Azalea Development reduces convention-center SPLOST ask to $18 million; parking deck not included

A representative for Azalea Development updated the Augusta City Commission on the Augusta Convention Center expansion request and said the current SPLOST ask has been reduced to $18,000,000 from a previously stated figure above $30,000,000.

The change matters for SPLOST 9 planning because the reduced amount would fund an expansion to add meeting space while parking-deck construction remains a separate item and would require additional funding.

Bridal England, representing Azalea Development and the convention-center project, told commissioners the current $18,000,000 request would “add an additional bay to the existing structure” and expand flexible meeting space above 50,000 square feet (to about 57,000 square feet). He said the parking-deck project is excluded from the $18,000,000 request and estimated earlier that a parking addition would cost roughly $10,000,000. The earlier, larger request (more than $30,000,000) had been revised to the current figure.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions and discussed the potential to attract larger conventions; Commissioner Francine Scott noted the local delegation and stakeholders are pursuing larger events and that expanded capacity is important to retain and attract conventions. Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Guilfoyle asked whether the $18,000,000 included parking; England said it did not. No formal motion or vote occurred; the presentation was informational and will be considered among other SPLOST requests.