It has been a long time since we’ve done an official “Ask Michael Anything” (although we do them almost every week unofficially!), but we had a request so here we go.
A reader asked: “When a new business comes to town, why do they build a new building when there are many, perfectly good building sitting around empty?”
I passed that question on to Athens Economic Development President/CEO Brian Malone. His answer follows:
“When a business decides to build versus use an existing building, there are a number of factors which they may consider: is there enough space for what they plan to do, is there room to expand if needed, are the ceilings high enough, are the floors thick enough, what Is the cost to build new versus remodel, is the building available as a lease or purchase. Those are just a few. It’s like buying a house. It depends on individual needs and availability.”