AUGUSTA-RICHMOND COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2 – POPULATION CHAPTER 3 – HOUSING CHAPTER 4 – ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 5 – TRANSPORTATION CHAPTER 6 – COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES CHAPTER 7 – HISTORIC RESOURCES CHAPTER 8 – NATURAL RESOURCES AND GREENSPACE CHAPTER 9 – LAND USE CHAPTER 10 - INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION CHAPTER 11 – STATE QUALITY COMMUNITY OBJECTIVES TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION 1 THE COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT 1 THE PLAN DEVELOPMENT PROCESS 2 PUBLIC CONSULTATION 2 PRELIMINARY ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES 2 CHAPTER 2 - POPULATION 8 INTRODUCTION 8 THE PLANNING AREA 8 POPULATION AND HOUSEHOLD TRENDS 8 Race and Sex Characteristics 13 Population by Age 15 Educational Attainment 16 Income 19 Population by Census Tracts 22 POPULATION, HOUSEHOLD AND EMPLOYMENT PROJECTS 23 Population Projections 23 Household and Housing Projections 24 Employment Projections 24 ASSESSMENT 26 Population and Households 26 Race and Ethnicity 27 Age of the Population 27 Educational Attainment 28 Income and Poverty 28 CHAPTER 3 – HOUSING 29 INTRODUCTION 29 RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS 29 HOUSING UNIT TRENDS 29 HOUSING TENURE 33 VACANT HOUSING UNITS 34 AGE OF HOUSING 35 HOUSING COST AND AFFORDABILITY 36 HOUSING CONDITIONS 40 HOUSING FOR THE HOMELESS AND SPECIAL NEEDS POPULATIONS 41 HOUSING PRODUCTION AND PROGRAMS 43 PUBLIC HOUSING 44 ASSESSMENT 44 Type and Location of Housing Units 44 Age and Occupancy Characteristics and Housing Conditions 45 Housing Cost and Affordability 46 Special Needs Housing 46 CHAPTER 4 – ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 47 INTRODUCTION 47 REGIONAL CONTEXT 47 Fort Gordon and the Savannah River Site 48 ECONOMIC BASE OF AUGUSTA 50 Employment by Sector 51 Wage Levels 53 Income and Earnings 54 LABOR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS 59 Labor Force and Employment 59 Labor Force Participation 60 Occupations 61 Commuting Patterns 62 RECENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES AND TRENDS 63 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES 65 Economic Development Agencies 65 Financing Mechanisms 69 ASSESSMENT 72 REGIONAL ECONOMIC CONTEXT 72 ECONOMIC BASE OF AUGUSTA 74 Employment, Wages and Income 74 Labor Force Participation and Commuting 73 ECONOMIC RESOURCES 74 CHAPTER 5 – TRANSPORTATION 75 INTRODUCTION 75 ROAD NETWORK 75 Interstates, Freeways and Expressways 75 Arterials 76 Collectors 77 Local Roads 77 RAIL TRANSPORTATION 77 TRUCKING, PORT FACILITIES AND AVIATION 78 Trucking 78 Port Facilities 78 Aviation 78 BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES 80 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION 80 ROAD USE AND CONDITIONS 81 Travel Characteristics 81 Street and Highway System 83 Intersection Problems 86 Vehicle Parking 87 Maintenance Activities 88 LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION 88 ASSESSMENT 89 Road and Bridge Needs 89 Vehicle Parking 92 Rail Transportation 93 Trucking 94 Aviation 95 Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities 96 Public Transportation 97 Transportation and Land Use 99 CHAPTER 6 – COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES 100 INTRODUCTION 100 GENERAL