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Beautification Edition - 1736 Magazine, Summer 2019

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Augusta businesswoman Bonnie Ruben has contracted with the Jordan<br />

Trotter Commercial Real Estate firm to market her vacant downtown<br />

buildings, starting with the 83,000-square-foot J.C. Penney building.<br />

[FILE/THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE]<br />

vacant, according to a recent study by the Augusta Downtown<br />

Development Authority. The vast majority of that space is<br />

mothballed and not considered “move-in ready” for prospective<br />

tenants or buyers.<br />

Many cities across America are struggling with blighted<br />

downtown properties. Generally, as long as the owner pays their<br />

property taxes, keeps the building secure and ensures the structure<br />

poses no public safety hazard, property owners are able<br />

to “sit” on vacant buildings as long as they like. McMahon said<br />

some city leaders use their “bully pulpit” to persuade owners<br />

to get off the dime and do something about their blemished<br />

buildings.<br />

“It’s kind of like public shaming,” McMahon said. “Good<br />

mayors and good public officials are good at doing that.”<br />

McMahon said Joe Riley, the longtime mayor of Charleston,<br />

S.C., would often talk one on one with derelict property owners.<br />

“He used to take these men and women out to lunch or breakfast<br />

and basically have a heart-to-heart with them,” he said.<br />

“Sometimes it takes somebody who has lived in the community a<br />

long time to get through to people.”<br />

Most city “nuisance ordinances” are generally geared toward<br />

residential properties; few include the power to compel commercial<br />

property owners to rehabilitate their properties.<br />

However, McMahon said, more cities are pushing owners to<br />

VIBRANT continues on 18<br />

16 | <strong>1736</strong>magazine.com<br />

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7/30/<strong>2019</strong> 12:31:46 PM

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