New restaurants, shops, housing, and a hotel may be popping up in Warner Robins over the next few years.
The Warner Robins Redevelopment Agency discussed their vision for the new tax allocation district and how they want to use it to create a vibrant downtown.
John Mitchell has owned John's Mexican Restaurant on Armed Forces Boulevard since 2010.
While they see plenty of traffic across the railroad tracks on Highway 247, Mitchell says they have a hard time making people pull off the highway and pull up a chair.
"It's like a ghost town at night," he says. "We're the only ones open within a couple miles."
However, that might change thanks to Warner Robins' tax allocation district.
On January 1, the city formed the district in agreement with the school board and the county.
The Redevelopment Agency hired the Atlanta-based company UrbanIs to bring developers to the tax allocation district, or TAD.
In a TAD, money that comes in through the increased property values will go right back to fund capital projects in the district.
Any amount generated above the original tax increment will go into a special fund the city can use to fund improvements such as infrastructure or a parking garage.
For example, if before the TAD was formed, the taxes in the district were creating $1 million, then each additional dollar earned above that will go into that fund.
"So it's an attractive, vibrant, urban area," says Charles Whatley is managing director of UrbanIs.
Whatley thinks this will draw more people into the city.
"You've got 400,000 visitors to half a million at the Aviation Museum, but they're not stopping in that corridor on Watson between the [commercial] circle and Armed Forces Boulevard, " he explains. "If you create that as an activity center, then you'll end up creating the market and supporting the businesses who live there."
He is working with Herman Howard with SHAPE, who does architecture and planning.
On Wednesday they presented the first plans to the Redevelopment Agency for how they want the district to look.
"These are some of the early visionary ideas," says Howard.
The TAD runs from Commercial Circle, down Watson Boulevard, and along Armed Forces Boulevard.
It spans 170 acres and includes 355 parcels.
In the presentation, they are focusing on three main areas:
-Commercial Circle
-Hotel and conference center
- Rail entertainment district.
At Commercial Circle, the idea is to create a pedestrian-friendly shopping center and hub.
The hotel and conference center would be next to City Hall at the site of the existing Recreation Department.
The entertainment district, as they called it, will run south along Armed Forces Boulevard and could include restaurant, bars, entertainment, and possible housing.
At this point, none of these are final plans, but they say they are guidelines to start off.
"We have talked about this area of town for a long, long time," says Councilwoman Carolyn Robbins.
They hope to appeal to those on base, as well as the student population from Middle Georgia State.
"What the base sees now is going to be completely different when we go through," says Robbins.
John Mitchell thinks this is exactly what the city needs.
"I've always said anything down here is a plus," he says.
Whatley says they are taking three months to do the planning and cost analysis and then they will start approaching developers.
They hope to start some of the projects by next year.
