Garrett: Support our community and give the Regency Mall a chance for redevelopment

Brandon Garrett serves as Augusta's District 8 Commissioner.

Ground was recently broken at the Augusta Corporate Park for our second recycling industry project announced in the last few months. There’s been a lot of ground-breaking recently in my part of the world with more announcements in the works. But for folks out my way, the unmatched potential of one site stands alone above all others: the Regency Mall. 

We are aiming at the re-emergence of the south Augusta retail corridor along the already bustling Cyber Corridor. If you have not noticed, you should drive 15th Street from downtown to Gordon Highway to Fort Gordon.

This Cyber Corridor begins downtown with the brand-new Georgia Cyber Center which has already accelerated the revitalization of our city center with new apartments going up, new restaurants opening each month and thousands of tourists spending dollars with small, locally-owned businesses.

For subscribers:Defense contractor opens new office in Georgia Cyber Center

The Cyber Corridor passes the Regency site before ending at Fort Gordon where the NSA and the Signal Corps continue to bring new missions and vitally important national security jobs. The new residents from these extremely well-paying jobs need housing, retail and entertainment options.

Augusta has a demand for residential and other amenities along the Cyber Corridor. And standing at the center of this Corridor – and at the geographic center of Augusta itself – is the Regency Mall. This site was once the proud gateway to south Augusta, but in 2022, it is in desperate need of revitalization. Augusta recently received a Planning and Development application that potentially addresses both Regency’s needs and the Cyber Corridor’s demand. 

The plan is clearly the biggest and most impressive we have seen for this site. The needed retail and commercial space are provided, with market-rate apartments and a charter school with an auditorium as its foundation. This could be transformational for Augusta. But as we’re all aware, Regency Mall has been a divisive issue in Augusta for around a decade. 

Given all the drama surrounding the Regency Mall, it’s understandable that Augustans would feel sort of snake-bit; and some skepticism is understandable. And to be sure, there are a number of unknowns at this point: questions about financing, a much-needed grocery store and the trustworthiness of its owners. But having these types of unknowns at this early stage of the process is normal. Plans of this magnitude rarely show up at the Planning and Development application stage fully formed and 100% figured out.

I have seen this same path taken on numerous residential, commercial and industrial development announcements. And instead of taking to the computer or the microphone to pick on your favorite unanswered question, I would ask that you place a reasonable amount of trust in elected leaders to lead.

More on the proposal:Developers propose housing and commercial development at Regency Mall site

Augusta has tools, like zoning conditions, for example, to address problems that pop up. And if you doubt these tools, recall that the 2018 arena plan was stopped cold by the voters. At this stage, a plan with this type of transformational potential must be encouraged and supported - and at the very least it should be given a fair opportunity to be vetted. This is how leaders lead - they guide and they find solutions to problems. 

South Augusta and the area around the Regency Mall is no more welcome now than it was in 2018. And given that the two projects – an arena and a multipurpose revitalization plan – seem to span the entire spectrum of possible projects at the regency site, I can’t help but wonder what use for Regency would help these good folks keep their insults in their pockets.

But here’s the deal: The owners of the property aren’t running down the area. They’ve looked at our demand for the Cyber Corridor area and they’re putting some cash at risk because they believe the Regency Mall site is suitable for satisfying that demand. The owner of the Regency Mall looks at south Augusta and sees an opportunity. 

If anything, we should agree and be optimistic about the positive impact this project could have on so many of our children. The charter school group is the same one that is in Hephzibah operating near the top of all charter schools in Georgia. We should all be able to get behind the plan to bring this excellent educational opportunity to south Augusta students.

Also, making this charter school the anchor for this plan shows a great deal of foresight by the owner. As a commissioner, my colleagues and I hear over and over again that school performance is hindering growth and investment throughout the city and in south Augusta in particular.

Election results:Augusta's next mayor, Garnett Johnson, carried to victory by south, west, downtown voters

Bringing an excellent school to this location improves the chances of the plan’s success and improves the project’s potential to have a positive impact on surrounding areas. 

I'm in favor of these changes right now. If not, I worry we could do damage that can’t soon be repaired. It seems obvious that the road we’ve been on for far too long already discourages some investment in Augusta. And at some point, the investors may just stop coming altogether.