Macon Magazine

86 maconmagazine.com | April/May 2025 C onstruction always seems to be happening in Macon– whether it's the never-ending I-16 I-75 interchange or the Atrium Health Amphitheater. As the city is growing and improving, part of the revitalization efforts includes adding more space for more people. A project that is now underway will result in 140 new apartment units and a six- level parking deck in the heart of downtown. It has been in the works since 2013. The Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority (UDA) has started construction on the D.T. Walton project, which will house apartment units and retail spaces in the section between DT Walton Sr. Way and Plum Street, and a parking deck behind City Hall. With the anticipated completion of the project being February 2027, more space to live and park will contribute to the local economy overall, allowing visitors and residents alike to access a part of downtown that is lacking in parking. Margaret Peth, UDA's operations manager and leader of the Park Macon system sees this as progress and growth in Macon. "Having local businesses is great not only for visitors and for residents to have a unique experience that they can't have anywhere else, but also help strengthen our local economy," she says. Peth grew up in Macon but left to get an education in other major cities, like Atlanta and Wilmington. Working as a grant writer with a nonprofit consulting firm got her hungry for other public-minded projects, so she decided to pursue an MPA. "When I started M A K I N G S P A C E F O R P R O G R E S S B e h i n d a l i t t l e a p p r e c i a t e d a s p e c t o f D o w n t o w n M a c o n r e v i t a l i z a t i o n i s a n a t i v e d a u g h t e r w h o i s d e d i c a t e d t o m a k i n g h e r h o m e t o w n a w e l c o m i n g p l a c e w i t h a b e t t e r q u a l i t y o f l i fe BY TALEEN HANNA | PHOTOS BY DSTO MOORE H O W S T U F F W O R K S grad school, I actually didn't know that city planning was a field, really," she said. "I just really fell in love with the entire field, the idea that we can shape our environment and our habitat." "When I was a kid, I would go to ballet at Ms. Weaver's dance studio on Poplar Street. I remember coming downtown, and it was empty. Most of the storefronts were abandoned," she said. "From 2014… we have just really saw a lot of development and growth thanks to the hard work of dedicated professionals and residents. Seeing Macon's transformation from when I was a little kid to when I was a very young adult, it really impacted me, seeing what was possible. I was so inspired by Macon's transformation that I decided to move back home." Strengthening Macon through its city planning is a passion of Peth's. "I knew that I wanted to do community development work in the community that I grew up in," she says. The advantage of knowing people in Macon and already having those relationships has served her well in her job at the UDA thus far. Peth was first at Planning and Zoning when the role at the UDA came up: "I was really interested in the scope of projects that the UDA oversees beyond just traditional planning, also economic development, program management, parks. Just – what is the UDA not involved in?" In her role, Peth is now in charge of ParkMacon, the downtown paid parking program, and serves as co-lead convener for the Reimagining the Civic Commons initiative. She's also connecting to other community organizations, now serving as a board member for Bike Walk Macon.

• Cover