North Augustans are set to choose Tuesday which Republican will face Richard Adams in next month’s mayor’s race.
Each candidate for both parties has declared economic development to be the biggest issue facing the city.
The Augusta Press recently sat down with each of the candidates for a longform interview, and here is what each candidate had to say on that topic.
Candidate Richard Adams feels that the downtown area has too little space to offer much opportunity for economic expansion.
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“I would spread it out, if that makes sense,” Adams says.
He says as mayor, he would focus on the East Martintown Road area for expansion of business.
Adams says he is opposed to the expansion of the North Augusta Greenway because it would increase foot traffic in downtown residential, and he believes those residents don’t want that traffic going through their backyards.
“I don’t see (the Greenway expansion) as being conducive to growth.” he says.
Candidate Briton WIlliams says as mayor, his focus will be on downtown, and he supports the Greenway Expansion. He says the areas near Exit One and Exit Five are already seeing economic expansion.
“The redevelopment of downtown is the key to our future,” he says.
Williams notes that when he visits the existing Greenway, he encounters people from all over the CSRA and as far away as Grovetown and Waynesboro.
“One of our best assets is the Greenway. It is a jewel,” he says, “so, let’s take that recreational focus and turn it into an economic catalyst.”
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Candidate Stetson Corbitt also says his focus will be on economic growth in the downtown area.
“We have a bright future in downtown with the completion of Project Jackson and the economic expansion into Exit One and Exit Five,” he says. “The Project Jackson area is definitely something we need to take care of so we can make sure those tax dollars are freed to go on and fund some of the other projects we would like to take care of.”
Corbitt says the Georgia DOT’s decision to redo the 13th Street bridge offers North Augusta the opportunity to focus on new traffic patterns downtown and proposes a new ramp that would connect with Riverside Boulevard and would eventually create a route that links to Martintown Road.
According to Corbitt, a new roadway system would allow for more foot traffic downtown with the expanded Greenway which he supports.
“The expansion of the Greenway into downtown proper is going to allow us to have foot traffic on the outskirts of the northside area,” he says. He proposes that new developers be required to put a “Greenway sector” in the development plans for their neighborhoods.
Visit our YouTube channel at the augusta press – YouTube to see all of the longform candidate interviews.
Scott Hudson is the Managing Editor of The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
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