mine of South Augusta,” McFalls said. “We at the Development Authority of Augusta (EDA) are excited to see the new developments going into our southern areas, especially those in the Peach Orchard Road, Windsor Spring, Tobacco Road and Dean’s Bridge corridors. The beginning of a comeback is finally taking shape.”
Joe Edge is the Publisher for The Augusta Press. Reach him at joe.edge@theaugustapress.com
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