GOVERNMENT 100 PUBLIC SAFETY 101 Richmond County Sheriff's Office 102 Fire Protection 104 Emergency Medical Services 105 Animal Control 106 EDUCATION FACILITIES 106 RECREATION AND PARKS 107 WATER AND SEWER SYSTEMS 108 Water System 108 Finished Water Storage 111 Water Distribution System 111 Wastewater Treatment Facilities 113 STORMWATER MANAGEMENT 114 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT 116 CULTURAL FACILITIES 117 Libraries 117 Museums 118 Augusta Welcome Center 119 Fort Discovery 120 CIVIC CENTER AND SIMILAR FACILITIES 120 James Brown Arena 120 Bell Auditorium 120 Imperial Theatre 120 Sacred Heart Cultural Center 121 Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre 121 OTHER ATTRACTIONS 121 Riverwalk Augusta 121 Augusta Botanical Gardens 121 Augusta Common 122 Lake Olmstead Stadium 122 . Phinizy Swamp Nature Park 122 Springfield Village Park 122 Augusta Canal National Heritage Area 122 HOSPITALS AND HEALTH CARE FACILITIES 123 University Hospital 123 Charlie Norwood Veterans Administration Medical Center 124 Trinity Hospital of Augusta 124 Walton Rehabilitation Hospital 125 Doctors Hospital 125 East Central Regional Hospital at Augusta 125 Dwight David Eisenhower Army Medical Center 126 Medical College of Georgia (MCG) and Hospitals 126 Select Specialty Hospital 126 ASSESSMENT 127 CONSISTENCY WITH SERVICE DELIVERY STRATEGY 127 GENERAL GOVERNMENT 127 PUBLIC SAFETY 127 EDUCATION FACILITIES 128 PARKS AND RECREATION 129 WATER AND SEWER SYSTEMS 130 Future Water Needs 130 Projected Wastewater Flows 131 WATER AND WASTE 132 Water System Improvements 132 STORMWATER MANAGEMENT 135 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT 135 LIBRARIES AND CULTURAL FACILITIES 135 HOSPITALS AND HEALTH CARE FACILITIES 136 CHAPTER 7 – CULTURAL RESOURCES 137 HISTORY OF AUGUSTA 137 HISTORIC PROPERTIES AND DISTRICTS 139 ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES 142 HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACTIVITIES 143 Survey and Nomination 143 Property Restoration 144 Property Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse 145 Local Historic Preservation Programs 145 Participation in Preservation Programs 146 Historic Documents and Records 147 ASSESSMENT 147 CHAPTER 8 NATURAL RESOURCES & GREENSPACE 149 INTRODUCTION 149 AUGUSTA’S NATURAL ENVIRONMENT 149 Climate 149 Topography 150 ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING CRITERIA 150 Overview of Water Resources 151 Aquifer and Groundwater Recharge Areas 151 Recharge Areas with Low Susceptibility to Pollution 153 Recharge Areas with Medium Susceptibility to Pollution 153 Recharge Areas with High Susceptibility to Pollution 154 Wetlands 155 Water Supply Watersheds 157 Protected River Corridor 159 ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREAS 160 Floodplains 160 Soils 161 Agricultural and Forest Land 163 Plant and Animal Habitat 164 MAJOR PARKS, RECREATION AND CONSERVATION AREAS 165 Savannah River 165 Augusta Canal 165 Phinizy Swamp Wildlife Management Area 166 Phinizy Swamp Nature Park 166 Merry Brickyard Ponds 167 Spirit Creek Education Forest 167 AIR QUALITY 168 GREENSPACE PROGRAM 173 ASSESSMENT 174 Groundwater Recharge Areas 174 Wetlands 175 Water Supply Watersheds 175 Protected River Corridor 176 Floodplains 176 Soils 176 Other Significant Natural Resources 176 CHAPTER 9 – LAND USE 178 INTRODUCTION 178 LAND USE CATEGORIES 178 