Field of dreams: Some say Bibb Mill arts village and baseball could co-exist

An east Macon neighborhood could look radically different in a few years if plans unfold for an arts village and a separate mixed-use development anchored by a baseball stadium.

While efforts continue to turn part of the Mill Hill area into a place where artists live and work, Macon is expected to learn soon whether the former Bibb mill site is considered a prime location for a minor league baseball stadium.

If a feasibility study group says minor league baseball is viable in Macon and if it recommends the Bibb mill area for a stadium, those behind the arts village project and other officials say they're prepared to collaborate to ensure the two proposals work well together.

"No matter what's going to happen there, the county and the (Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority) will be involved in the project, so those communications lines will be open all the time," said Alex Morrison, executive director of the Macon-Bibb County Urban Development Authority. "The arts community would be very much in tune with what's going on."

In 2014, Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert, who did not return calls seeking comment for this story, unveiled tentative plans for a baseball stadium surrounded by restaurants, small hotels and a parking deck on 24 acres off Coliseum Drive across the street from the Macon Coliseum. Those plans include designs showing there is enough space for the stadium and other development, Chris Floore, Macon-Bibb spokeman, said.

Local officials are expected to learn in February the results of the baseball feasibility study that looked at the Bibb mill property as a possible stadium site.

"Our big hope is that any development that happens in that area will be a benefit to the residents in the neighborhood first and foremost and be an economic driver for residents," said Jonathan Harwell-Dye, director of creative placemaking for the Macon Arts Alliance, which is helping lead the revitalization of the Mill Hill arts village.

Floore said it's too early to tell how well the different projects might come together until a decision is made about a stadium or any other development. Any new projects would need to help revitalize the neighborhood while also maintaining the core.

"We wouldn't support bringing development in the neighborhood if we thought it was something that would harm the area," Floore said.

A multimillion dollar stadium would dramatically change the area but wouldn't hinder development of the arts village, where about $2 million in bonds has been used to buy 20-plus homes as part of an artists residence program, Morrison said.

Those homes will be restored into artist cottages and, along with a new linear park on an expanded Clinton Street, will create a grand entrance into the neighborhood that's backed up by the Ocmulgee National Monument.

The changes along Clinton Street would create "a communal space where the (arts village and stadium) would have a connection and a public greenspace. It would act as a buffer between the large scale development and the neighborhood arts village," Morrison said.

Since 2012, the former Bibb mill site has been part of a tax allocation district, which allows some property tax revenue in that area to be used for redevelopment. That plan for the TAD include mixed-used development of hotels, housing and retail offices.

Even before discussion of a baseball stadium, that area already was being primed for housing and commercial development, Morrison said.

"Even with that in mind, the concept of the arts village would be intact and integrate well," he said.

RESTORATION OF ARTS CENTER UNDERWAY

While the baseball stadium could be the anchor of Bibb mill development, repairs have started on the centerpiece of the arts village -- the Clinton Street Auditorium that's being turned into a community arts center.

The first phase of the project involves repairing the roof and stabilizing the nearly century-old building.

The estimated 18-month auditorium restoration is estimated to cost about $973,000, although that figure does not include possible improvements to lighting and other features, Harwell-Dye said.

The County Commission is expected to vote Tuesday on providing a total of about $813,000 from blight bond funds to the auditorium's repairs. The goal is for the center to become a place that brings the neighborhood's residents together for meetings, events and performances.

"We expect the artists living in the area to be able to utilize the center and park to engage the community," Harwell-Dye said.

STUDY COULD DETERMINE FUTURE OF BASEBALL IN MACON

Macon-Bibb officials are waiting on the findings of the $50,000 baseball feasibility study performed by Washington D.C.-based firm B&D Venues.

The former Bibb mill location and the existing Luther William Field are among 10 potential Bibb County stadium sites examined in the feasibility study. B&D Venues Vice President Bill Mykins declined to name the other locations.

He also declined to discuss the findings prior to meeting with the County Commission, which he said will likely happen in February.

"It was a pretty comprehensive analysis," Mykins said. "We cast the net pretty wide and didn't throw out sites without taking a look at them."

Minor league baseball in Macon came to a halt in 2002 after the Atlanta Braves Class-A affiliate, the Macon Braves, moved to Rome because of what team officials described as a substandard facility at Luther Williams. Since then, Macon has been home to several other baseball teams. Two independent minor league teams -- the Macon Peaches and Macon Music -- each lasted one season while another summer collegiate league team, the Macon Pinetoppers, also had a brief stay.

Even if the findings suggest Macon can support a minor league team, the city would have to find a franchise willing to move to Macon, and county officials would likely have to agree to some financial support. Several commissioners already have voiced concerns about whether Macon could afford to pay for some of the stadium's costs.

Commissioner Scotty Shepherd said he would favor professional baseball returning to Macon if the study's results are positive. However, he said he doesn't think the Bibb mill location would be viable because of the misconception that the area is unsafe.

The best regional draw -- getting fans from places like Houston and Twiggs counties -- would be along the interstate in south Bibb County, said Shepherd, whose district is in the southern part of the county.

"The (Mill Hill) area is a great place, but you're not going to get anyone to come over," he said.

The study is expected to provide the economic data so county leaders have an idea about Macon's ability to support a team, but many discussions among county officials would need to take place to decide the best location, Commissioner Gary Bechtel said.

"In terms of appropriating certain dollars for a stadium or anything like that, I think we're a long way from that decision," he said.

Whether it's a future baseball stadium or other commercial development at Bibb Mill, the transformation of four blocks of Mill Hill into an arts village is moving forward.

"This arts village is a collaboration with the residents there, and we'll continue working together no matter what," Harwell-Dye said.

Information from The Telegraph's archives was used in this report. To contact writer Stanley Dunlap, call 744-4623 or find him on Twitter @stan_telegraph.

This story was originally published January 30, 2016 at 8:47 PM with the headline "Field of dreams: Some say Bibb Mill arts village and baseball could co-exist ."