Macon-Bibb County is set to announce architects for a jail expansion and new arena at a called meeting of the Macon-Bibb County Commission on Sept. 23.
As leaders explore opportunities under the 2025 $450 million SPLOST collection that has yet to begin, at least four new construction projects have already made it to the design phase.
In recent months, the county’s procurement office solicited bids for the jail, arena and downtown convention center hotel that’s designed to complement other nearby projects, namely Mercer University’s Renaissance on the River.
Mayor Lester Miller intends to secure public-private funding partnerships for these major construction projects. He led the county to purchase property to exercise control over the design and development.
The Macon Newsroom continues to track the progress of these proposals and will provide regular project updates.
Jail expansion plans
After multiple deaths, the escape of four inmates in 2023, social media reports of filth and rats, overcrowding and concerns over inmate mental health, Macon-Bibb is proceeding with plans to build onto the current jail.
Over many years, Bibb County Sheriff David Davis appealed for funds to tighten security and prevent tampering of cell locks that allowed inmates to roam freely in the 1979 building that was last expanded in 2007.
In 2021, Davis said millions of dollars in improvements were needed to bring the jail up to security standards.
More recently, the county considered building an entirely new jail, but cost projections ran into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
In June, Macon-Bibb solicited bids from architects interested in drawing plans for a new maximum security wing with 100 to 150 beds, including segregated areas for those suffering from mental health issues and a separate healthcare unit.
The cost is expected to run between $28 million and $32 million, Miller said, and the project could be completed within 18 months.
Before hearing from design firms, the county originally intended to close a portion of Hawthorne Street to make room for the new addition. Thursday, Miller said a revised plan calls for the new wing to be built on the site of the current parking lot off First Street.
“It allows for us to have a more safe and secure build outside the perimeter,” Miller said.
Construction can be done in phases and proceed without disturbing the existing building, he said, which limits exposure of work crews to inmates.
The James F. Higgins Memorial Complex at 651 Hazel St. that currently houses law enforcement offices will be demolished to make way for a new parking lot to replace the old one, under the revised plan.
The design calls for pre-fabricated steel cells to be installed which could be removed and used when the county builds a whole new law enforcement center years into the future, Miller said.
The county’s chosen architect must prioritize “safety, functionality, and humane environment for maximum security, mental health, and medical needs for all occupants,” according to the procurement department’s request for qualifications.
Arena includes luxury suites
Macon-Bibb County plans to break ground next summer in the parking lot of the Macon Coliseum for a 200,000-square-foot arena, Miller said.
The county recently launched a search for a construction manager to work closely with designers, the county and MFA, the project management firm hired in June for the arena that has a budget cap of $225 million, according to county documents.
In 2023, Visit Macon’s feasibility and impact study projected upgrades to the Macon Coliseum and Wilson Convention Center would be key to supporting economic growth and development.
The project is expected to take about two years to create bowl-type seating with a capacity of about 8,500 in an “end-stage, 180-degree concert configuration” that can be adjusted for sports and other entertainment acts. Additional chairs could bring capacity up to 12,000.
The facility will “incorporate modern fan amenities such as clubs, concessions, restrooms, and integrated technologies, as well as back-of-house and support spaces,” according to procurement documents.
The state-of-the-art civic arena will include a parking deck providing 1,200 spaces and additional surface parking, and provide luxury suites, club suites and loge boxes.
In late April, local leaders on the NewTown-Visit Macon Intercity Tour of Baltimore toured the renovated CFG Bank arena and its luxury suites.
The Oak View Group, or OVG, the same firm that books shows at the Macon Coliseum, City Auditorium and Atrium Health Amphitheater, pumped $250 million into that 1962 multipurpose arena, theater and ice rink. The renovation corrected acoustic issues and converted space under the seats to private suites, which help enhance the guest experience and generate additional revenue.
Unlike Baltimore, Macon-Bibb chose to start from the ground up on a new building that will feature luxury seating. The new facility is expected to go up on the Interstate 16 side of the parking lot near the old Chamber of Commerce site so as not to interfere with scheduled events at the Coliseum.
A new entrance from the recently rebuilt Second Street Bridge will include a pedestrian crossing that connects the arena to downtown and the proposed new civic center district.
Civic Center, riverfront project
Mayor Miller said the county is close to inking a deal with a developer for a new convention center hotel at 108 First St. in downtown.
Macon-Bibb’s new civic center will dovetail into the long-awaited Renaissance on the River project including a new home for Mercer University’s School of Medicine for a combined projected cost of about $400 million.
Gateway 75, which also is developing the new D.T. Walton Lofts and parking garage being built by Piedmont Construction behind City Hall, retained TVS architects and designers to provide a conceptual plan for the new civic center complex that will provide convention space within walking distance of downtown bars and restaurants.
The county envisions 120,000 square feet of exhibition or ballroom space with at least 220 hotel rooms in a mid-rise building with an attached parking deck. The full cost of the civic center portion won’t be known until the design is finalized.
The developer also would have the first right of refusal to develop an additional 200-key hotel across Riverside Drive by working with Gateway 75 and Mercer University on the new School of Medicine complex.
The Renaissance on the River project includes medical offices, apartments, retail and parking decks off Riverside Drive near the Ocmulgee River.
Mercer University expects to invest about $80 million for its medical school and offices.
— Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities for The Macon Newsroom and can be reached at [email protected] or call 478-301-2976.
