‘Retail follows rooftops.’ $25M loft project may boost downtown Macon’s revitalization

Becky Purser

A $25 million mixed-use development proposed for the heart of downtown that’s expected to add 95 luxury lofts and three new storefronts is gaining momentum.

“It’s a great project for downtown,” said Josh Rogers, NewTown Macon’s president and CEO. “It really hits every piece of what we want to have happen for downtown.

“As we add more lofts, new people move into downtown. There’s new people shopping, new businesses, and it just creates this virtuous cycle that keeps downtown revitalization on the move street by street, block by block.”

The project from local developer Robert “Robbo” Hatcher of Macon calls for the construction of a more than 107,000-square-foot, four-story building where the old Joseph N. Neel and Blair’s stores now stand on Cherry and Third streets.

The proposal recently won unanimous support from the Macon-Bibb County Design & Review Board and next goes before the Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission for consideration on Monday.

In addition to NewTown Macon and the Design & Review Board, the project also has the support of the Neel family, the Historic Macon Foundation and the Urban Development Authority.

The project is known as Neel’s Lofts.

Neel’s Lofts project rendering.
Neel’s Lofts project rendering.

Paying homage

The original “Jos. N. Neel” sign is expected adorn the top of the new L-shaped building above its Cherry Street side.

“The plan is to reuse the signage — that beautiful script that’s on the front of Neel’s building on the Cherry Street side — to restore that sign and put it on top of the new building to sort of make homage to the history of the property,” Rogers said.

The old Joseph N. Neel store that later became Blair’s Too in downtown Macon.
The old Joseph N. Neel store that later became Blair’s Too in downtown Macon.

Before purchasing the former store buildings in August 2020, the Hatcher family worked for more than two years with the Historic Macon Foundation to obtain historic tax credits to provide a cost-effective way to save the structures but the buildings failed to qualify for the financing.

Another challenge that wasn’t able to be overcome was related to adding windows on the upper floors.

“I hate to see any historic building go away but int his particular instance, there was really no way to figure out how to get these buildings back into use without residential space and you can’t have residential space without windows,” Rogers said.

Neel’s Lofts rendering.
Neel’s Lofts rendering.

Lofts in high demand

The demand for downtown lofts exceeds supply. The occupancy rate is at 100% and there’s a waiting list to find a downtown loft, according to NewTown Macon.

Also, downtown Macon can absorb 200 lofts per year, according to a 2019 feasibility study done for NewTown Macon by Zimmerman Volk.

Currently, there are 711 market-rate lofts in downtown Macon plus another 200 subsidized lofts, for a total of 911 lofts, Rogers said.

“Last year we added fewer than 50 and the market demand is somewhere around 200,” he said. “We’ve never even gotten close to adding 200 units.”

The closest to reaching that marker was the addition of 137 new lofts with the construction of the Lofts at Capricorn on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Rogers said. The lofts were completed in March 2018.

“It’s substantially smaller than Capricorn but it’s going to have a major impact,” Rogers said. “The adage is retail follows rooftops, and downtown’s revitalization has been driven by residential development.

“So as people move into the lofts, those are the people shopping at the stores and restaurants .. So having (at least 95 more) people moving onto Cherry and Third streets is going to have a major boost for additional businesses to open.”

The NewTown Macon board has approved making a $4 million equity investment into the $25 million project, which would make NewTown Macon part owners, according to Rogers.

The Neel’s Lofts project calls for the construction of a 107,000-square-foot, four-story building where the old Joseph N. Neel and Blair’s stores now stand in downtown Macon. A recent photo and what’s planned.
The Neel’s Lofts project calls for the construction of a 107,000-square-foot, four-story building where the old Joseph N. Neel and Blair’s stores now stand in downtown Macon. A recent photo and what’s planned.

What’s planned

As submitted to the Design & Review Board, plans for the 95 luxury loft apartments include 67 studio units, 20 one-bedroom units, two other one-bedroom units with an office and six two-bedroom units.

Plans also include two small 1,000-square-foot retail bays fronting Cherry Street on each side of the main entrance to the lofts.

Additionally, the plans include nine executive offices as well as a 3,500-square-foot retail/restaurant space facing Third Street.

The Neel’s Lofts project calls for the construction of a 107,000-square-foot, four-story building where the old Joseph N. Neel and Blair’s stores now stand in downtown Macon. A recent photo and what’s planned.
The Neel’s Lofts project calls for the construction of a 107,000-square-foot, four-story building where the old Joseph N. Neel and Blair’s stores now stand in downtown Macon. A recent photo and what’s planned.
Neel’s Lofts project site
Neel’s Lofts project site
Corner of Third and Cherry streets in downtown Macon.
Corner of Third and Cherry streets in downtown Macon.

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