Plans to convert the former Weed School site to senior apartments are moving forward.
Augusta Housing and Community Development is requesting approval to loan $960,000 toward development of “E.W. Estates,” named for the school’s namesake Edwin Weed.
The city’s partners on the project are Woda Cooper Companies, which is currently working on the Lenox and Watson Pointe developments in Augusta, and Parallel Housing, an Athens nonprofit known for LEED-certified developments.
The new complex, located in the 2400 block of Mt. Auburn Street in the Sand Hills community, would “not be a public housing complex,” city officials wrote in an approval request.
Instead it would be 48 apartment units for seniors aged 62 and up. Eligibility would be limited to residents earning between 30% to 80% of the area median income.
The loan is contingent on the project securing low-income housing tax credits. The project’s total development cost is $16.9 million, according to the request.
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The city already spent $1.3 million on the development. In 2023, the Augusta Commission approved the acquisition of the 2.2-acre former school site for $1.3 million from an Atlanta firm that paid $300,000 for it three years earlier. Several on the commission said they were unaware of what they were approving.
The request goes before the city’s Administrative Services committee for a recommendation Tuesday. Other items going for committee recommendation or discussion include:
- Commissioner Brandon Garrett wants to discuss the status of job recruitments for four top city positions held by interims: Central Services director, General Counsel, IT director and Procurement director.
- Amending and extending for five years the city’s contract with ESG Operations Inc. to operate its wastewater treatment facilities and other tasks. The proposed budget for 2025 is $7.7 million, plus costs for additional services.
- Downtown business owners including Brad Usry will speak about disruptions and loss of parking spaces from ongoing streetscape work on Broad Street.
- Commissioner Don Clark wants to discuss stray dogs and cats that are the subject of calls he’s getting from constituents.
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