Statesboro Development News

[nova72asu]

I was getting gas at the Walmart gas station. There was this "Comming Soon" module attached to the pump which was described as being a way to tune your auto at the pump by adding various fuel additives...I found it strange.

[poohsfolks]

I was getting gas at the Walmart gas station. There was this "Comming Soon" module attached to the pump which was described as being a way to tune your auto at the pump by adding various fuel additives...I found it strange.

[MorganA15]

I'm going to add this here since this is a major anchor for development.

BYPASS WIDENING DELAYED!

We all know that the bid was awarded to Douglas Asphalt out of Douglas, Ga in June of this year. Construction was supposed to have begun in September, but as can see, nothing has been done. The article explains how the DOT must follow a process when a contractor doesn't fulfill their duties. They're in the works of trying to get this figure out, but there's no set time of when construction will begin.

A few development projects have been but on hold until until the additional lanes and traffic lights are added. It's a hazard, due to the high amount of traffic along this stretch of the road.

Hopefully it won't be too long from now.

article: http://www.statesboroherald.com/news/article/2035/

[andremurra]

Charleston-style Village Proposed

at pond property between Bypass & Cawana

I posted about this earliar, but I was wrong about the story being in an upcoming city council minutes. Actually this development hasnt been proposed to the city or county yet. The developer who had earliar planned to build townhomes around the pond met with residents of Bradford Place to propose another idea and hopefully get their blessing before bringing it to local government.

Now the property is being planned to host a Charleston-style village of sixty multi-colored 1400+ square foot homes. The lots will be small in this exclusive community and neighborhood services will cost approximately $100 per month (for street lights, landscape maintenance, etc.). Some of the homes will have small backyards, and the homes built on the pond will have a pond deck extending from the back doors over the water. The way I understood it was that the pond properties would have the homes perhaps on stilts so that the back door would be right above the pond.

Im just hoping they do a water-drainage study about that property before placing the homes, because I remember during El Nino' the pond completely filled up and spilled over on the Southwest corner facing the bypass. FYI, for everyone not familiar with this property, the is not an actual pond we are talking about. The current land owners sold their dirt in the early 90's to build the 4-lanes of the bypass almost completely encircling Statesboro. I believe the dirt sold for $2M and as you can imagine the DOT dug what looks like a crater in the middle of their property. There happens to be a natural spring located in the hole and over the next decade, the "crater" started filling with water bit by bit. When El Nino' hit in the late nineties, the hole filled completely up and overflowed into the adjacent properties. So this property does not actually contain a pond, but a DOT-made giant hole that happened to uncover a spring and eventually filled up with rainwater.

It is interesting to note though, that from the banks of the "pond", the water is a beautiful crystal turquoise blue color, similar to the color of Pensecola's ocean. You cant really see the intensity of the color from the bypass. I know the owners and they get asked all the time if they put dye into the water, and they say that the color comes from the natural spring. They have wanted to beach the "pond" in the past and sell the property to develop a senior-living community. Regardless, I think the Charleston-style community is a great fit for that property and will look beautiful from the bypass.

Side Note

Also, I have also been informed that the Little Lotts Developers who are doing the 80 acres off Cawana Road next to Bradford Place actually own all the property (the fields) from that location to Grove Lakes. From what I understand, this 80 acre development is the experiment phase. If the subdivision does well, they plan to develop several more phases untill all the land is developed from Bypass/Cawana to Grove Lakes area. We are talking about literally hundreds of homes.

Thats all for now.

[MorganA15]

the DOT dug what looks like a crater in the middle of their property

[andremurra]

I always thought that that was an odd looking hole in the ground

Nice to know that another Charleston type development is going up, I guess Tillman Park was a success? Hopefully this will take off, sounds really nice.

And isn't the second development a go? I think the land was annexed into the city this last week, or earlier this month. I hope the different "phases" are different subdivisions. I'd hate to see hundreds (I'm using it lightly) of homes with the same different designs in one single subdivision.

Either way, in two years, Cawana should look nice.

[MorganA15]

they wanted him to make an entry point to the subdivision from the Bypass and not Cawana Road

[andremurra]

Is everybody like this in BP?

[MorganA15]

El Sombrero should be starting on their new building in Buckhead Plaza next month.

This will be their third Statesboro location, as they plan to keep the one just down the road in University Commons open.

I hope this will be an El Sombrero-only building. Not another strip center in there.

[MorganA15]

Anybody notice the small piece of parking lot behind Applebees taped off?

I'm wondering if they're adding on?

[nova72asu]

i noticed that the other day when i was at lowes. I haven't heard anything, my first guess would be a expanded freezer or something.

[andremurra]

Anybody notice the small piece of parking lot behind Applebees taped off?

I'm wondering if they're adding on?

