Downtown Augusta & North Augusta 2035 Vision

A Blueprint for Action & Growth

The City of Joyful Exploration

Augusta has long been a city of destinations—but what if it became a city of discovery? Today, a trip downtown often means choosing between shopping, dining, or entertainment, with few ways to seamlessly connect them without getting back in the car. What’s missing is the everyday spontaneity that turns a place into a habit, a city into a home.

To create a more vibrant, lived-in downtown, we must shift Augusta from a place people plan to visit to a place they effortlessly explore. That means designing for everyday ease—where essentials are within reach, where public spaces invite people to linger, and where a quick stop can turn into an unexpected afternoon of discovery. A city that encourages movement, connection, and shared experiences outside of special events.

Augusta already has the ingredients: a compact, walkable core, a rich cultural scene, and beautiful natural assets. What’s needed is the connective tissue—the public realm—to tie them together and redeﬁne downtown as an everyday hub. By focusing on a people-ﬁrst approach to streets, parks, and gathering spaces, we can strengthen social life, support local businesses, and catalyze new residential growth. This plan prioritizes action, sequencing key public space investments to shift not just how people experience downtown but how they imagine living there.

Augusta has mastered the special event and the happy hour. Now is the time to amplify daily life — one that invites people to stay, to explore, and to belong. A city of joyful and effortless exploration.

Four Big Moves

To become the City of Joyful Exploration, Augusta and North Augusta must make the right moves in the right places. The Four Big Moves offer a cohesive strategy that builds early momentum, concentrates investment, and delivers visible, lasting change.

The 5-Minute Downtown

Compact, connected, and convenient. This strategy turns both downtowns into hyper-compact and walkable, mixed-use districts where everything you need is within a short walk—supported by nodes and looping routes that invite people to explore and stay longer.

The Green Ribbon

An approximately six-mile ﬁgure-eight trail that weaves through both cities—combining cohesive design with diverse destinations. This new spine will bring health, recreation, and connectivity into daily life while supporting economic development and place identity.

The Rippled Edge

Reimagine the riverfront as an active, immersive public space—bringing everyday recreation, gathering, and commercial energy to the water’s edge.

The Canopy Network

Double downtown’s shade and greenery through a “Parking Management Plan” strategy, expanded tree planting, and long-term stewardship across districts.

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Guiding Goals

To realize the 2035 Vision, these six guiding goals outline a shared direction for downtown’s future—focused on measurable progress, local opportunity, and public life at the center.

Attract

Goal

Strengthen Augusta’s ability to attract and retain talent, grow its residential population by 800 per year for the next 10 years, expand cultural offerings, and invite a broader mix of people to linger—with emphasis on young families and young professionals—while ensuring a balanced representation across age and gender.

Emerging Metrics

8,000 new residents by 2035
Increase in 2-3 bedroom units to support families and long-term residents
Opening of at least one new grocery store downtown
25% increase in college graduates choosing to stay in Augusta post-graduation
Significant growth in small-scale and locally organized events
Quarterly citywide events of regional/ national prominence on par with Ironman

Incubate

Goal

Support local economic development by building opportunity pathways for young professionals, entrepreneurs, and creative voices. Foster a culture of growth, learning, and creative confidence.

Emerging Metrics

1-5 startups launched annually, particularly in cybersecurity, tech, and creative industries
Increase in enrollment and participation in local training, mentorship, and entrepreneurial education programs
Growth in the number of young professionals and students engaging in startup and innovation-related activities
Rise in venture funding and small business grants awarded to local entrepreneurs

Re-Wild

Goal

Elevate Augusta’s identity as the “Garden City” by expanding urban greenery, improving the city’s ability to handle storms and heat, and promoting wellness through a more integrated natural environment. Strengthen greening as a source of local pride and a shared community effort. The city’s experience with Hurricane Helene—and lessons from TIA’s infrastructure growth—highlight the importance of nature as a practical and proactive investment.

Emerging Metrics

Double the tree canopy coverage and triple the amount of open space in the downtown core and surrounding districts
Targeted 10ºF reduction in urban heat in key zones
Increase in native plant and animal species in green spaces (biodiversity index)
More permeable surfaces to support water absorption

Connect

Goal

From cross-district gestures that connect Augusta and North Augusta, to local links between main commercial hubs and the waterfront, to street-level connections from one block to the next, focus on building more legible and engaging connections between people and place.

