Paine College Expansion Idea (homes, dorms, neighborhoods)

[therealpattman]

As we all know ASU and GHSU have mergered into what many believe will be the next great university in the country. The area around downtown is going Thur a time of explosive development as the old inner city neighborhoods are coming back to life. As i sit here I notice the area around Sunset homes and T.W Josey High School and think.... I use to attend Josey as a freshman in high school and I grew up in this area... With all this grow why not expand Paine College and make it more connected to the inner city... For years the thought of expanding the school seemed impossible with GHSU near by.... however I have developed an idea for this expansion.....

Augusta needs to shrink the amount of railroads that run Thur downtown and it was developed as a part of the city master plan..... if the old train depot is purchased and the mainline is raised above grown the school could easily expand closer to Josey and Sunset.... there is enough room to build a stadium and tons of class spaces.... if the track is shrunken to one or two and raised the 15 street could be reconstructed to grown level which would improve the overall city view.....

Think about two major institution of higher learning right next to each other.....

[Augusta Native]

I like the idea, I've had the same thought about Paine expanding that way, but mines was a little more limited to just the Old Lily cup and Colonial bread factories fronting Wrightsboro rd. being torn down for athletic fields and or stadium. I envisioned Paine building dorms and classrooms fronting 15th and bordered by Wrightsboro rd. and Central Ave. I also thought of a lightrail or streetcar line that would run between downtown and the mall with stops at GHSU/University area, expanded Paine, Pendelton Park area and Northleg area and use the soon to be decommissioned rail line between 15th and Walton way as part of the right of way. I never would have imagined raising the tracks, though that would help replace the overpass at Olive rd. Good idea the area could really use something like this.