MACON, Ga. (WGXA) -- A $350 million investment is planned for East Macon, including a hotel, office, retail and residential space.
Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller says there’s been a need for new transformation in East Macon. He says this new development project will do just that.
At a cost of around $13.5 million, the county plans to buy the land across from the Macon Centreplex, the former site of the old Bibb Mill that burned down in March 2022.
Over $10 million will come from Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) funds and another $3 million from the county's general fund.
But Miller says taxpayers shouldn’t be worried.
This is not really your property tax dollars coming into the project, this is SPLOST dollars that we previously approved.
Following an executive session at Tuesday's Macon-Bibb County commission meeting, commissioners decided they’d look into buying more than 20 acres of land for the new development.
Miller says he believes this will open the door for a gateway to the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park.
We need to have good middle class housing where people can afford to live, whether it's a loft or an apartment. That's a great thing. More restaurants will be coming here, certainly medical offices will be taxable, generating income. Most people also don't realize that this is a tax allocation district.
Macon resident Shawn McClendon says he believes this could be a major move for the east side of macon.
"I think it's a big first step and I believe that you have to have this kind of investment from the local government as well as the investment of the community," McClendon says.
Miller says it'll also bring convenience to people coming out of state.
"The biggest issue [in] attracting good quality conventions and conferences here in Macon is they want to a link directly into the facility. They don't want to have to get out of their cars and walk anywhere," Miller explains.
McClendon also thinks the new development will show what East Macon has to offer to its own people.
"Everybody is pretty much going to North Macon, Tom Hill area, Zebulon, all that kind of stuff over there. But if there's an area here where people come, especially like with downtown being right here, I think it'll be very helpful to bring people to this area to kind of see East Macon and what it has to offer," he says.
WGXA asked Mayor Miller when he expects the project to be complete. He says the project itself is going to take one to three years.
But Miller adds that there's good news for everyone in Macon-Bibb County
Because of the Other Local Option Sales Tax (OLOST) passed in 2021, every additional penny in sales tax spent on this property will roll the taxes back for everybody in Macon-Bibb County.