North Augusta Today

North Augusta can expect a new downtown in the future, with the municipal building on Georgia Avenue leading the way.

Augusta Tomorrow unveiled the final master plan for North Augusta and Augusta on Feb. 4. It divides North Augusta into three districts: Historic North Augusta, Westobou Crossing and Buena Vista.

The Historic North Augusta project will create a town center toward the river from the new municipal building, connecting to Hammond's Ferry. This project, estimated to cost $55 million, with $50 million coming from private funding, is the first project Mayor Lark Jones would like to see the city tackle.

Jones also said several of the plans could be accomplished in the next 20 years.

The new town center would provide open space for outdoor events and become an area where people could slow down from their daily activities and enjoy a leisurely stroll, said project manager John Shields.

The town center also could offer:

- Retail, office and residential spaces;

- A hotel to the west of the new municipal building;

- Pathways connecting the Greeneway to the town center.

The master plan suggests bringing outlet-style retail with name brand stores such as J. Crew and Le Creuset as an option.

"The one thing I would like to see on our side of the river is more hotels/motels," Jones said. "North Augusta has so many different activities that they would fill those rooms if they were there."

The second project is Westobou Crossing. Part of this plan is a proposal to create a pedestrian bridge, possibly by closing Fifth Street Bridge to auto traffic, that will link the two cities.

On the North Augusta side, the old Hamburg site would be turned into a "recreationally-themed waterfront community of high-density mixed-uses, including housing, restaurants, retail, boat dock and fishing venue in the brick pond," according to the master plan.

The third project, Buena Vista, will likely be the last one completed in North Augusta, Jones said. That plan involves a parcel of privately-owned land.

Shields suggested turning the East Buena Vista area into a neighborhood similar to Hammond's Ferry.

Considering the $31,000 North Augusta contributed to the $275,000 plan, Jones said he thinks the city got its money worth.

"I think we got far more than we anticipated," he said. "We've all contributed to a plan that's beneficial to all of us."

Jones said if the city had decided to make a separate plan it would have cost them more than $100,000.

Reach Crystal Garcia at crystal.garcia@northaugustatoday.com.

ONLINE

Visit augustatomorrow.com to view the master plan.