Columbus' Riverwalk could soon have some competition in Clay County. The city of Fort Gaines is planning two development projects valued at more than $150 million dollars. The first project is an upscale riverfront development on the Chattahoochee River. Ft. Gaines is a sleepy town with a population just barely above 1,000. City and county leaders are hoping to boost that number with some multi-million dollar projects. "It's the most humongous thing I've ever heard of in Ft. Gaines," said Ft. Gaines Councilman Claude Cook. The plan is to turn this land into a river front development, with restaurants, homes, theaters, and retailers. The projects' price tag: 110 million dollars, which is all coming from private investors. "This is something that's been a dream for all of us. To be able to build something we want and the public wants, and to help the community we live in," said investor Ellie Saccente. Though the money is coming from the outside, the city will still have to take up some costs. But officials don't think it'll be a problem. "I believe the increased revenue from tourists and the citizens will offset some of the costs," said Cook. As for the construction, don't expect to see bulldozers and cranes around here anytime soon. Though it's an aggressive plan, city leaders don't want to disrupt their town's way of life. "We want to move up, but we want the pace to be slow. These investors like that vision. It's going to be a slow paced project. We're not going to overwhelm the community," said Carolyn Copelan, from the Economic Development Authority. Before the plans can go any farther, the river front land must be rezoned. Fort Gaines city council is looking over the rezoning applications right now. The groundbreaking is expected early next year. That's not the only multi-million dollar project in Clay County. Plans are also in the works to build a waste disposal facility, that would convert solid waste into bio-fuel, or raw compost. That project will cost more than $40 million dollars. Source: http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=5559328 |
