Regency Mall Revival (Hephzibah, Wrens: apartments, school, university)

[FromtheNA]

https://www.wrdw.com/2022/05/31/impo...ncy-mall-site/

Major Regency Mall project has been announced by Augusta Mayoral candidate Steven Kendrick. 2,000 apartments, shopping, and a variety of other things that could happen. 5 commissioners were there in support of it. This is the most hope this property has seen in 2 decades. If this goes through this would be the start of something amazing for south-southwest Augusta, and even for places farther out like Hephzibah and Wrens. Thoughts?

[tckr83]

My initial thought is... the same owners that let the property go into disrepair over a 20+ year period have ALL OF A SUDDEN seen the light to do THIS? NOW? At the precipice of an economical downturn most likely? The same people that wanted to sell the old mall for 60+ million dollars when it was worth under 5 million?

If this happens, I'll be shocked because same issues are still present that shut the mall down in the first place.

People are hopeful, I get it. But the majority of the reaction to date is that this is pie in the sky wishful thinking. I've lived in Augusta my whole life and this simply doesn't make any sense, neither does none of the owners being present at the announcement.

[FromtheNA]

Originally Posted by tckr83

My initial thought is... the same owners that let the property go into disrepair over a 20+ year period have ALL OF A SUDDEN seen the light to do THIS? NOW? At the precipice of an economical downturn most likely? The same people that wanted to sell the old mall for 60+ million dollars when it was worth under 5 million?

If this happens, I'll be shocked because same issues are still present that shut the mall down in the first place.

People are hopeful, I get it. But the majority of the reaction to date is that this is pie in the sky wishful thinking. I've lived in Augusta my whole life and this simply doesn't make any sense, neither does none of the owners being present at the announcement.

It’s a real shame that it took this long, I agree. But this is the most hope this place has seen since the mall was open. I think that they have surveyed the mall and said it was still in good shape, and now that we have actual sketches of the project, and commission agrees on it? The owner should’ve given it up a long time ago, but now the blight ordinance is up, and Augusta is moving into the future, and Steven Kendrick definitely used this to boost his campaign as well..

[nortonguy]

Originally Posted by tckr83

My initial thought is... the same owners that let the property go into disrepair over a 20+ year period have ALL OF A SUDDEN seen the light to do THIS? NOW? At the precipice of an economical downturn most likely? The same people that wanted to sell the old mall for 60+ million dollars when it was worth under 5 million?

If this happens, I'll be shocked because same issues are still present that shut the mall down in the first place.

People are hopeful, I get it. But the majority of the reaction to date is that this is pie in the sky wishful thinking. I've lived in Augusta my whole life and this simply doesn't make any sense, neither does none of the owners being present at the announcement.

Not the majority reaction in Richmond County. And definitely not the majority in South Augusta. The overwhelmingly majority of people I’ve seen downplaying it mostly don’t live in Richmond Cty. They don’t like Steven Kendrick and want another candidate to be mayor.

I wouldn’t call a plan filed with the city ‘pie in the sky or wishful thinking’. Plans filed with the city prove it’s much further along than drawings. It may not become envisioned, but I do believe something is getting build sooner or later.

[columbusboy8]

Originally Posted by FromtheNA

It’s a real shame that it took this long, I agree. But this is the most hope this place has seen since the mall was open. I think that they have surveyed the mall and said it was still in good shape, and now that we have actual sketches of the project, and commission agrees on it? The owner should’ve given it up a long time ago, but now the blight ordinance is up, and Augusta is moving into the future, and Steven Kendrick definitely used this to boost his campaign as well..

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I say go for it!

[nortonguy]

[

Originally Posted by FromtheNA

It’s a real shame that it took this long, I agree. But this is the most hope this place has seen since the mall was open. I think that they have surveyed the mall and said it was still in good shape, and now that we have actual sketches of the project, and commission agrees on it? The owner should’ve given it up a long time ago, but now the blight ordinance is up, and Augusta is moving into the future, and Steven Kendrick definitely used this to boost his campaign as well..

The Cyber Command or Cyber Center didn’t exist in the past. The transportation center behind Regency Mall didn’t exist until 2021.

Anything is better than a eyesore. The plans were filed with the city.

[FromtheNA]

Originally Posted by nortonguy

[



The Cyber Command or Cyber Center didn’t exist in the past. The transportation center behind Regency Mall didn’t exist until 2021.

Anything is better than a eyesore. The plans were filed with the city.

Which is why I have the most hope I have ever had for the Augusta area. I read articles about new stuff popping up in Aiken, Richmond, Columbia, McDuffie, and Edgefield counties pop up all the time now, and I would thank cyber command, the easy access to other cities, and the good living conditions. And now south augusta gets to enjoy that a little bit as well, hopefully they can revive an area that has been waiting for it for a while now…

[therealpattman]

Anything is better than nothing, although I still believe the best use for that entire area would have been a botanical gardens/regional park with a botany school attached for Augusta University if they could have gotten the state involved. Would have been a very nice and visually appealing thing to see as you enter into the old city limits similar to Balboa Park in San Diego.

[Georgiadog]

Believe it when I see it

[ArmyBrat619]

I would not put a lot of hope in Cardinale to actually make this happen. .What they are proposing here would take $100 + million in capital. Does anyone really think these owners are sitting on that kind of cash? They couldn't even minimally keep the property up in the 20 years they have owned it. This looks more like a PR stunt by Kendrick and a stalling tactic by Cardinale over their property taxes. Remember new assessments just went out last week. Anyone know what their assessment was? Anytime the city has brought some heat on them to clean up the property and pay their fair share in taxes, Cardinale would always claim .they had some big development deal inn the works. Even in a strong economy a project of this size would be a hard sell in that location. But now we are entering a recession with high inflation and rising interest rates.if Cardinale was never capable of developing that property before they even less likely now. It's one thing to be positive and another to be naive. It's really kind of cruel to continually get people's hopes up and then not deliver the goods.