Fall 2020 - 1736 Magazine

By the 2010s, most of downtown’s smaller storefront were occupied by bars, like Firehouse Bar, restaurants and boutique retailers.
BLIGHT continued from 49
store at 1140 Broad St. – are scheduled to have
court hearings in December. The J.C. Penney
building, vacant since 1987, is owned by Augusta
businesswoman Bonnie Ruben; the Sky City
property is owned by a Florence, S.C.-based
hotelier who had plans to construct a hotel on
the 1100 block.
Augusta Planning Director Rob Sherman said
there is a backlog of more than 340 homes and
commercial properties on the city’s demolition
list. The cost of tearing down blighted properties
– as much as $10,000 for a single family home –
results in a lien placed on the property, but the
city still has to bear the “up front” demolition
costs.
Dealing with recalcitrant property owners
will remain a problem without stricter nuisance
laws.
“We enforce the codes to the extent the law
allows,” Sherman said. “In Georgia, private
property owner rights are really strong.”
McMahon said the most successful downtowns
are the ones who recognize what he calls
“placemaking dividends,” such as increased
sidewalk dining, colorful landscaping and murals
that create a sense of public connectedness.
Economic development is simply creating
places where people want to be, he said.
“Good first impressions are important, and
bad first impressions are hard to change,”
McMahon said. “Communities need to realize
there is a return on perception that is over and
above the return on investment. The perception
of a place affects its whole well-being.”
52 | 1736magazine.com