Laney Walker/Bethlehem, Augusta, Georgia

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Laney Walker/Bethlehem is a long-term redevelopment project on 1,100 acres in the heart of Augusta, Georgia encompassing two historic African American neighborhoods. Plans call for a mixed-income, mixed-use, sustainable neighborhood, much as the neighborhood was in its heyday. The aspirational plan calls for 10,000 residents, and $2.8 Billion of investment before it is fully implemented. The city of Augusta is working with two teams of consultants to implement the plan and has taken out bonds to finance the project.

CPAT assistance was requested to analyze the current bond structure to determine the best refinancing options, as well as to identify future funding streams to continue the project for 10 to 15 years. The team's report also reviews the staffing and how best to utilize the two primary consultant services in relation to the redevelopment project and gave an overall assessment of the implementation.

Meet the Team

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Team Leader

Carson Bise, AICP

Carson Bise is president of TischlerBise. He has 23 years of fiscal, economic, and planning experience and has developed and implemented fiscal impact models used for evaluating multiple land use scenarios, specific development projects, annexations, urban service provision, tax-increment financing, and concurrency/adequate public facilities monitoring. In seven years as a planner at the local government level, he coordinated capital improvement plans, conducted market analyses and business development strategies, and developed comprehensive plans. Bise has also written and lectured extensively on fiscal impact analysis and infrastructure financing.

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Team Member

Julie Franklin, AICP

Julie Franklin is a senior associate with Lawrence Group, a design, planning and development firm. For over two decades, Franklin has facilitated the creation and implementation of community-led plans focusing on local solutions and sustainability. She has built programs, development incentive packages, and public-private partnerships. Franklin previously served as economic development director for the City of Spartanburg and development manager for the City of Greenville, both in South Carolina, where she played a role in the revitalizing the cities' downtowns and surrounding neighborhoods. She holds a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from Clemson University.

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Team Member

Charles Graves, AICP

Charles Graves is director of the department of planning and buildings for the City of Cincinnati. Graves previously worked as the deputy director of long range planning in the Office of Planning for Washington, D.C. where he helped develop the comprehensive plan for the city. In his career he has also served as the commissioner of planning and community cevelopment in Atlanta, director of planning for Baltimore, and director of planning and development in Appleton, Wisconsin. He holds an MS in Community Economic Development from New Hampshire College and earned a Certificate of Advanced Study from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government Program.

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