North Augusta City Council’s Sept. 13 study session examined parking issues in Riverside Village and information on a possible boat dock in the “Work, Live and Play” community built along the Savannah River.
City Administrator Jim Clifford said he will ask for authorization to re-negotiate the parking agreement in place in Riverside Village. It’s part of an overall review of the city’s parking enforcement.
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During an Aug. 24 study session, Assistant City Administrator Rachelle Moody said parking laws are enforced throughout the city. Enforcement at parking meters is done only in Riverside Village and citations increased significantly in October 2019.
She said, “Since we began issuing, we have a number of repeat offenders in Riverside Village who regularly park where they shouldn’t. They know they shouldn’t. They have a number of unpaid parking fines, and they just continue to add up.”
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One possible solution is to begin offering a yearly parking pass.
Councilman Ed Presnell said, “I think that will generate more revenue than unpaid parking tickets and people parking in general. I think we need to take a long, hard look especially at Riverside Village.”
If council approves the measure during the Sept. 20 meeting Clifford will be able to open talks with Greenstone, the Atlanta based developer, on the parking agreement.
“We believe the apartment complex, Parcel K, will be the next one to go,” Clifford explained. “And in order to incentivize that to move forward we’re going to have to work out something when it comes to parking because there’s not enough parking spaces that would be able to fit on that parcel going forward. I anticipate we will have to update the agreement that we currently have that was negotiated in 2017
Parcel K, which is 2.12 acres, was one of seven properties in Riverside Village at risk of bank foreclosure until Greenstone Hammond’s Ferry, LLC paid off the mortgage with First Community Bank.
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Rick Meyer, director of North Augusta Parks, Recreation and Leisure Services, explained a resolution to authorize Cranston Engineering for design and permitting of a floating dock.
“The funding for this contract will come through the watercraft tax funds that the city of North Augusta has $100,000 to put the money up front from the capital projects fund and be reimbursed for this project,” he explained.
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Meyer said this work is traditional done by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources but, due to the workload that department has, it recommended using Cranston Engineering, which designed a similar project at Augusta’s 5th Street Marina. It will take 60 to 120 days for the design to be completed.
The boat ramp would be built near the Sharon Jones Amphitheater. Meyer said it will have half a dozen boat slips.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a Staff Reporter with The Augusta Press. You can reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com.
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