Augusta Tomorrow outlines '2035 Vision' with riverfront, trails and canopy goals to North Augusta council

Augusta Tomorrow executive director Lauren Dallas presented the finished '2035 Vision' master plan to the North Augusta City Council at a study session on Nov. 10, 2025, describing a 10-year strategy to knit downtowns on both sides of the Savannah River and to boost everyday amenities, tree cover and riverfront activity.

"The city of joyful exploration," Dallas said, summarizing the plan's guiding vision for the two downtowns to become places where people linger and explore rather than simply pass through (presentation beginning SEG 752). The study, begun in 2022 with funding and stakeholder participation from both cities and outside partners, identifies four high-level moves: a five-minute downtown (park once and walk), a Green Ribbon trail loop to connect trail systems, a 'rippled edge' strategy to activate the riverfront, and a Canopy Network to restore the urban tree canopy.

The plan lists measurable targets that will be used to track progress: 8,000 new residents by 2035 across the study area (not units but people), doubling downtown tree canopy with an associated urban‑heat reduction goal, and more daily-life amenities such as grocery, childcare and pharmacy access (slide content and discussion SEG 856–861, 807–813). Dallas said the design team performed public-life observation studies at three North Augusta locations, combined those observations with an online survey, and used those results to shape the recommendations.

Among project ideas discussed were Jones Alley (a pedestrian connection to the Augusta Common), a Reynolds Street 'road diet' to slow traffic and improve walkability, Woodland Trail links that would close the first Green Ribbon loop on the North Augusta side, floating piers and small barge-like platforms for micro‑retail on the river, and a water taxi concept to promote cross‑river visits and shared economic activity (concept discussion SEG 943–1009). Dallas said several projects would be phased, with the Common plus Jones Alley and a Reynolds Street diet prioritized before more ambitious elements such as an 'undulating green' expansion of parkland (phasing discussion SEG 1049–1056, SEG 1056–1063).

Funding partners and contributions were described in the presentation: the city of Augusta, the city of North Augusta, the Augusta DDA and Georgia Power were listed among contributors, and Augusta Tomorrow said it covered a substantial share of costs when hurricane‑related fundraising slowed (funding discussion SEG 1174–1188, SEG 1189–1193). Dallas also described partnerships to support tree restoration, such as work with Trees for Augusta and a proposed city arborist role (Canopy Network SEG 1017–1025).

Council members asked whether the plan’s resident growth target covered both cities (Dallas: yes; SEG 875–880), whether the water taxi and connectivity points were realistic (Dallas and Mayor John discussed existing docks and potential multi‑stop services; SEG 1123–1130), and which outside groups had participated (Augusta DDA, Georgia Power and downtown businesses were specifically mentioned; SEG 1174–1186). Dallas said the plan had already been presented to Augusta’s governing body and that Augusta formally adopted it; she urged North Augusta to continue partnering on implementation and to use the materials as a roadmap rather than a shelf document.

What's next: Dallas offered to share materials and to engage council members directly as projects move into implementation; the presentation concluded with an invitation to participate and an offer to provide additional information by email (closing remarks SEG 1306–1309).