Macon Construction

The Telegraph reports today on the ground-breaking ceremony for my latest project, Capital City Bank's new downtown branch, to be built on the corner of Fifth Street and MLK, Jr. Blvd. The new building will be a 3-story brick structure, designed specifically for the unique site by Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates of Atlanta. For those of you who have been around Macon for a while, it's going on the site of the former Green Jacket restaurant, adjacent to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

It's great to see some new, private construction going on in Macon, and kudos to Capital City for going ahead with what will be a very nice building in such a difficult financial market. The new branch will house a large conference room on the 3rd floor, which will be available to outside organizations throughout the year, and a large open balcony from which Maconites will be able to watch the annual Cherry Blossom Parade downtown. The design is quite unique, and will blend in well with the surrounding Gateway Plaza, Peyton Anderson, and Sports and Music Halls of Fame structures.

Local contractor Chris R. Sheridan will be handling the nuts and bolts of getting this thing built, and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product. I'd love to post a rendering of the building, but I need to get permission before doing so. I'll try to post photos of the project as it progresses. Check back later for more info!

Mac-Town Grows

So, everyone's interested the new development going on in North Bibb County right now. That area of Macon is just exploding with some pretty upscale development, so I thought I'd use my limited insight into the construction market to see what we can expect from all of this new construction. We're all enjoying the newly opened Shoppes at River Crossing - the new Barnes and Noble is especially nice - and we have several more additions in various stages of development to look forward to. Among those "Coming Soon" to the Shoppes at River Crossing are a new Belk, Circuit City, Chili's, Wild Wings Cafe, Sticky Fingers, and more.

North Macon Towne Centre, just off the interstate on Bass Road, is underway as well. According to the developer's brochure, the new construction will include both residential and retail space:

"...a multi-story, 700,000 square-feet mix of retail, restaurants, office and residential, including apartment lofts and upscale hotels. The pedestrian friendly Main Street is designed to complement Central Georgia's most afluent neighborhoods. North Macon's convenient lifestyles are enhanced by loft apartments above specialty retail shops, sidewalk cafes, and fine restaurants, with upscale hotels and professional offices nearby."

Phase 1, already underway, will consist of 5 new 3-story buildings housing restaurants and retail on the ground floors, with over 200 loft apartments above. The first phase also includes a Hilton Homewood Suites hotel, a new Central Bank branch, and a 3-story professional office building, currently still in the design phase.

Phases 2 and 3 are still in the planning stages, but may include an additional 300,000 square feet of similar construction, as well as a small amphitheatre on Lake Wildfire and a Nature Preserve with walking trails.

Also in the area, we can look forward to a new Publix (don't worry, word on the street is that they're going to keep the one on Tom Hill, despite a new store two exits away), a new Lakeside Commons office park, and more. There are also rumors of a new Target and Home Depot in this area, but as yet unconfirmed. Click on the photo at the top, courtesy of the retailworks website, to see an enlarged image of the overall development in the Bass Road area.