let's talk about the G word... (Jackson, West: apartments, hotels, townhouses)

[sammyreynolds1977]

Gentrification that is. What do you think of it and do you think Jackson will undergo the process anytime soon? Would it be good for the city or detriment?

[zblanton1]

For some areas of Jackson, gentrification is just what it needs! Take the West Jackson Master Plan & the Midtown Master Plan for two examples! When the WJMP was originally drawn up by Duvall Decker Architects, who has done wonders for Jackson already, the communities in WJ were concerned about gentrification & what not, and honestly it wouldn't be a bad thing for West Jackson. When stretches of neighborhoods are abandoned and every house is vacant and/or a drug house, gentrification seems like heaven! Entire areas of abandoned homes being bulldozed over, and gated communities being built on the site would attract the right kinds of people to the areas to revive it! Bulldoze down old abandoned neighborhoods and build brand new ones!

Take a look at Timber Falls in South Jackson for an example, a brand new middle class neighborhood built from nothing! The houses are modern & they are quite nice! But IMO, gentrification would be great for areas of Jackson that are on the brink of resembling Detroit, & I keep going back to West Jackson, because that is the area that needs it the most.

[golden eagles fan]

Gentrification isn't quite the dirty word as some people make it out to be. Yes, there are legit concerns regarding people getting pushed out because when their property values rise, so do their taxes. A good number of people who live in substandard housing are often older people who live in them free and clear and can't afford to go anywhere else. That said, it's a necessary evil. To piggyback on what Z just said, ride down Capitol Street and its side streets, like Galvez St., N. Denver St., and Louisiana Ave. If someone were to drop you off there and took off your blindfold, you would think you were in Detroit. And this is the gateway to the Jackson Zoo.

We're already seeing examples of gentrification happening right now: the new apartments that will be going up in Fondren, Midtown redevelopment, the townhouses going up near the medical mall, and the Jackson medical corridor's master plan calls for hotels, restaurants and retail establishments to be developed.

The fact is, Jackson can't afford to allow an area to continue to run down. When property values go down, so do out revenue.

[Jardine8]

Midtown and the West Capitol Street area are the two areas that would be prime for rebuilding. West Capitol could be really, really nice but is currently one of the absolute worst parts of the city, as Golden Eagles Fan pointed out.

[golden eagles fan]

Speaking of Capitol Street, here's a master plan for the area. It's bounded by Fortification to the north, Gallatin to the east, Hwy. 80 to the south, and Ellis Avenue to the west. It's in a PDF file:

http://static1.squarespace.com/stati...aster+Plan.pdf