Housing/Construction Industry

Consumer Stories

All systems go for JBA staff moving day

Plans have been approved to lease space for administrative staff working at the James Brown Arena. It was one of the items approved by members of the Augusta Richmond County Coliseum Authority during their April 23 meeting. The authority will rent 3,300 square feet on the 14th floor of the Augusta University building on Broad Street at Seventh Street. The space will be used by the employees of the Oak View Group (OVG360), the management company that oversees the operations of the JBA and Bell Auditorium. “This is intended to

Dana Lynn McIntyre April 24, 2024 No Comments

Consumer Stories

Tiny homes coming to Augusta

A plan to build a tiny home village on Merry Street received the green light from Augusta Commissioners during the April 16 meeting. Commissioners approved two re-zoning requests for just over three acres at 1140 Merry Street. The land had been a city-owned park, but was turned over to the Land Bank three years ago due to lack of use. The plan put forth by the non-profit organization Bridge Builder Community, calls for a total of 25 tiny homes to be built in phases. The first phase would be 10

Dana Lynn McIntyre April 17, 2024 No Comments

B2B Stories

Simon Says: Can you afford to live in Augusta?

I ask my students at the beginning of an introduction to an economics course, “What are the most pressing problems economists should be addressing today?” The top answer recently has always been inflation, but this year, housing made the top three problems (the other was healthcare costs). The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta produces a Home Ownership Affordability Monitor (HOAM – get it?) for all Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) in the US. The monitor measures the ability of a median-income household to afford a median-priced home. Affordability is defined as

Dr. Simon Medcalfe April 15, 2024 No Comments

Awards/Celebrations

Winning in the real estate market

The Homebuilders Association of the Greater Aiken-Augusta Region recently recognized top performers at their Stellar Awards presented by Colony Bank and D.R. Horton. Yesterday, ABD revealed the three top performers. Today, we give you the list of other award winners who contribute to making homes happen from inside to outside in the CSRA. Member Choice Awards Best Cabinets and Countertops: Looper Cabinet Company Best Accounting Firm: Cleveland Group, CPAs Best Closing Attorney: David L. Huguenin, PC Best Concrete and Concrete Finishing Company: Augusta Ready Mix Best Electrical Work: Rob Zapata

Staff Report April 9, 2024 No Comments

Consumer Stories

Change of plans for North Augusta mixed-use development

North Augusta City Council has called a public hearing to explain significant changes proposed to the Master Development Agreement (MDA) covering Riverside Village (RSV), the city’s “Live, Work, Play” development near the Savannah River. The agreement between the city and master developer, Greenstone Hammond’s Ferry, LLC was originally reached in March 2017. North Augusta is proposing a fourth amendment and adding a developer to move forward on still undeveloped parcels. The announcement of the public hearing specified five steps included in the Fourth Amendment. “The Fourth Amendment provides for (1)

Dana Lynn McIntyre March 31, 2024 1 Comment

B2B Stories

We’re paying for JBA construction starting Monday

If you’re among the tens of thousands of people who buy goods and services in Richmond County, you will begin paying an additional half-penny sales tax on Monday, April 1. Money collected will cover the cost of building a new James Brown Arena. Demolition of the existing arena is expected to begin in July. The $250 million bond issue was approved by voters in November 2023. Mike Harvey, Vice President of Project Design with Nations Group, owner’s representative for the Coliseum Authority, told ABD they are ready to bring in

Dana Lynn McIntyre March 27, 2024 No Comments

Consumer Stories

JBA construction closer to reality

The intergovernmental agreement between the Augusta Commission and the Augusta-Richmond Coliseum Authority has been signed. Authority Chairman, Cedric Johnson confirmed for ABD he signed the document. It creates the pipeline to receive funds from the half-penny sales tax approved by voters in November 2023. “Approval by the Commission opens the doorway for us to get those funds,” he said. “Without that agreement, any SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) goes straight to the city. So, we do have an agreement on how we would handle the funds.” One of

Dana Lynn McIntyre March 3, 2024 No Comments

Consumer Stories

North Augusta growing again with major new home construction

Business is booming in North Augusta and now, a new neighborhood has opened that should ensure there will be families to patronize those establishments. The neighborhood, developed by Ivey Homes, will have approximately 170 dwellings. Single-family homes range from 1,490 to just over 2,900 square feet. They offer two to six bedrooms and two to four bathrooms. Prices range from $271,000 to $400,000. There will also be townhomes, offering two to three bedrooms. Sizes range from just under 1,200 up to 1,490 square feet and two and a half bathrooms.

Dana Lynn McIntyre and Mitzi Oxford February 27, 2024 No Comments

Consumer Stories

Cracking down on substandard housing

Owners of rental properties in Augusta could find themselves under increased pressure to bring their properties up to occupancy standards. During Monday’s meeting of the Public Services Committee, District 1 Commissioner, Jordan Johnson told fellow commissioners he recommends creating a city ordinance to deal with property owners of substandard housing. “I was at a town hall that was hosted in Harrisburg. A family was speaking about a home on Warren Street, and just about how bad the condition of the home was,” he explained. “So, we went to the home,

Dana Lynn McIntyre January 9, 2024 No Comments

B2B Stories

Augusta 2024: A supercharged outlook

With a solid year of leadership under his belt, Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson delivered his first-ever State of the City address on Tuesday. Johnson said being designated as one of five workforce hub cities by the Biden-Harris administration is what he is most proud of when he reflects on the previous year. He highlighted two events from 2023 that will continue moving the city forward in 2024 and beyond. “Our goal is to build momentum for actions and partnerships that will connect a broad range of people to good quality

Dana Lynn McIntyre and Mitzi Oxford January 3, 2024 No Comments

All systems go for JBA staff moving day

Tiny homes coming to Augusta

Simon Says: Can you afford to live in Augusta?

Winning in the real estate market

Change of plans for North Augusta mixed-use development

We’re paying for JBA construction starting Monday

JBA construction closer to reality

North Augusta growing again with major new home construction

Cracking down on substandard housing

Augusta 2024: A supercharged outlook

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