North Augusta officials outline large-scale development plan, timeline and infrastructure needs
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Summary
City Administrator Jim Clifford presented an overview of active and planned private development across North Augusta, including Riverside Village, Exit 5, The Hive and the Adelaide/Highland Springs tract, and discussed city efforts on infrastructure, impact fees and an apartment moratorium.
City Administrator Jim Clifford told the North Augusta City Council study session that the city is seeing multiple large private developments moving forward and that the municipal role is to provide public safety, infrastructure, quality-of-life amenities and governance tools to support that growth.
Clifford said Riverside Village has three major projects underway across four parcels, including “apartments over retail” that developers expect will be largely complete by the end of the year, and that other major projects are active at Exit 5, along Martin Town Road and in the Adelaide/Highland Springs area. He said the city renegotiated terms with South City Partners and approved updates to enable continued construction in Riverside Village.
The city administrator described an “apartment moratorium” currently in effect for standalone apartment complexes outside projects already permitted (for example, The Hive, Adelaide and Highlands Springs are not affected) and said staff and council are reviewing a potential impact-fee program. He said consultant Carson Vice presented an impact-fee study to the council and city staff anticipate bringing policy options back for council consideration in July.
Clifford said the city has awarded a planning and transportation umbrella contract to Kimley‑Horn (transcript: "King Le Horn") to support Georgia Avenue pedestrian and traffic-safety studies and other corridor work. He said the city seeks to align its schedule for local street and pedestrian improvements with larger Georgia Department of Transportation projects such as the 13th Street bridge reconstruction, currently projected to start in 2028 and finish no earlier than 2032.
Clifford described a menu of ongoing residential projects across the city: parcel K (apartments near Hinman’s Ferry), parcels G and H (combined apartments-with-retail that may include a restaurant facing the amphitheater), The Hive (a mixed commercial, multifamily and single-family project), Gregory Landing Phase 3, Martintown Ridge and a number of townhome and single-family projects around Exit 5. He said Adelaide (formerly Highland Springs) remains the single largest contiguous development parcel in the city, roughly 1,300 acres, with phased commercial and housing planned.
Clifford told council members that development timelines vary widely — he noted one PD (planned development) originally approved in 2001 is only now moving forward — but said, based on current activity, he expects continued population growth and that the city should plan infrastructure to support it. He said staff estimate the city could exceed 30,000 residents within about five years if current construction and approvals proceed.
Council members asked about timelines and visibility of completed projects, signage and traffic coordination with regional partners. Clifford said the city would continue to present options to council on impact fees, corridor planning and the sequencing of public improvements so private development and public projects proceed in coordination.