Edited February 7, 2007 by andremurra

[andremurra]

Statesboro recieves the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada.

http://www.statesboroherald.com/news/article/2356/

Edited February 13, 2007 by andremurra

[nova72asu]

Applebees is expanding the entire restuarant to make it larger overall. I spoke to a friend who works there and she said that it is the entire restuarant that is expanding, not just the dining room or kitchen or bar, but overall, they want more room. That restaurant is always packed anyway.

[MorganA15]

I don't see how the Quality Inn will be finished by March.

I don't really even know if it can be finished by April.

[MorganA15]

Somehow, I managed to stumble onto this small article/review about Statesboro Brews.

http://boro-treasures.blogspot.com/2007/01/blog-post.html

From the pictures, it looks very nice on the inside. I'm impressed.

I've been wanting to go and try it out, but I've never got around to doing so.

[andremurra]

Well Applebees just repaved the part of the parking lot that was torn up. Which means they aren't expanding, at least not any time soon.

[andremurra]

So it seems that in the first 45 days of this year, unincorporated Bulloch County has already issued 189 single-family unattached unit (houses) permits. Last year only saw 91 in the first 45 days. Should this trend continue, Bulloch will see about 1200 new homes, double our last record. Unincorporated Chatham County has been estimated to have just over 200 new-home permits issued for the first two months, so it seems that Statesboro is competing on a Savannah scale for new residents.

For February, Bulloch County has six new residential subdivisions: Arlington Farms, Beaumont Phase II, The Hammocks, Spenway, Southern Point, and Westway. At this time, there are an additional seven new sudivisions working their way through the approval process.

[MorganA15]

So it seems that in the first 45 days of this year, unincorporated Bulloch County has already issued 189 single-family unattached unit (houses) permits. Last year only saw 91 in the first 45 days. Should this trend continue, Bulloch will see about 1200 new homes, double our last record. Unincorporated Chatham County has been estimated to have just over 200 new-home permits issued for the first two months, so it seems that Statesboro is competing on a Savannah scale for new residents.

For February, Bulloch County has six new residential subdivisions: Arlington Farms, Beaumont Phase II, The Hammocks, Spenway, Southern Point, and Westway. At this time, there are an additional seven new sudivisions working their way through the approval process.

[andremurra]

I am editing this post because I agree with Nova about posting unannounced developments. Ill just say that I have reason to believe a Marriott brand hotel is a possibility for Statesboro and that we have 3 Starbucks locations currently on the drawing board.

I dont know where Charleston Row is located but they are pre-leasing and advertising in print media. There are several upscale condos going up in and around downtown as well.

Edited February 23, 2007 by andremurra

[nova72asu]

another Charleston style development called Charleston Row - which is already pre-leasing.

[andremurra]

Where is this located?

About posting things that are not officially announced yet....

There have been cases (not necessarily in Statesboro) where a well known company or developer has plans or is looking into coming to an area, but before they officially announce or make information public knowledge the information is leaked in some way to the public. In turn this causes the developer or company to decide not to locate to the area.

(IMO) Unless you have permission from the company or developer or the information is available in some form to the public I would not recommend posting.

I would hate to see quality developments or companies turn away because something they had not disclosed ended up in the news.

[nova72asu]

Thanks, I understand being excited.

Charleston Row must be in the County.

Maxwell Engineering is working on it, it is mentioned on their NEW website. Go check it out.

maxred.com

[MorganA15]

Well I was going to post earlier but got caught up with other stuff.

I read an article Tuesday in the Statesboro Magazine talking about how Statesboro was becoming a regional shopping mecca and such. The author was a chairman or something with the Chamber of Commerce maybe? They said we should be expecting very good things this year, and from seeing that list, they must be right.

I'm excited. I was waiting to hear SOMETHING, either if it was a rumor or not. 2007 has been pretty quiet so far. Both announcements and construction-wise.

BTW, on the site up there, they have the rendering for that unnamed shopping center that has yet to begin construction at Brampton and the Bypass. Tower Place Shopping Center - that's a very nice building and I'm ready for construction to begin on that.

[andremurra]

Yeah I was looking at their website the other day and was wondering what the crap was Tower Place Shopping Center. You say its going to be at Brampton and the Bypass? Oh... is that the upscale development that was going to have an upscale restuarant as the anchor before the restaurant officials stated that Statesboro is two years behind where they were expecting? Or is this a completely new development for that same plot. Anyway, I am impressed with Tower Place, it looks really exciting for Statesboro - but also by the way it looks, you would think there would be really nice stores inside, I mean, not like a foot store and offices and jewelers, stuff we dont really need, but retail shopping stores. I hope we land some good retail stores in Tower Place.

My source was telling me about where future malls are being planned for Statesboro's future... and he/she was talking about actual malls, but shopping centers. I asked him/her, "dont you mean a mall?" but he/she replied, "no, I mean malls. He/she said that he/she thinks that Statesboro will become Jacksonville FL eventually. I said I didnt believe it, but he/she said he/she was sure of it. Who knows. I can only hope I am around when that happens.