"I appreciate cha"

Solution 1:

Do you hear this in your area?

I talk to people in many regions for work purposes, and I hear it from some in the South (Texas, Georgia).

If so, is it new?

Fairly new, I guess.

Anyone know its origins?

I would venture to guess that it's a shortened form of I appreciate you having done (whatever).

EDIT re: your comment

But doesn't seem like they are emphasizing more the "you" than the deed? People often look me in the eye when they say this.

Yes.

So let's say that instead of appreciating that, they appreciate you having done that. It wouldn't have happened without you. In that transfer, they are thanking you for existing and having the motive and opportunity to do that thing you did.

Solution 2:

I, having lived most of my life in the American South, have heard this expression a lot (though I would tend to spell and pronounce it "'preciate 'cha" I.e. "Preeshee-a-chuh"). Having also lived in other regions, though, I'm well aware that it's as peculiar to Southerners as "y'all." Idk the etymological details of the idiom, I think it's very typical of southern warmth and friendliness. It always seemed to me friendlier to express an appreciation for the actor, as opposed to just the action itself.

Solution 3:

It has become strangely common of late here in Chicago. I thought the same thing when I first heard it on some reality show set in the south, but now I catch people of all different backgrounds saying it here, even on different sides of town. Contextually, it seems to be a very casual and familiar thank-you, pronounced simply as "'Preciate ya." Sort of awkward, but not the worst, I suppose.