The proposed future site of a Broad Street hotel could serve as overflow parking during ongoing streetscape construction, the owner said.
Naman Augusta first petitioned Augusta’s Historic Preservation Commission to demolish three buildings, two historic and one not, in the 1100 block in 2021.
Afterward, plans were to build a seven-story hotel. The project was approved, but required detailed site and building plans and approvals. It has not moved forward, and a followup application last year was postponed.
Application adds temporary parking
Now, a new application scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. Thursday hearing says the 1.66-acre parcel would be used for parking until the Transportation Investment Act street work is complete.
“The lot will be used for temporary parking during the TIA Broad Street corridor reconstruction, so that local businesses will not be negatively impacted by the lack of parking,” it states.
The street project, which has many former parking spaces dug up and not replaced, is expected to take three and a half years. Afterward, Naman “intends to develop a new hotel on the block, which will be a significant asset to Downtown Augusta.”
The proposal includes about 160 spaces, shown on a map drawn by Assistant Traffic Engineer John Ussery, a potential boost for vocal merchants worried construction will hurt their business.
City staff recommend postponement
Planning and Development staff recommend delaying the application until the developer provides a revised timeline and post-demolition plans, and until the Augusta Fire Department completes an arson investigation.
The buildings pose “a threat to the safety” of the public and attract squatters, yet “no rehabilitation work appears to have been done,” according to a 2021 engineering evaluation by Johnson Laschober & Associates, which warned substantial portions were at imminent risk of collapse.
A 2021 court order requiring the owner to rehabilitate or demolish the buildings remains in effect. Officials say the unsecured structures present risks to trespassers, first responders, and the community.
Last week, police arrested Cameron Michael Perkins, 33, for setting one of the historic buildings on fire. Another fire struck the property in June.
Preservation concerns
The historic buildings, built in 1891 and 1896, are contributing resources to the Downtown Augusta Historic District. Their 19th-century façades, if preserved, could enhance the district’s character.
The third building, the former Sky City store built in 1969, carries less historic weight and preservationists have raised no objections to its demolition.
Historic Augusta called the current proposal inadequate and urged rejection. Like the 2021 plan, the group said, it is “inadequate to properly evaluate it.” The site plan is not to scale and omits entrances, exits, landscaping, surface materials and other details.
The group again urged the owner to properly mothball the buildings until redevelopment is ready and recommended requiring a performance bond to ensure the hotel project is built if demolition is allowed.
