The Plaza to spark downtown destination at the center of Evans

News 12 NBC 26 at 6 O'clock / April 18, 2017

EVANS, GA. (WRDW/WAGT) -- The turn of a shovel marks the beginning of big development transforming the heart of Columbia County into something it never had.

"It's been a vision to have a Downtown Columbia County or Downtown Evans for a while." said Doug Duncan, Columbia County Commissioner District 1.

"I think the Evans Towne Center has been talked about for years, and now people are finally seeing it come out of the ground," said Lionel Prather, Senior Vice President Meybohm Development Group.

A silt fence marks the beginning of construction on phase one of a $60 million dollar investment.

"The goal there is to have people walk back and forth," said Prather, "We want people to eat and shop over there, and then go enjoy the park and come back and forth from events."

New video shows a clearer picture of The Plaza comprised of six buildings covering 150,000 square feet. It starts coming down a renovated Evans Towne Center Boulevard connecting Evans Towne Center to The Plaza. It then begins winding through a sea of restaurants, retail, and office space with walk able green space at the center. It ends at the future home of the performing arts center placed at the center of it all.

"At the end of the day, we wanted a quality project for the performing arts, The Plaza and connectivity to Lady A," said Prather.

One of the buildings includes a rooftop terrace, and the one thing county leaders are sure won't be a problem is parking.

"We're going to have plenty of parking," said Commissioner Duncan.

Both on street parking along with a parking deck, 2,000 parking spaces in all. It's a project years in the making that will create a brand new downtown.

"We're going to do the retail, We're going to do the Performing Arts Center. We have a park. We have a county library down the street. We have a courthouse next door. This is just to us the final stage of what Columbia County has already started," said Prather.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -- Columbia County is set to break ground on a new mixed-use development aimed at giving Evans a downtown area.

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held on Tuesday at 10 a.m. for The Plaza at Evans Towne Center. It will be built on the empty land currently across from Evans Towne Center Park and near the old Marshall Square.

A spokesperson for the county says The Plaza will feature restaurants, professional space, and retail. The project will be built by R.W. Allen Construction and the property will be managed by Meybohm Commercial.

According to a rendering on the Meybohm Commercial website, in addition to professional space and "top-level" retail in the "walkable lifestyle center," the center will also have a Performing Arts building, specialized restaurants, and will feature parks and green space. Meybohm also manages West Town Shopping Center in Martinez and the Riverwood Town Center in Evans.

R.W. Allen is no stranger to development in Columbia County. Notable construction projects include the original Evans Towne Center shopping center and the adjacent Evans Stadium Cinemas. They have also developed the more recent Evans Town Park, Shoppes at Camelot, and the Five Guys shopping plaza in Evans.

The project will be built in phases, and county leaders believe the project will be completed in a few years as retailers and investors roll in.