Amid construction, businesses ‘want what’s best’ for downtown
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - On Tuesday, Augusta commissioners discussed how a plan to beautify Augusta could impact businesses.
This is part of a multi-phase construction project, which involves Milledge Road and 15th Street, as well as Broad Street.
The plans include improving parking and overall updating the area, which hasn’t seen improvements like this in decades.
But in the years it will take to complete the project, businesses worry about how it will impact them.
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The point of all of this is businesses want to make sure their voices are heard.
Downtown businesses want to be a part of the improvements.
If you notice one thing about these businesses, they have a ion to serve the community and that ion is what’s driving them to make their voices heard.
“When it’s buzzing and it’s full of locals and some tourists and everybody’s just loving downtown and having a great day, that is the absolute best work environment that you could ever ask for,” said Christine Sherer, owner of New Moon Cafe.
Sherer has been working in downtown Augusta since 2006.
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“We’re here to serve the community. It’s what we do,” she said.
They’ve survived a pandemic and a hurricane.
Now, another bump in the road could be on the way.
“The notion of more business disruptions in 2025 is a little unsettling, but, you know, again, we make it work,” said Sherer.
On behalf of many downtown businesses, Penelope Ballas-Stewart, owner of Luigi’s, says, “I’m at least happy that there’s communication and that our concerns are being recognized.”
Ballas-Stewart brought her concerns to those in charge.
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“Until I can see revised plans, I know they had added some parking back in, but like, I think the consensus among everybody is that a net parking loss on Broad Street is still a loss, and we can’t afford for any, um, to lose any spaces,” she said.
Ballas-Stewart says building the future isn’t easy.
“I just think they need to think long and hard about, are we going to discourage places from opening when you remove parking from Broad Street,” said Ballas-Stewart.
But in the end, no matter what challenges come up, businesses say they want what’s best for the area.
“We want what’s best, just like I know the commission wants what’s best. I just think we just need to work together to come to a consensus,” said Ballas-Stewart.
Downtown Augusta businesses are a community.
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“We get up, we focus on the process, we make the best food that we possibly can and serve it in as fast and friendly a manner as we possibly can,” said Sherer.
Tuesday was just a discussion at the committee level, but the was tasked to work with the departments involved in these improvements to come back in 30 days with some possible solutions to ease the minds of business owners.
John Ussery with Traffic Engineering says part of the funding requirements for the TIA project involves bringing all traffic items up to current standards.
He says currently the travel lanes, parking stalls, and ADA access throughout downtown are not.
He says as far as communication, his team is updating the TIA website with what people should be aware of when it comes to road closures and construction.
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