North Augusta’s rapid growth sparks mixed reactions

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WJBF)- Major growth taking place in North Augusta. Several large multi use neighborhoods are under construction. That construction is bringing new businesses.

A Hobby Lobby recently opened in the old Bilo location in Edgewood Square. Several additional new businesses are coming to this shopping center and others are being built around the city.

But people who live there have mixed feelings about all this growth. Many are upset because they prefer the small town feel and don’t like the businesses coming to the city. Others are excited for some of the new businesses headed to North Augusta. Others are resigned.

“The growth is inevitable,” said Arthur Northrop, a former North Augusta resident.

With three large new residential developments on the way in North Augusta, the city is growing quickly.

Several oil and tire change companies and car washes have popped up across the city, leaving many people worried that too many of the same types of businesses are heading to North Augusta.

“One thing is, we’re running out of real estate pretty quick. And you do hate to see five oil change places go in within two miles. Or in my case, right around the corner we have three massage parlors on one block,” said city councilman Dennis Briatico.

Briatico added that he is worried that the city’s infrastructure can’t handle the current rate of new construction. He and Northrop agree that they wish more businesses, like the ones going into Edgewood Square, would set up shop in existing locations rather than building from scratch.

Burlington, Ulta and Five Below are rumored to be opening stores in Edgewood Square. Northrop doesn’t think it really doesn’t matters what businesses decide to open in the city.

“If they’re not providing a service that people need, they’re not going to make it anyway,” he said.

Also coming soon in North Augusta, a new free standing Aiken Regional emergency room is going in to North Hills Shopping Center on Martintown Road. The construction zone has already been blocked off, creating parking issues for businesses that are already there.

“I agree that we need that emergency room, that freestanding emergency room with imaging and everything that they’re going to have that we don’t have in some of our locations. I do hate to see that they blocked these businesses off with little to no warning,” said Briatico.

Northrop and his wife left North Augusta, moving to Trenton to escape the rapid growth. He tells me for many people living in north Augusta, the growth is too much too fast.

“I actually met a person the other day that was selling out and moving out into the further out of town. So there’s people here, that this is just so much of a change that they’re going to have a hard time adjusting,” Northrop said.

No word yet on when construction for the ER or the new businesses in Edgewood Square is set to begin. We’ll keep you updated as it progresses.