'4C on Front' project to bring fresh produce, student retail ventures to downtown Albany in 2025

ALBANY – After months of planning, a project that will bring fresh vegetables grown by Dougherty County students as well as sweet treats, jewelry, clothing and other student-made products is on schedule for downtown Albany.

The North Front Street location is going to take a while to renovate, but when it is ready in late 2025 it will also bring a real feather to the city’s cap in the form of the second Georgia Grown Innovation Center in the state.

“There’s only one innovation center in the state (in Metter), so this will be the second,” Albany City Commissioner Chad Warbington, who is also a member of the Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority (ADICA), said. “It’s pretty cool we’re getting this in Albany.

“It’s going to bring a lot of foot traffic, just a lot of people who will come in to visit the center. Agriculture is such a huge thing in the state. Agritourism is a big thing. Whatever we can do to help support this in south Georgia is going to be a huge help.”

The 221 and 215 North Front St. buildings that will be a part of the 4C on Front facility, as well as the innovation center, are going to need extensive renovations, including the installation of plumbing. Currently workers are performing demolition work inside the two buildings.

Altogether, it will involve about $1 million in investment through the city of Albany, Commodore Conyers College and Career (4C) Academy, and ADICA, which owns the building.

Some special-purpose local-option sales tax dollars will go toward sidewalk improvements to make the entrance more accessible, Warbington said.

“This is pretty significant to the overall plan to have a diverse downtown,” he said. “We have secured pretty substantial dollars, and it’s going to be a pretty big project. I would say at the moment it is easily the biggest project in hand that we have. They (4C) are going to sign a long-term lease, so they will be there for a while.”

And other businesses in the vicinity should benefit from the increased foot traffic, the commissioner said.

The fresh market will feature vegetables grown by 4C students in the school’s hydroponics greenhouses. As well, the students who have competed in the FLEX ABY entrepreneurial competition will sell their products at the facility.

The total floor space for the buildings is about 2,600 square feet, 4C CEO Chris Hatcher said.

“In the Dougherty County School System, there are lots of entrepreneurs working and creating and selling things, and this space will be a retail space where they can sell them,” Hatcher said.

The concept got its start after a conversation between Hatcher and Albany Downtown Manager Lequerica Gaskins.

“I had talked with Mr. Hatcher (to ask) if he would be interested in extending their footprint to downtown Albany, and this has turned into a great project,” she said. “We’re excited to be a part of this project to expand 4C on Front in downtown.

“This is going to be great not only for downtown but for our city and even to be highlighted at the state level.”

The school project is not the only thing going on in the downtown area. A Bistro is set to open later this year at the former Kingscorn location at 104 Pine Ave., just around the block. Just down the block, the vacant 108 Pine Ave. building is being renovated to be move-in ready for a new business.

Other ongoing projects include apartments at the former Davis Exchange Building at the corner of West Broad Avenue and North Washington Street.

Details are still being worked out on the extended-stay hotel project at the former Albany Herald Building, which is itself part of a larger project with a developer who also is looking to renovate the former Albany Water Gas & Light/Hotel Gordon building across the street for a hotel.

In all, the block that encompasses West Broad, North Washington, Pine and North Front streets is enjoying a huge transformation, Gaskins said.

“What I’ve just described to you, that’s a whole block, a radius, that we’ve developed, with a lot of economic activity occurring,” she said. “It’s pretty fantastic and great to be able to work with the Downtown Development Authority and Albany-Dougherty Inner Government Authority to be able to implement those plans.

“When you look at the downtown master plan, you will see we are moving those projects forward.”

While the city is renovating the building, 4C is busy raising money to decorate and furnish the interior of the building, Hatcher said.

“They’re doing some demolition now, which is awesome,” he said. “It is definitely moving. We’re looking forward to it. We are excited about it. We are thrilled with the opportunity to locate downtown and offer our entrepreneurial (environment) for our students, and some community development. There will be some exciting opportunities for our students.”