On Thursday, October 30, crews from the Public Works Department demolished a former gas station near the intersection of Spring Street and Riverside Drive to make way for a new trailhead for the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail. This new trailhead will provide a new connection between the Ocmulgee River, Downtown, and new, major developments coming to properties along Riverside Drive.

“Making our community more walkable and bikeable means we are connecting different areas in a much safer way, bringing people closer together throughout Downtown, East Macon, and surrounding neighborhoods,” says Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller.

“It is our goal to continue reactivating unused spaces of our urban core, providing people with additional living space, opportunities for continued educations, and more,” says Alex Morrison, UDA Executive Director. “This is an exciting time for this area of Downtown, from all the work coming along First Street, down Riverside Drive, and near the pedestrian entrance of the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park.

One of those developments will be the construction of a new conference center and hotel at 108 First Street (the site of the abandoned hotel that was imploded on January 1, 2025).

The other development preparing to begin construction is adjacent to the former gas station. Mercer University bought the property from the Urban Development Authority to serve as the new site of its Medical School and serve as a catalyst for the construction of lofts, restaurants, offices, retail space, and a hotel.

“Developing a riverfront home for the Mercer University School of Medicine seizes a unique opportunity to construct a stunning new facility designed to meet the needs of a growing student population with 21st century technology at an important gateway into Macon,” Underwood said. “The overall impact on Downtown Macon will be transformational, in building on the highly successful revitalization efforts of the past decade.”

The Ocmulgee Heritage Trail and reimagining of Riverside Drive will connect this area and these new developments to the East Bank development along Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, the new Macon Coliseum, Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, and Mill Hill Arts Village.