Owners of Augusta’s abandoned Regency Mall are proposing a residential and advertising progression for the 75 acres whose plans include a 32-room school and performing arts center.
Ownership of the mall has been owned for at least 20 years through limited liability corporations affiliated with Cardinale Management, in Mattituck, N. Y.
Cardinale had put the assets up for sale in recent years without a buyer. When some city officials began pushing in 2017 to place the new James Brown Arena on the Regency site, the assets were put up for sale for $63 million. The Richmond County tax appraiser at the time valued the assets at $4. 2 million.
Cardinale’s criticism was scheduled for Tuesday’s announcement.
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The new progress plan was announced Tuesday morning at the mall site through the city’s mayoral candidate Steven Kendrick, whom the electorate placed in a runoff last week with Garnett Johnson. Kendrick, who resigned as Richmond County tax commissioner this year, was joined through Augusta Commissioner Dennis Williams Francine Scott and Bobthrough Williams.
Kfinishrick declined to speculate on the costs of the task or the expected dates for the start or completion of the task.
Christopher Booker and Associates and Cranston Engineering are indexed as local partners. Kendrick said zoning programs have been submitted to the city. The approval procedure is expected to take six to eight weeks before it is sent to the Augusta Commission, the assignment said.
Regency’s progression plan, Cardinal Town Square, calls for the structure of 1,000 two-bedroom apartments with no rent.
Other features discussed include an area for a K-12 school containing 16 elementary study rooms and 16 high school classes. Plans also show a 300-seat, 60,000-square-foot performing arts center; area for a “small restaurant” covering 25,000 square feet; and an 82,500-square-foot “gym and recreation” center.
While it was discussed in particular on the overall design plan map, a grocery store is also planned for the property, according to Kendrick.
The task was recently funded and developed with own funds, Kendrick said, but that could change.
“Up to this point, the developer has not asked for any incentive either from the city of Augusta, to my knowledge, or from the progression authority or from any firm that I know of,” he said. “Right now, it’s a personal investment. That’s not to say it doesn’t deserve the right of petition to do so, but that hasn’t happened at this point.
Kendrick is also chairman of the board of directors of the Augusta Economic Development Authority. He said the authority has been contacted about the allocation because of his personal funding.
“The role of the Economic Development Authority would be to have bonds issued for this,” he said. “At this point, it hasn’t happened, so it will be at this point. “
Kendrick was approached more than a year ago through “someone who was running with the Cardinale family, and was invited to meet to give an imaginable idea about what you would think about the property,” he said.
“We had those discussions for several months, and I temporarily learned that it can be a game-changer for all of Augusta,” Kendrick said.
The closed mall has alternated like a civic white elephant and political football since Regency’s last big tenant, Ward, left in 2001 after the company filed for bankruptcy.
In recent years, formal and informal proposals have been made through local officials and citizens on how ownership of the mall can be reallocated. Suggestions included transforming Regency into a grocery shopping mall; a judicial or other government office; a sports stadium; and a study area for filmmakers.