Traveling the back alleys
Did you know that you could drive from the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce to the Sno-Cap Drive-In without ever getting on West Avenue? Or that you could leave the Waffle House without venturing on Georgia Avenue? From the initial plats commissioned by founder James U. Jackson, the City of North Augusta has featured a series of alleys between most of the downtown blocks. Most of the alleys were designed east to west, although there are even a few that traverse north to south.To the casual observer, many of these alleyways look like private drives; however, several are in regular use by the residents whose property backs up to those alleys or by businesses, such as Parks Pharmacy, where the alley leads from Spring Grove to Buena Vista. Other alleys have fallen into disrepair because of lack of use, or worse, have been usurped by the adjoining residents, some of whom have fenced in areas that are actually public rights-of-way or planted vegetation in the roadway.During this year’s North Augusta Forward, the annual strategic planning session of North Augusta’s City Council, Skip Grkovic gave a detailed description of all the existing alleys, their current use (utilities, rear entrance to homes or businesses, etc.), their size and a recommendation for the future: Should they be abandoned? Should they be improved? Should they be maintained?“We’ve had a few inquiries ... mostly from people interested in opening the alleys to provide access,” said Grkovic, who agreed that some have been blocked or planted over.Out of those questions, City officials decided it was time to inventory all the alleys and determine a path forward.Mayor Lark Jones said that at one time some of the dual taxation money (that comes from Aiken County for duplication of services) was used to improve many of the alleys used regularly. He also noted that while some of the alleys are not in regular use, it is illegal for homeowners to take possession of the alleyways by “adverse possession.” While possible over time with private property, an individual cannot use the “adverse possession” rule to take over property belonging to a government entity, Jones said.The director of City’s Department of Economic and Community Development, Grkovic commissioned a map of the alleys according to the block designations that were on the original Boeckh and Summers plats – the earliest layout of the city’s streets. A few of the alleys have long-since been abandoned by the City – some officially and some not so officially. The most notable abandoned alleys, which were then absorbed by the property owners, are the alleys from Spring Grove to Jackson between West and Georgia and between Georgia and East. These were roadways that are now taken over by First Baptist Church on one side and Grace United Methodist Church and First Baptist on the other.Even as early as when James U. Jackson still lived in Rosemary Hall, some alleys were abandoned or simply disappeared from the Summers Plat that succeeded the original Boeckh Plat.Grkovic and Jones both noted that sometimes, particularly along Georgia Avenue and West Avenue, alleys have been incorporated into the parking lots of businesses. A prime example is the alley that runs along the edge of the parking lot of Jackson Square, or the alley that continues behind Gary’s Hamburgers and Wachovia Bank. Most of the alleys are 10 or 12 feet wide, so a number of them are identified as one way because cars can’t pass. However, in some instances with the connection to a business parking lot, it has been possible to widen the alley – for example, the alley that runs behind Regions Bank on West toward Wetherington Builders, which sits on the corner of West and Buena Vista.“If an alley is in regular use, we try to maintain it,” Jones said. Grkovic commented that there are certainly expenses associated with the alleys as well as a question of liability. For example, he said, what if a tree falls onto an adjoining property? But he admitted the alleys are certainly desirable on the blocks that face the major connector roadways – Georgia, Carolina and West, for example. “The alleys mean fewer curb cuts on the street ... and more on-street parking possible,” he said, pointing to the need for fewer driveways. “It keeps the cars behind the buildings.” For now the City is focused on “forensic planning,” identifying how things have changed and using that information for any future planning.
