The area near the Augusta Exchange on Robert C. Daniel Parkway is priming to be more bustling over the next few months, with several businesses popping up, some of them tentatively opening by this summer.
“This is a growing area of the community,” said Cameron Nixon, Augusta Market President of Ameris Bank, which began construction on its latest Augusta branch at 3626 Walton Way Ext. in December of last year. “We saw a great opportunity to better serve the people and businesses of Augusta by opening this location. We also look forward to being within an area that serves as a strong center of commerce for Augusta.”
Headquartered in Atlanta, Ameris Bank currently has a temporary location at Augusta Corporate Center on Perimeter Parkway. The team working there will move to the new branch once it opens, and additional teammates will be hired alongside them, says Nixon. Besides traditional banking and lending products, the bank will have more industry-oriented offerings such as treasury and cash management, wealth management and insurance premium financing.
“Like many of our locations, our new Augusta branch has a strong commercial lending group to serve the businesses in the community,” said Remer Brinson, Ameris Bank Regional President.
There should be enough enterprises close by to potentially take advantage of Ameris’s services before the year is through. OrangeTheory Fitness and McAlister’s Deli are coming to Exchange Lane, and Soca Vegan Kitchen is slated to offer Caribbean-inspired plant-based cuisine next to Sprouts Farmers Market on nearby Crane Creek Drive.
Real estate law firm Trotter Jones, LLP submitted a project to Planning and Zoning to build a law office behind Queensboro Bank on Walton Way Extension; and Southeastern Development submitted plans to expand the Social Security Administration building on Robert C. Daniel Parkway.
Trattoria Polipo, an Italian restaurant concept developed by Takosushi owner Kevin Goldsmith, is underway close to the new Ameris branch, in Walton’s Corner.
“Trattoria’s more of a neighborhood hangout with just really good food and not a lot of bells and whistles,” said Goldsmith, describing style of the upcoming eatery by explaining the customary classifications of Italian dining establishments. A trattoria is a smaller, more casual lunch spot; a ristorante is a larger and more formal restaurant; and an osteria geared toward serving beer and wine.
The menu at Trattoria Polipo will consist of traditional Italian fare with all the ingredients made in-house, including the pastas and cheeses.
“We’re making pasta from scratch, we’re making mozzarella from scratch, we’re making ricotta cheese from scratch,” said Goldsmith. “We’re baking desserts and bread doing it the old-fashioned way.”
Ameris Bank is still waiting for a finalized date for its branch opening, and Goldsmith cautiously estimates that Trattoria Polipo might open late April or early May.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering education in Columbia County and business-related topics for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
