Heritage Pine

The Big Idea: This was the first revitalization area in the Laney Walker/Bethlehem Neighborhood

Time: 10 years

Details: During 2010, the City of Augusta made great strides in redevelopment of the historic Laney Walker and Bethlehem communities. The many groundbreakings, purchase of dilapidated homes for renovation or razing, and a unified vision for the entire area led to massive changes in this neighborhood district. In March 2011, the first home sale took place in Heritage Pine, the City’s flagship development in the overall revitalization of Laney Walker/Bethlehem. As then Housing Director Chester Wheeler stated, this is “a giant leap for the re-positioning of Augusta as a model city.” In September 2011, The Laney Walker/Bethlehem Redevelopment Initiative caught the eye of Harvard University’s School of Design, which author William Sankey, in its Student Journal on Real Estate, pronounced that the City’s “one-of-a-kind” role as master developer could be a potentially “game-changing” national model for public-private partnerships. The end of 2011 saw about 50% of Heritage Pine built out. Heritage Pine is the first of six key priority development areas for Laney Walker/Bethlehem. In 2017, there are only 3 lots on Pine Street remaining. One of the amenities on Pine Street that the homeowners really enjoy is a pocket park about half way down the street.

Progress: As of 2017, the majority of the homes on Pine Street have been sold and a pocket park has been installed to the delight of the Heritage Pine residents.