MACON, Ga. — The former Macon Charter Academy stands tall but empty in the Pleasant Hill Neighborhood after the state closed the school back in 2016 for failing to meet state requirements.
Now, the county is working with a developer to bring new life to the space.
Tonja Khabir is ready for the impact it could bring.
"I think it's important that we see it as an opportunity rather than fear it because it's change," Khabir said.
Plenty of change could be coming to the historic neighborhood in Macon specifically the former charter school building off Madison Street.
"When it closed I kind of saw potential going out of the window," Khabir said.
The school closed in 2016. Now, the county is working with a developer who created plans for Planning and Zoning.
The build would include 64-housing units and space for commercial businesses like a pharmacy, grocery store or restaurant.
Khabir lives in the historic neighborhood and says the space shouldn't just sit there with no purpose anymore.
"It's literally a huge property that is just sitting there vacant for no reason and it's still in, I mean, tip touch condition particularly the gym and the auditorium and so why should we allow something that can be utilized to just sit there," Khabir questioned.
The plan is to demolish the school building but keep the gymnasium and auditorium for public use.
Khabir said the neighborhood isn't the same after the I-75 building physically split their community in half. She said she hopes other people in the community will view the Madison Street project as a positive.
"You're solving so many problems with this one complex. Food desserts, entrepreneurship opportunities, affordable housing, education. I see it as a positive," Khabir said.
Khabir said I-75 interrupted other communities. She hopes the attention to rebuilding and reconnecting Pleasant Hill could be a model for others affected by the interstate.
"I think it's important to witness how it's happening in Pleasant Hill so that these types of things can also be recreated in other neighborhoods as well," Khabir said.