New shopping center under discussion for Columbia County

Published: May. 27, 2022 at 11:16 PM EDT
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COLUMBIA COUNTY. (WRDW/WAGT) - The Columbia County Planning commission is considering a new shopping center on Columbia Road.

We have a first look at the plans and a possible layout for the storefront at the intersection of Hereford Road and Lewiston Road

We spoke to the project developer and a neighbor about the project.

“I’ve seen it grow up quite a bit. I was here when this was all just woods,” said Rudy Altman, Four Oaks resident.

Altman has been living in the area for the past 17 years and just retired from the military back in August. He lives in Four Oaks, and his forested backyard could become a shopping center.

“I think it’s good for the community. It brings jobs that we need. They’re definitely going to have to widen Columbia Road and probably do some work on Hereford Farm,” he said.

The plan for what’s being called ‘McAlhaney Square’ shows a parking lot with four buildings. The largest is labeled as retail/grocery and is almost 29,000 square feet. It would border the Four Oaks subdivision and Lewis Memorial United Methodist Church.

T.R. Reddy, McAlhany Square developer, said: “Behind the church and the shopping center, you see a lot of new houses. More and more development is going that side.”

Reddy is a longtime developer in Augusta.

He’s responsible for the Holiday Inn on Broad Street. He’s set to speak at the planning commission meeting on June 2, going over the project and taking suggestions.

They’ll do a traffic study and release more designs within two to three months. New development in a growing area, but we’ll wait and see if these roads can handle more.

Altman said: “It’s a growing city, and I like it, but I just think they need to add more sidewalks and make it more pedestrian-friendly.”

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