Emerging Metrics

Increase in transit ridership along key routes connecting major districts
Increase in weekday commuter bike ridership, to complement the strong weekend leisure bike ridership
Expansion of and annual target for complete streets infrastructure (e.g., road diets, sidewalk improvements)
70-80% favorability scores (survey) on ease of navigating between neighborhoods and key attractions
Reduction in pedestrian-vehicle conflict zones, measured through crash data and pedestrian comfort surveys

Surprise

Goal

Create an environment that encourages discovery and serendipity, ensuring that everyday experiences in Augusta are as engaging as its signature events.

Emerging Metrics

Increase in social media engagement, including event hashtags, location-based check-ins, and user-generated content showcasing unexpected experiences
Growth in percentage of first-time visitors who return within six months to a year, as measured by tourism and hospitality data
Number of new, unprogrammed public space interventions (e.g., interactive art, pop-up markets, spontaneous events)
Increase in resident and visitor satisfaction scores related to downtown’s vibrancy and sense of place

Extend

Objective

Expand the chain of activity by creating more opportunities for people to linger before and after events downtown, fostering a more engaging and “sticky” cityscape.

Emerging Metrics

Increase in pedestrian volume and survey scores indicating visitors spend 1+ hour before or after events
Growth in new retail stores, restaurants, and activity spaces downtown
Expansion of restaurants and retailers activating the public realm and reclaiming underused outdoor spaces
Overall increase in downtown visitor numbers

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2035 Catalyic Projects

These targeted, high-impact interventions are designed to unlock potential, spark public life, and generate visible momentum in key areas of Augusta and North Augusta. They mark the first steps in realizing the 2035 vision, turning long-term goals into tangible, near-term action.

Common Plus

The Common Plus is designed with ﬂexibility at its core. While its primary purpose is to support everyday life, it can seamlessly transition to host Augusta’s beloved community gatherings and cultural events. This page serves as an operations manual, illustrating how features adapt to accommodate a variety of events—from intimate farmers’ markets to large-scale festivals. The goal is to ensure that events enhance, rather than dominate, the space—keeping it accessible, inviting, and usable year-round.

Woodland Trail

The Woodland Trail will close a key loop in the Green Ribbon, extending the path beyond Freedom Bridge to Georgia Avenue. The trail will feature scenic overlooks, nature-based play, artful signage, and a reimagined underpass at the corner of Sand Pit Rd. Ext — transforming a disconnected edge into a layered experience for walking, learning, and discovery.

Riverwalk Floating Piers

Floating platforms and cantilevered decks will extend the Riverwalk out over the water, offering new places to sit, socialize, and take in the views. With shaded seating, river access, and comfortable paths, the layered edge will invite everyday use while bringing people closer to the river.

Parking

An updated parking strategy is a key step toward a more active and connected downtown. By improving the way parking is managed—and identifying opportunities to make better use of key sites—the city can unlock new spaces for public life, small businesses, and future growth, while still meeting the needs of downtown visitors and workers.

Jones Alley

Jones Alley will become a linear plaza—a walkable, fine-grain alternative to Broad Street. Designed for pop-up retail, street art, and informal gatherings, it will offer a new hidden gem downtown. String lights, colorful murals, and sculptural elements will create an inviting atmosphere for all ages, day and night.

Bargelets

Bring in barges and repurpose them to house cafés, local retail, and ﬂexible event space—creating a ﬂoating destination just off the Riverwalk. Designed as a vibrant, riverfront food and culture hub, these barges will offer shaded decks, lounge seating, and rotating programs that reﬂect Augusta’s creative community

Thank You to Our Contributors:

City of Augusta
City of North Augusta
Augusta Tomorrow Board of Directors
Downtown Development Authority of Augusta
Georgia Power
Financial Holdings of Augusta
MCG Foundation
Destination Augusta
Beacon Blue
Augusta Capital, LLC
South State Bank
Regions Bank
CSRA Alliance for Fort Gordon
Pinnacle Bank
Butler Automotive

This 2035 Plan sets a clear and ambitious path for the future of Downtown Augusta and North Augusta—grounded in local insight and shaped by real opportunities for transformation. The cities already have core ingredients: a vibrant event culture, sociable main streets, and deep local pride. However, there are still key areas to address, such as surface parking, limited everyday amenities, and a gaps in the built environment that makes it difficult to enjoy a full day downtown exploring on foot without having to return to your car.

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