Beacon Bluff continues to boost growth in North Augusta
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - North Augusta is growing a lot, and one development people have been talking about lately is the Beacon Bluff apartments being built near SRP Park.
Located directly across from the municipal center on Georgia Avenue, Beacon Bluff will be a mixed-use development including restaurants, retail space, professional space and residential spaces.
From luxury living to dining and shopping, Beacon Bluff is set to become a destination.
It’s a project that has been years in the making.
Check out the progress on FreshTake grocery store in Augusta
Construction continues on the FreshTake grocery store on Washington Road. We went to the store to see the progress.
Now, windows are going in, walls are going up and another new business is coming as anticipation is growing for everyone to enjoy in February.
It’s a sound and site you’re used to seeing right across the river.
“People are starting to notice the more esthetic features of the building now coming along. We’re putting up brick. We’re putting up sheathing on the outside. The tower is about to start getting brick applied to it, so I think it’ll start to make a lot more of a statement off of Georgia Avenue as a gateway project for this community,” said David Brannon with Palmetto Peach Development.
It’s bringing in more apartments available for lease and a new restaurant called Bowl Boss, which offers a variety of acai bowls for people to try.
“We’ve got Melty Down Below, Bowl Boss, which has its grand opening this Saturday. Very excited about that, and Fleet Feet, which had their grand opening a couple of weeks ago,” said Brannon.
In the newer building on Beacon Bluff, he says, “We’ve got Brinkley’s Tavern on the first floor. We’ve got Corona’s Health which is gonna be on the second floor, and some medical office space. North Augusta Forward will have their offices on the third floor.”
There’s still one office and some retail or restaurant space on the first floor, but they’re already 70% leased up.
North Augusta library opens after months of renovations
North Augusta’s Nancy Carson Library returns for all your reading needs and more. It was closed for nine months of renovations and reduced capacity.
“It’ll really bring a lot of life to the street corner. I think importantly, it will connect the downtown corridor to the riverfront. So, we’re really trying to provide some connectivity there,” said Brannon.
But some are still concerned about the growth and wonder if parking will be an issue.
“We have strategies for dealing with those kinds of concerns, and it’ll just be a matter of opening the building up and seeing how all of the businesses work together and what kind of parking loads they have,” said Brannon.
And in just six months, he says, “It’ll be a good place to go on a date or meet friends or whatever it is. We’re very excited to provide young people, especially maybe AU students, and more places to live, more places to live, work and play.”
Brannon says that people will be able to come out and enjoy this new area and restaurants by February.
There has been a soft opening all week for Bowl Boss, but there will be a grand opening on Saturday for everyone to come and give the new place a try.
New neighborhoods show growth in Grovetown, Harlem areas
We went to see the progress on three new neighborhoods being built in Grovetown and Harlem Monday morning.
How is Beacon Bluff helping with North Augusta growth?
Beacon Bluff a neighborhood where many new projects are underway to help build up North Augusta.
The new apartments are a key part of that.
“You got younger people, my kids’ generation, that are not going to buy a house, they want an apartment. They want to be able to go to a ball game. They want to go out on the boat. They want to be at the amphitheater,” Mayor Briton Williams said.
With a footprint of more than 25,000 people and climbing, Williams says North Augusta can’t slow down now.
“We’re trying to continue to improve our quality of life. And that’s why I think people are wanting to live in North Augusta,” said Williams.
Just a few days ago, there was a ribbon cutting a few days ago for updated restrooms at the Sharon Jones Amphitheater and a day dock nearby.
The city says the population has grown by 16% over the last 10 years and they have to make changes that reflect that growth.
Williams says this is just the beginning of investing in North Augusta’s future.
“This is part of our whole live, work and play. And if you just look at what we’re doing now, literally, you can go from the boat dock to this amphitheater to our restaurants, our Crown Plaza, the SRP Park, our brick ponds, all the way up the Beacon Bluff into our downtown,” said Williams.
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