NBC29Augusta Development Plans
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Augusta County, Staunton and Waynesboro are all working on plans for major new commercial developments but with all three projects less than 12 miles apart, could all of them survive?
Augusta Marketplace would be the county's biggest commercial project ever, with close a million square feet of stores and restaurants. The proposed site is just off I-81 at Woodrow Wilson Parkway and within a 15 minute drive, there are already plenty of choices for shoppers.
Dale Cobb of Augusta Community Development said, “They’re going to have to bring in different types of stores than what's here already. You obviously can't support but so many Targets and so many Lowe’s and so many Home Depots.”
Developers of The Centre at Staunton will have the same challenge. In phase one, the Awasaw Culture and Art Center, could see groundbreaking this year but the second phase includes big-box stores, hotels and restaurants.
Amanda Huffman of Staunton Economic Development said, “In terms of the rest of the development on that site, that is still going through the feasibility period, so a lot of that will depend on the market.”
The market could also determine whether the central valley could support two new movie theaters. There's one proposed for Augusta Marketplace and another at the planned Waynesboro Place development. Each is a 12-screen multiplex, a big prize for either locality.
Waynesboro Assistant City Manager Jim Shaw stated, “Movie theaters are expensive to build. Movie theaters tend to be anchor tenants for developments, and there tends to be fairly intense competition.”
If Augusta and Waynesboro are competing for a cinema, the race is on. The county has approved rezoning for its development, the city could do the same this summer.
The Staunton development proposes a cinema that would have no competition, it's an "I-Werks" theater with a giant screen and 4D effects.
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