With $12.7 million worth of new projects started during the last six months of 2018, commercial construction in Statesboro remained on track with the two previous years, since $25.4 million worth of commercial construction was launched during fiscal year 2017 and $21.6 million worth during fiscal 2018, which ended June 30.

But when interim Assistant City Manager Frank Neal reported to City Council in February, the  "coming soon" segment of his presentation showed commercial and mixed-use projects not yet under construction with projected values totaling more than $210 million, ranging from fast-food restaurant reconstructions to supermarkets and a soccer stadium.

Two big years

While first summing up values of commercial and residential development from the past two years and what these were worth to the city in permit fees, Neal, who is also the city’s planning and development director, also highlighted a few of the highest-valued projects.

Now complete, J.C. Lewis Ford’s relocation of its dealership from outside the city limits to 6922 Veterans Memorial Parkway involved a $5 million construction investment by the company.

“Of course they were located in the county and relocated to the city, and they are also in the TAD district, so we’re excited to have that new development there,” Neal said.

The new J.C. Lewis Ford is the last developed property southbound in the South Main Street or “Blue Mile” Tax Allocation District, which captures revenue from rising property values for redevelopment work. 

Also in the TAD, the West District opened on South College Street last year. The value of just the development that has occurred there so far, including Whitfield Signs’ new location, was valued at $560,000.

“That does not include the rest of the development that’s going to take place there,” Neal said. “I think that’s going to be another big improvement for the TAD and the downtown area.”

New investment in Freedom Place, the shopping center on Independence Way off Fair Road that includes McKeithen’s True Value Hardware and the Shuckin’ Shack, was valued at $2,050,000. The construction cost of the new Wendy’s on Northside Drive was estimated at $450,000. 

Developed within the existing Southern Square shopping center on Northside Drive East, Loc’s Chicken & Waffles involved a reported investment of about $300,000, and the Rolling Monkey, about $110,000. Nearby, the new building that houses Aspen Dental and the AT&T store cost about $800,000 to build.

A little farther out Northside Drive East, Harbor Freight Tools developed its building for a reported $870,000.

The new Waffle House at Eddie Rushing Drive was listed as a $263,000 investment for construction permitting.

The Home 2 Suites hotel, with 96 rooms on Brampton Drive, reportedly cost $7.5 million to build; the Five Below store at Statesboro Crossing, approximately $900,000. Enterprise Car Rental, which moved across Northside Drive East, invested $140,000 in its new location. The Five Points convenience store on Northside Drive West had a reported construction cost of $150,000.

Under construction

Projects listed as “under construction” in Neal’s report included Northland Communications’ new building, with a construction value of $800,000, on East Vine Street; East Georgia Oral and Facial Surgery’s office on Brampton Avenue, $2.2 million; Southern Family Medicine’s $1.56 million building and Ankle & Foot Associate’s $843,500 building at Springhill Drive and Bermuda Run; and nearby, Colony Bank’s building transformation for roughly $1 million and Core Credit Union’s all-new construction costing about $3 million.

Crossfit Boro gym on S&S Railroad Bed Road was expected to cost about $570,000 to build, and the Stay Plus Suites hotel on Highway 67, about $3 million.

‘Coming soon’

If all of that sounded like a boom, the forward-looking “coming soon” segment of Neal’s report added up to an even boomier $210.9 million total. However, the cost estimate for one portion of it, the Old Register Road TAD, is less certain and more long-term.

Neal first listed the planned new Checker’s restaurant, with a $450,000 construction estimate, and the Chick-fil-A reconstruction, at $1.5 million, both on Northside Drive East, as “coming soon.”

Next, the $3 million, 19,787-square-foot ALDI grocery store at Statesboro Crossing was also included in that category. Since Neal spoke, a building permit was issued and site preparation work has begun.

But also listed as “coming soon” was the entire $160 million development inside the Old Register Road TAD, to begin in earnest with the groundbreaking at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday for the Tormenta FC soccer stadium complex. An announcement about a larger grocery store to be built nearby is expected at that time.

But the buildout of the entire Old Register TAD area – if all retail, office and residential aspects are realized – is projected to last into 2025, and that overall cost remains speculative.

Finally, the new Engineering and Research Building for which Georgia Southern University broke ground in December was listed at its construction price of $46 million.

Residential uptick

In the last two and a half years, the value of commercial development inside the city limits far exceeded the value of residential projects, but Neal reported a recent surge in residential activity.

“In (fiscal) 2019, really just our half-year point that we’ve gone up to, about six months, it looks like we’re basically on track  (in commercial) and really doing really well in residential development,” he told the mayor and council.

In fact, the $7.15 million value of residential construction projects issued permits during those last six months of 2018  exceeded the average 12-month total of the previous two fiscal years, $6.53 million, based on fiscal 2017 project costs of $5.17 million and fiscal 2018 residential projects worth $7.89 million.

Neal also spotlighted some major residential developments, but that’s another story.

Herald reporter Al Hackle may be reached at (912) 489-9458.