Big week ahead for the Augusta GreenJackets (Low A; Sally League) and their new home, SRP Park, as the team will host three important events, including Thursday night’s grand opener.
Tomorrow sees the first game played at the new North Augusta ballpark, with the North Augusta High School Yellow Jackets the home team in a soft opening expected to draw at least 3,000 or so fans. Then the ballpark will host an NCAA game, with University of Georgia taking on Clemson Tuesday.
Thursday night sees the GreenJackets home opener, with the Lexington Legends in town. That event will be the culmination of years of effort in bringing both a new ballpark and associated development to North Augusta. The city committed $70 million to Riverside Village development, while attracting $150 million in additional development.
To get an idea of how long big development projects take: it was first proposed almost six years ago, using the proceeds from a tax increment financing district. That TIF district was challenged in court and made it all the way to the South Carolina Supreme Court, which held unanimously that the TIF district was lawful and could proceed. From the Augusta Chronicle:
The development will include a Crowne Plaza hotel/conference center, first-floor retail with townhomes above, 280 luxury apartments, a senior living facility and an office building.
Restaurants and shops that ring the stadium will have entrances inside and outside, so they can serve people walking by as well as those attending a game. The apartments will have views into the stadium, and there will be a craft brewery next to right field.
It’s designed to appeal to millennials, who prefer to live close to where they work and play, choosing to walk or cycle rather than drive. Linking the Greeneway to Riverside Village and further into downtown has been a hot topic for a couple of years and has the support of North Augusta Forward, among others.
We’ll be down at SRP Park for the GreenJackets’ opener Thursday.
Photo courtesy Augusta GreenJackets.
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