As rooftops continue to rise in Hammond's Ferry, developers say the expansion of public areas within the community will be a major goal this year.
The mixed-use community along the Savannah River will continue to take shape in 2008, with one notable project being the planned completion of the main entry road. Developers say they also hope to finish plans for the town center and open wetlands as public recreational areas.
The completion of Center Street, the thoroughfare which will extend from near the river to Georgia Avenue, will link Hammond's Ferry to downtown. The street is scheduled to be finished by the end of the year and will serve as the new main entrance to the community.
The riverfront neighborhood will ultimately feature more than 700 home sites, several parks, and a town center with shops and restaurants.
Hammond's Ferry might also receive its first dining establishment by the end of the year, developer Turner Simkins said. A possible tenant has been identified, but Simkins declined to name the restaurant.
"This year we are completing our commercial planning study for the town center, which is the major part of the riverfront village, which is the major commercial area," he said. "We hope to wrap that up this year so we can begin to work on that portion of (Hammond's Ferry) as soon as possible."
The commercial planning study will help identify potential retail and restaurant tenants for the town center. The community's zoning allows a maximum of 40,000 square feet of retail space and 30,000 square feet of professional space.
"The market will dictate what exactly gets done," Simkins said.
He identified establishments such as fine restaurants, an ice cream parlor, a bakery and boutique retail outlets as potential tenants for the town center.
Another goal of the developers is to open, in conjunction with the city, about 20 acres of wetlands for public recreation.
City officials and developers have plans for nature trails and a boardwalk along ponds in the northern end of the 200-acre community, Simkins said. "A significant amount of money," he said, has been invested by the city and developers to clean the wetlands and develop a nature park similar to Augusta's Phinizy Swamp.
"We will be building nature trails and boardwalks so schoolchildren and nature lovers and birdwatchers can come out and see this mini ecosystem right in the middle of downtown," Simkins said.
Reach J. Scott Trubey at scott.trubey@northaugustatoday.com.
