Augusta commission authorizes condemnations to keep Willis Foreman road widening on schedule

The Augusta-Richmond County Commission voted March 31 to authorize staff to pursue condemnation of any properties tied to the Willis Foreman Road widening project that cannot be settled through negotiation or cleared of title issues.

General counsel explained the practical reasons for condemnation requests: several parcels have title problems or liens, some owners and the county appraiser differ on price, and a small number of properties appear to require court action to fix defects. The engineering team and counsel told the commission that the full project covers roughly 262–264 parcels; about 60 remained outstanding and staff estimated roughly 20 parcels may need condemnation if negotiations fail. Counsel said authorizing condemnation in advance will shorten the schedule by three to four weeks for parcels that cannot be closed by agreement.

Why it matters: The commission heard that failing to acquire necessary parcels would prevent the county from issuing a notice to proceed and could jeopardize fiscal-year funding and the project schedule.

Action taken: The commission approved companion consent items to permit condemnation for unresolved parcels and authorized staff to proceed for parcels that cannot be resolved by negotiation.

Next steps: Staff will continue negotiations where possible but will proceed with condemnation filings for the identified parcels that remain unresolved to keep the overall project timeline intact.