Pending approval from the Watkinsville City Council, construction will begin later in 2024 with a completion date of 2026.

Contrary to some retellings, we conducted a traffic study through Travis Pruitt & Associates, one of the most trusted civil engineering firms in Georgia and a locally based business in Oconee County, and it determined that eight out of nine evaluated intersections near 15 South will operate at acceptable levels of traffic flow. The other one will see a slight increase in traffic due to its proximity to the site, but that increase can be mitigated through other enhancements throughout the area.

The traffic study from Travis Pruitt & Associates outlines a series of recommendations that, collaborating closely with the local and state government, can mitigate the impact of traffic. Additionally, crucial to our approach to managing traffic flow is the creative mixture of tenants, ranging from full-time residents to office workers to retail customers. This will ensure any traffic will be dispersed throughout the day.

Lastly, the Watkinsville City Council is continuing to advocate a bypass that would remove heavy trucks and extraneous traffic from the downtown area.

On the contrary, growth is a sign of a healthy, vibrant community, and we’re grateful to work with the City of Watkinsville on an innovative readaption of this site. The key is to embark on responsible growth, and this project is an example of that, effectively reusing an underutilized space and bringing it back to life with a mixture of offerings for the community, from a needed grocery store to new greenspace.

As discussion around the proposed rail trail project continues, 15 South figures to be perfectly located for residents and guests to be able to enjoy a walk or bike ride, connecting Watkinsville and Athens.

We are not marketing 15 South as a student-living destination. Our vision is for a healthy mixture of residents, ranging from young families who are just starting out to retirees seeking to live closer to the vibrancy and charm of downtown Watkinsville.

We envision developing a project that offers a small percentage of our housing units at a slightly below market rate to make it a little more attainable for middle-class families, as well as teachers, police officers and first responders who serve our community.

It will not be “affordable housing” that is drastically priced below market rates and solely allocated to a particular population in need.

We have offered 15,000 square feet of office space to the City of Watkinsville to relocate City Hall to 15 South, giving them first right of refusal to utilize the property. Our goal is to build a new center of community for Watkinsville, and we would be honored to welcome them to 15 South.

Each development across Oconee County varies with regard to tenant makeup, price point and audiences served. There is a high demand for office space across the community with downtown Watkinsville almost completely booked, and our price point for both office and commercial space is roughly half than what is being offered at other large-scale developments.

We already have seen a good bit of interest in our project, including securing an agreement for a grocery store tenant in Oconee Made should the project move forward.

Oconee Made is our first tenant, and it will be a locally owned and operated grocery store that will serve Watkinsville and beyond. It will feature locally sourced produce, meats and other groceries.