New Apartments Coming to Downtown Augusta and implications to Rental Rates

Damon Cline reported on Monday that Downtown Augusta will see one of the first downtown multifamily projects in decades at the corner of 10th and Ellis next year.  Known as “Connell’s Corner”, and long home to the local favorite “Sandwich City”, the property will soon be the home to a new high-end four-story apartment building. 

‘It will boast a covered and gated 57-space parking lot, ground floor retail/restaurant space, a rooftop patio and high-tech features such as keyless entry – the types of amenities that appeal to urban-minded young professionals migrating to the downtown area.’

The story was broken by Damon Cline, who also shared some statistics and details about the overall rental market in Augusta.  Overall, apartment rents are rising quickly, and what was once considered a “Class-A”  apartment renting at $1.15-$1.25/SF/Month, has been eclipsed by new super-luxury apartments renting at $1.30-$1.40/SF/Month.  This new class of apartments come equipped with similar finishes found in luxury homes, including granite and high-end appliances.

We recently discussed charting rent curves and what they tell us about rent rates and forecasting rent rates.  I think this is a great case study.  Here’s what the rent curves for downtown apartments looks like:

You can download the spreadsheet here.   These are asking rates at the major downtown apartment complexes vs. downtown lofts and upstairs apartments.  You can see a big difference between the two.  I think what we’re seeing is that the curves are moving out–driven by a higher demand for downtown apartments like Canalside and Ironwood.  My guess is that the Atticus could probably plot a new curve–maybe ask $2.15 for their smallest units, and maybe $1.50-$1.65 for their larger ones.  If they’re successful with this project, I think we’ll start to see redevelopment of buildings that have up to now been impossible to redevelop with existing rental rates.  

What are your thoughts?  What are your observations about Augusta’s rental market?  Do you think Downtown will continue to grow and develop?