WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Not long ago, mayor LaRhonda Patrick was running a campaign that included a plan for a downtown area. Less than a year after being sworn in, she and the council are trying to make good on their word, scoping the Commercial Circle area as the city center.
An age-old debate on whether something will be established in downtown Warner Robins may be coming to an end.
Mayor Patrick and the city council have agreed and set their sights on the Commercial Circle area, purchasing about six acres of land for $1.6 million.
"We have been working on this acquisition for months. So, it's really good to know we are under contract for that parcel," the mayor said.
Patrick, like many others, ran a campaign for new development in the area.
After years of hearing politicians give empty promises, the reaction seems to be mixed.
"I think it could be an awfully nice area if they could do something with it," Warner Robins resident Cheryl Gunn said.
The 28-year resident said she'd heard plans before, but she's optimistic.
"I could see a great park area like what Centerville did; I could see some great shopping booths, a grocery store—anything," she said about the potential change.
For Jerry Pye, who works at a barber shop on Commercial Circle, the change is much more significant than a new addition, potentially pushing current businesses out.
"I would like to stay in the barber shop cutting hair; I wouldn't want it to be downtown. Maybe they could make another part of Warner Robins a downtown," Pye said.
He even believes interest in the area may have dwindled.
"Yeah, I think it's too far gone for that because everybody has moved to different places. You have 96, and Watson, everybody has moved around," he said.
Kate Hogan--- community and economic development director, told us they intend to provide an area that could be a mixed-use facility and ultimately position the city for private investment in that area.
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