Redevelopment consistent with new urbanist principles is

Redevelopment consistent with new urbanist principles is getting underway in Beall’s Hill, a 30-block, mostly African-American neighborhood in Macon, Georgia. In November 2001 the Knight Program in Community Building conducted a charrette that produced the basic elements of a plan for bringing new housing and other improvements to the somewhat decayed neighborhood on the border of Mercer University. Since then, the city has adopted a more refined plan. Greg Popham, executive director of Beall’s Hill Development Corp., a private company set up by the city and four corporate partners to serve as land developer for the project, says builders will start by this September on construction of the first 38 dwellings. They will be a mix of detached houses, two-family attached units, and a seven-unit condominium arranged around a courtyard. Prices will range from a little over $90,000 to $230,000. The development ultimately will have at least five phases, each with 32 to 38 dwellings that will be subject to strict guidelines for roof pitches, porches, landscaping, and materials. Total investment, including street improvements and other public amenities, is expected to reach $63 million or higher. Popham says approximately 65 percent of the land will remain with its current owners. “I think when this is all said and done, Beall’s Hill will be looked at as Georgia’s most successful infill project because of the size and comprehensive nature of it — single family, multifamily, limited commercial,” Popham told the Macon Telegraph.