EXISTING LAND USE 180 AREAS REQUIRING SPECIAL ATTENTION 182 Significant Natural and Cultural Resources 182 Areas Where Rapid Development or Change of Land Use is Likely 182 Areas Where Development May Outpace Resources and Services 183 Areas in Need of Redevelopment and / or Aesthetic Improvements 183 Large Abandoned Structures or Sites 184 Areas with Significant Infill Opportunities 184 Areas with Significant Disinvestment 184 RECOMMENDED CHARATER AREAS (PRELIMINARY) 184 Downtown Augusta 185 Old Augusta Neighborhoods 185 West Augusta Area 187 South Augusta Area 187 East Augusta Area 188 Belair 188 South Richmond 189 Fort Gordon 189 Hephzibah 190 Blythe 190 CHAPTER 11 – STATE QUALITY COMMUNITY OBJECTIVES 195 INTERGOVERNMENTAL COORDINATION 195 STATE QUALITY COMMUNITY OBJECTIVES 197 Quality Community Objectives 198 LIST OF TABLES P-1 Population and Household Trends, 1980 – 2000 9 P-2 Comparison of Population Trends, 1990 – 2006 10 P-3 Recent Population and Household Trends, 2000 - 2010 11 P-4 Comparison of Population Trends, 2000 – 2006 12 Percent Chance in Population, 2000 – 2006 12 P-5 Population Trends by Race and Hispanic Origin, 2000 – 2010 13 Population of Racial Trends 14 P-6 Population by Sex, 2000 – 2010 14 P-7 Trends in Population by Age 15 Age Distribution Projects 16 P-8 Education Attainment 17 P-9 Selected Education Statistics 18 P-10 Total Personal Income Trends 19 P-11 Household and Per Capita Trends 20 P-12 Household Income Distribution Trends 21 Percent Population below Poverty Level 22 P-13 Population Projects, 2005 – 2030 23 P-14 Household and Housing Unit Projects 24 P-15 Employment Projects, 2010 – 2030 25 H-1 Total Housing Units, 1990 – 2006 30 Housing Unit Trends, 1960 – 2006 30 H-2 Housing Unit Trends, 2000 – 2006 31 Percent Change in Housing Units, 2000 – 2006 32 Units in Structure (Percent) 33 Residential Building Permits, 2000 - 2006 33 H-4 Housing Tenure, 2006 34 H-5 Housing Vacancy Status, 2000 35 H-6 Year Structure Built, 2006 36 H-7 Supply of Affordable Housing, 2000 36 Median Value, Owner Occupied Housing, 2006 37 Median Monthly Rent, 2006 38 Percent Cost Burdened Homeowners, 2006 39 Percent Cost Burdened Renters, 2006 40 Percent Overcrowded Housing Units 41 H-8 Housing Needs of the Homeless, 2005 41 Employment Trends, Savannah River Site 49 E-1 Employment Trends by Sector, 2002 – 2006 51 E-2 Employment Projects, 2010 – 2030 52 E-3 Comparison of Sector Employment, 2006 52 E-4 Wage Levels by Industry, 2002 – 2006 53 E-5 Household and Per Capita Income Trend 54 E-6 Richmond County Income as a Percent of Georgia and United States 55 E-7 Sources of Personal Income by Type, 1990 – 2000 56 E-8 Sources of Personal income by Type, 2005 – 2025 57 E-9 Earnings by Sector, 1980 – 2006 57 E-10 Projected Earnings by Sector, 2010-2030 58 E-11 Percent Earnings by Sector 58 E-12 Resident Labor Force, Annual Average, 2006 59 E-13 Labor Force and Employment Trends, 1990 – 2006 60 Unemployment Rate Trends 60 E-14 Labor Force Participation Rates, 1990 and 2000 61 E-15 Percent Employment by Occupation, 2006 62 E-16 Commuting Patterns, 1990 and 2000 62 E-17 Commuting Patterns, 2000 62 Recent Business Investment Augusta-Richmond County 64 Ten Largest Employers in Richmond County 64 T-1 Means of Transportation to Work 82 Travel time to work, 2006 82 T-2 Level-of-Service Standards for Urban Arterials 83 T-3 Road Segments Level of Service