HPC approves demolition at 1140 Broad Street, imposes $269,170 performance bond and 36-month build window

The Augusta Historic Preservation Commission on Oct. 23 approved a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA 25-50) allowing demolition of the three commercial structures at 1140 Broad Street, contingent on an approved site plan, issuance of a construction permit and a $269,170 performance bond. The approval requires the owner to begin hotel construction within 36 months or forfeit conditions tied to the bond; the authorization is nontransferable and allows temporary surface parking on the site during the permit period.

The decision comes after sustained debate spanning previous meetings, a recent fire that damaged two contributing late-19th‑century buildings, a prior court order requiring rehabilitation or demolition, and conflicting recommendations from staff and preservation advocates.

Todd Kennedy, planning and development staff, told the commission the 1.66-acre property sits on the western half of the block bounded by Broad, Ellis, Eleventh and Twelfth Streets and contains two contributing commercial buildings from the 1890s plus a larger 1969 structure. Kennedy said the site remains under a 2021 court order from Richmond County Civil and Magistrate Court to rehabilitate or demolish and that “plans to redevelop the site into [a] hotel continue.” He told commissioners the Augusta Fire Department concluded its investigation and released the building back to the owner the day before the meeting.

Attorney Jim Trotter, representing owner Amar Patel, said his clients offered the temporary parking plan to support downtown businesses during the Broad Street reconstruction and pledged a future hotel investment. “It will only be a parking lot for 2 to 3 years while Broadstreet is under reconstruction,” Trotter said, adding that his clients “intend to build a new hotel on that property, and they intend to invest over $60,000,000 into Downtown Augusta.”

Several downtown business owners and public-safety officials urged the commission to allow demolition for safety and economic reasons. Sean White, owner of Frog Hollow Hospitality Group, said the parking would be a “very big lifeline” for downtown merchants while construction removes available spaces and contributes to falling revenues. Richland County Sheriff’s Office Colonel Beau Johnson testified the property had been a persistent public-safety problem and argued demolition would “eliminate a recurring source of criminal activity and safety hazards.”

Historic Augusta, in written comments included in the packet, urged denial and recommended requiring proper mothballing of the contributing structures and a performance bond to ensure any required demolition would be followed promptly by redevelopment. The group said the owners “have ignored citations and court orders, with brazen neglect and impunity over the past 7 years” and recommended preservation or incorporation of the smaller buildings into any new hotel.

Commissioner Young moved to “sustain the HPC decision on 11/18/2021 and approve a COA for demolition of all 3 structures … conditioned on the approval of a site plan and issuance of a construction permit within 36 months” and asked for a performance bond in the amount of $269,170, redeemable on completion of the conditions or at closing of a sale; the motion further allowed temporary parking during the 36-month period and specified authorization would not transfer on sale. After discussion and a failed substitute motion that would have required saving facades, the commission voted 7-0 to approve Young’s motion.

The approval includes explicit conditions: the parking-lot conversion must proceed through city site-plan review and meet applicable standards; the HPC may add design standards to be submitted before final approval; the applicant must provide a fixed and agreed upon timeframe for the future hotel; elevations for the hotel must return to HPC in a separate COA; incorporation of the contributing structures (1154, 1156, 1158 and 1160 Broad Street) into the hotel design is encouraged; and any proposed performance bond must be reviewed by city staff before becoming official.

The commission recorded the outcome as an approval: yes 7, no 0, with the legal and court history remaining part of the file. The HPC’s action does not itself authorize demolition until the site plan and building permits are issued and the bond requirements are satisfied.

The owner’s attorney proposed, and the commission accepted, a repurchase mechanism discussed earlier — allowing a city instrument (city or Downtown Development Authority) to repurchase the property if hotel construction is not started — as an alternative to bonds, but the formal HPC condition on this vote was the performance bond and 36-month construction window. The staff report noted ongoing issues with vacancy, unauthorized residents and repeated calls for service that have strained enforcement and public resources.

What’s next: the demolition and temporary parking may proceed only after approval of the site plan and issuance of required permits and once the bond and other conditions are in place. The commission also required the applicant to return with hotel elevations and any substantial design changes for further HPC review.

Speakers who addressed the commission on this item included Todd Kennedy (planning staff), Jim Trotter (attorney for the owner), Amar Patel (owner), Sean White (downtown business owner), Beau Johnson (Augusta Richmond County Sheriff's Office), Willie Harpo Brown (resident), and Margaret Woodard (Downtown Development Authority).