Education Edition - 1736 Magazine, Fall 2019

GRADING DOWNTOWN
6.5 5.5 6.5 2.0
By DAMON CLINE
PUBLIC SAFETY
Previous Score: 6.5
GOVERNMENT
Previous Score: 5.5
HOUSING
Previous Score: 6.5
PARKING
Previous Score: 2.5
Owners of bars, restaurants
and nightclubs – some of downtown
Augusta's most thriving
businesses – are largely not
responsible for what their patrons
do after they leave the premises.
The brutal assault on a young
patron outside The Scene nightclub
in August, allegedly by a trio
of fellow club-goers upset over an
incident that occurred in the club,
is not something club management
could have foreseen or
prevented. While such an incident
could have happened at any nightclub
in the city, it would behoove
club owners and their security
personnel to be extra vigilant.
It's difficult to get city leaders to
invest more in the city's growing
downtown when middling growth
in its tax base has essentially
kept budgets frozen in austerity
mode. But numerous examples
of questionable spending – the
fuel allotment for commissioners
being a prime example – begs the
question: Is it too much to ask for
just a little more money to keep
downtown looking presentable?
A little extra investment toward
landscaping and graffiti removal
could go a long way toward
making the central business
district more welcoming to locals
and visitors alike.
Several small- to large-sized
residential developments are
in the works in the urban core,
but until those come to fruition,
it will be difficult to attract the
businesses – namely grocery
stores – that will make downtown
more "livable." There are
constant rumors swirling about
replacing subsidized housing
units downtown with marketrate
apartments – the Richmond
Summit complex on the 700 block
being the prime example – but
such improvements would require
buy-in from the private property
owners. And it doesn't appear
those owners have much motivation
to make a change under the
current climate.
8.5 5.5 7 8
We've asked the question so many
times it's almost become comical:
Why must it take so long to implement
a managed-parking program
in downtown Augusta? It's not as
if the city is in uncharted territory
on this one; numerous cities in
Georgia have successfully implemented
parking-enforcement
plans. Such programs are about
as close to being an "off-theshelf"
solution as any government
service. The fact that a parkingmanagement
plan is nearly a year
overdue lends credence to the
notion of Augusta city government
being mired in bureaucracy.
Please prove us wrong and get a
system in place ASAP.
DEVELOPMENT
Previous Score: 8.5
INFRASTRUCTURE
Previous Score: 5.5
ARTS & CULTURE
Previous Score: 7.5
COMMERCE
Previous Score: 7.5
It's been years since we've been
this excited about the potential
for redeveloping long-vacant
downtown buildings in the city's
urban core. The owner of several
of downtown's largest and most
prominent buildings has taken a
major step by contracting with
a professional commercial real
estate firm to explore redevelopment
options for her buildings.
Another major property owner,
whose holdings include the
former Belk warehouse building
along the Augusta Common, also
appears ready to turn an eyesore
property into productive use –
once they resolve the building's
structural problems that caused
officials to close one lane of
Reynolds Street.
The maintenance of downtown's
landscapes and hardscapes is so
inconsistent that many downtown
property owners – the most
visible being Wynn Capital's Rob
Wynn – have resorted to personally
getting involved in the
upkeep of public spaces. While
such civic-minded volunteerism
is to be applauded, it should also
send a message to city officials
that the central business district
needs more attention than it
receives. Look no further than the
dead and dying trees along the
recently completed James Brown
Boulevard streetscape project.
OVERALL SCORE:
6.19
Previous score: 6.18
The backlash against proposals for
Augusta's gateway public art installations
does not bode well for plans
to expand public art in the central
business district, which is woefully
lacking when compared to the more
vibrant peer cities of Asheville, N.C.,
and Greenville, S.C. Public art helps
create a sense of place and gives
residents and visitors alike something
to enjoy while exploring our
historic downtown. On the upside,
the Augusta Convention & Visitors
Bureau's recently opened "visitor
experience center," Augusta & Co.,
has become a great addition to
downtown.
Officials with the Downtown
Development Authority report
downtown business owners
are very satisfied with their
customer activity. More visitors
– and locals – are making the
decision to explore the central
business district's cultural and
entertainment offerings. New
businesses, such as the American
Journeyman boutique and the
future Mexican eatery being
developed at the former Blue Sky
Kitchen restaurant, are signs of
positive growth. And the massive
Riverfront at the Depot project
should help lure additional traffic
to Broad Street's east end.
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