Macon Magazine

August/September 2025 | maconmagazine.com 81 NewTown Macon is an independent nonprofit, making Downtown Macon safe, beautiful, fun, affordable, and locally led. Their comprehensive approach to downtown development has resulted in 83% storefront occupancy, 89% loft occupancy, and 1M+ annual event attendance. A COLLECTIVE VISION OF LEADERSHIP. I'm reminded of an interesting concept, that of a "community trustee," someone who holds the entire community in trust and understands it's all interconnected. You can't hurt one place without eventually hurting another, and helping one area eventually helps others. Jacksonville, Florida, actually did this decades ago. They laid out a community-wide plan and came up with priorities. It took the community trustee folks who told people, "You're not first, but you're on the list – and here's when." People trusted it. It let them start with the lowest hanging fruit, create energy and investment, and get a foothold. Then it began to grow out. So, to the people in our neighborhoods that aren't living downtown, I say be patient, but be ready. LOOKING AHEAD, WHAT'S ANOTHER PROJECT BESIDES YOUR OWN THAT EXCITES YOU? There's so many! The Mercer Medical School development, the new conference center, the D.T. Walton Way project next to City Hall. Studies show downtown can absorb 200 new residential units a year for the next five years. Neel's is one of the biggest projects that's been done, and we'll be 95. There's this pent-up demand. Are we worried about those projects competing with us? Maybe a little, but there is so much demand that if we don't keep delivering new product, I worry that downtown will stagnate. FOR SOMEONE MOVING TO MACON OR VISITING FOR THE FIRST TIME, HOW SHOULD THEY SPEND A FRIDAY NIGHT DOWNTOWN? Do what you like! Eat, drink, hear live music, check out a rooftop bar, or head down to a speakeasy in a basement. We've got it all. At the end of your meal, chat with the people next to you in the next table – which sounds dumb, but I've lived here all my life and had some of my best conversations with new folks at the table next to us – especially younger folks. Just as you've wound down and you're sitting five feet away from somebody, strike up a conversation. If you put yourself out there, Macon will swallow you up in a wonderful way. Macon just seems to have a way of getting into of people's hearts and they love it. If they don't get connected, people feel like they're on the outside. My advice is, find a way to get on the inside. People very much want you on the inside, but sometimes you have to start the conversation. Want to build up Downtown Macon yourself? Go to newtownmacon.com to sign up for business resources today. "When you think of the leverage, it didn't cost NewTown a whole lot to do that. They didn't have to fund a building, they didn't have to buy a piece of ground, they didn't have to do any of that. They just had to teach people." redevelopment or improvement, it tends to get a toehold, and then you can build out from there. If you think about Macon, the neighborhoods that probably need some help next are clustered around downtown in a ring. But downtown hasn't reached critical mass yet. We're getting close, but if we stop now, momentum could stall. In a few more years, I think we'll see that energy radiate out into surrounding areas. Neighborhoods need to start getting ready for that now: organize, identify leaders, get people involved. Downtown didn't get here because of outside folks coming in. We keep talking about local developers and local investment. The people who were property owners and ran businesses downtown helped make downtown. It's going to take people that look at their own homes and businesses in those neighborhoods and say, what are the tools we need to fix this?

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