Construction has officially begun on the Cotton Avenue Plaza Expansion! On Wednesday, November 2, local leaders, business owners, the design and construction teams, and others celebrated with a Groundbreaking Ceremony at the intersection of Cherry Street, Second Street, and Cotton Avenue. You can watch the full ceremony here.
The Plaza Expansion comes as a result of the Macon Action Plan (MAP), which was developed using community input, needs, and resources to plan for green spaces and parks, street and parking changes, and other upgrades in our Urban Core.
“This greenspace was identified in the Macon Action Plan as one of three signature greenspaces that augment and create a more inclusive and inviting urban core for citizens of our community,” said Director of Planning and Public Spaces and Urban Development Authority (UDA) Executive Director Alex Morrison. “This space was particularly identified because of its historic location at the heart of our urban grid. We’re excited to provide this greenspace that will assist businesses, citizens, and pedestrians who will have a better overall environment.”
The diagonal portion of Cotton Avenue, which runs from the Mulberry Street Lane to where Lawrence Mayer Florist is located, has permanently closed (See map below.) Throughout the construction process, other closures and traffic shifts will occur as well. Construction is expected to last approximately six to eight weeks.
“It’s amazing to see this happening in our community,” said Justin Andrews with the Otis Redding Foundation. “This is going to bring great visibility to this part of town and make the area safer for people enjoying these surrounding businesses.
This $650,000 project is funded by the voter-approved SPLOST, and funds from the Urban Development Authority and Community Foundation of Central Georgia. This will expand the park area in every direction and add green space, benches, landscaping, and other beautification efforts.
About the Macon Action Plan
Development of the Macon Action Plan began in 2014 and was originally published in October 2015. It was updated in 2020 with new input from our ever-growing community members and downtown businesses. Since the completion of the first plan for Macon’s Urban Core, Downtown has seen $5 million in foundation grants, and more than $400 million of additional public and private investment in Downtown. So far, 92 percent of the strategies from the original plan have been implemented.
More than 2,500 individual people contributed to the Macon Action Plan through in-person sessions, interviews, surveys, small group meetings, and through the 21-person steering committee. Visit MaconActionPlan.com to learn more.