MACON, Ga. — Bibb County's ongoing fight against blight is now making way for new economic development in Macon.
According to a news release from the county, the public works department will demolish the abandoned Bibb Mill building at 155 Coliseum Drive Thursday morning. The demolition will be the 536th in the county's effort to revitalize the areas most affected by blight in Macon.
“We have a huge opportunity to attract major private investment to this property and to all of East Macon, so we’re clearing the way and making it possible for everyone to see what is possible,” Mayor Lester Miller said in the news release. “With access to Ocmulgee Mounds National Park, Riverwalk, Coliseum and Convention Center, Downtown, and more, this area is primed and ready to propel forward in a major way the surrounding areas.”
Bibb leaders say the abandoned building's demolition will create the the perfect location for a "vibrant center of activity and a gateway from I-16 into both East Macon and Downtown."
The release says the county recently bought the 21 acres and is looking for a developer to build a space for people to live, work, and exercise, and also to promote tourism. Leaders estimate that it could attract $350 million in private investment.
Macon-Bibb County's ownership of the property gives them control over what will be built there in order to make a lasting impact on the people in the community.
The release also says they aim to attract larger conferences to the Convention Center, provide more affordable housing downtown, fund infrastructure improvements in the neighborhoods, and increase sales tax revenue to reduce property taxes.
The demolition will begin at 10 a.m. Thursday morning.