New development in Jackson (Tupelo, Pearl: apartment complexes, hotel, houses)

[OleFaulk]

"Meanwhile taxes are high, schools are crap, potholes swallow cars, litter, crime and incompetent leaders are helping?"

Notice I didn't say there weren't problems - I did not.

There are PLENTY of problems (IMO, god, the damn potholes...)

what are you doing to help? Or is your super-power just pointing them out?

[OleFaulk]

I'll admit, I came late to this party - hell I didn't move back to MS until 3 years ago...and then to CANTON.
But I work downtown - and I see some of the good things that are happening in my short time here.

Either get the **** on board or get the **** out of the way.

It matters not to me which.

[OleFaulk]

what would YOU do to improve even 1 thing you think needs changing in Jackson?

[viverlibre]

Originally Posted by OleFaulk

what would YOU do to improve even 1 thing you think needs changing in Jackson?

Competent leadership!

Jackson is falling about at every point, problems everywhere, very little funding or prospects of increasing funding, crime out of control, the leader of the free world is coming to attend an event in your city, what does the mayor do? Meet with the POTUS, forge relationships, advocate for funding, talk about grants or developing new business? No, he refuses to attend the ceremony. Jackson gonna Jackson.

[dwashington]

Originally Posted by OleFaulk

DWashington - I'm reaching out to you - can you find it in yourself to help?

First off.. Help WHAT? Help How?

Can a city of 171K people not help themselves?

The city continues to show they do not want any help. Look at how upset many were with the fact the contractors hired to fix the water main breaks werent brown enough.

Any group of people that elect Kenneth Stokes year after year are not looking for any help.

If you are not a minority -- the people of the city do not want your help and do not want you living there. Get out of the way. Let the Republic of New Afrika do its thing.

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

Jackson is NEVER (at least not in the foreseeable future) going to be a place where middle class families live and send their kids to public school. That is just not the reality. There will be the small area of rich people who keep their property values high and send their kids to private school. So, let's accept that.

When people talk about "new development", the focus needs to be on hotels, services, tourism, events, entertainment. That is what can flourish in a downtown. Concerts, bars, restaurants, etc. The City of Jackson cannot police the entire city adequately, but it CAN police a smaller downtown area, and that downtown entertainment district can provide revenue for the city to eventually help its citizens. But, you have to have the revenue first.

A riverwalk area is essential to this, and this will probably be about the only real 'new' construction. At least as in 100% new. There will just be revitalization of what is there.

Back to the first paragraph....if a new business is coming to the metro Jackson area, they aren't going to Jackson city limits, unless they can fit it into one of the buildings already there in the downtown area (think lawyers, engineers, etc.). Any totally business, like Continental, is going to the suburbs. So there is no reason for Jackson to concentrate on that sort of economic development.

Millenials want to live in cities, so apartments are good. Once they have kids, they are headed for the suburbs. So any revitalization of 'neighborhoods' is a futile effort in my opinion.

Yet again, Montgomery is a very good model. And Jackson has more potential than Montgomery. Jackson is somewhere between Montgomery and Birmingham.

[madison2013]

Originally Posted by Mississippi Alabama Line

Jackson is NEVER (at least not in the foreseeable future) going to be a place where middle class families live and send their kids to public school. That is just not the reality. There will be the small area of rich people who keep their property values high and send their kids to private school. So, let's accept that.

Good insight from someone who doesn't live in Jackson!

Originally Posted by Mississippi Alabama Line

When people talk about "new development", the focus needs to be on hotels, services, tourism, events, entertainment. That is what can flourish in a downtown. Concerts, bars, restaurants, etc. The City of Jackson cannot police the entire city adequately, but it CAN police a smaller downtown area, and that downtown entertainment district can provide revenue for the city to eventually help its citizens. But, you have to have the revenue first.

A riverwalk area is essential to this, and this will probably be about the only real 'new' construction. At least as in 100% new. There will just be revitalization of what is there.

So a riverwalk in downtown Jackson where there is no river is what's going to save downtown

Originally Posted by Mississippi Alabama Line

Back to the first paragraph....if a new business is coming to the metro Jackson area, they aren't going to Jackson city limits, unless they can fit it into one of the buildings already there in the downtown area (think lawyers, engineers, etc.). Any totally business, like Continental, is going to the suburbs. So there is no reason for Jackson to concentrate on that sort of economic development.

Please inform us on examples of businesses that the Jackson leadership is wasting time trying to attract?

Originally Posted by Mississippi Alabama Line

Millenials want to live in cities, so apartments are good. Once they have kids, they are headed for the suburbs. So any revitalization of 'neighborhoods' is a futile effort in my opinion.

So do nothing. Gotcha.

Originally Posted by Mississippi Alabama Line

Yet again, Montgomery is a very good model. And Jackson has more potential than Montgomery. Jackson is somewhere between Montgomery and Birmingham.

I don't know anything about Montgomery or Birmingham because I don't live there. Nor do I care to hang out on their forums and tell them how to manage their cities.

[dwashington]

Originally Posted by Mississippi Alabama Line

A riverwalk area is essential to this, and this will probably be about the only real 'new' construction. At least as in 100% new. There will just be revitalization of what is there.

Back to the first paragraph....if a new business is coming to the metro Jackson area, they aren't going to Jackson city limits, unless they can fit it into one of the buildings already there in the downtown area (think lawyers, engineers, etc.). Any totally business, like Continental, is going to the suburbs. So there is no reason for Jackson to concentrate on that sort of economic development.

Millenials want to live in cities, so apartments are good. Once they have kids, they are headed for the suburbs. So any revitalization of 'neighborhoods' is a futile effort in my opinion.

Yet again, Montgomery is a very good model. And Jackson has more potential than Montgomery. Jackson is somewhere between Montgomery and Birmingham.

I want you to imagine that you are an investor in the stock market. You bought 100 shares at $100. The share price is now down to $75.

I think it is time for you to sell and cut your losses because your shares are NOT going back up to $100 no matter how many words you manage to type on this forum.

[jhadorn]

As others have pointed out, Jackson must have competent leadership first of all. Too many people looking to line their own pockets instead of having a genuine interest in helping Jackson.

I'm no expert, but if I were in charge I would first go over all of Jackson's incoming and outgoing funds, eliminate unnecessary spending and any abuses of the system, work to educate the citizens and get buy-in for a plan to turn Jackson around by first using existing tourism tax funds and any new tourism tax funds to hire officers to be placed in key locations around the city, in order for people to feel safe and entice people to start spending money in those areas.

Next I would offer tax breaks to lure new businesses and developers to redevelop abandoned buildings, and at first patch, not pave, high traffic roads.

I think Farish Street needs to be developed, and maybe the people who are failing at doing this are trying to go too big all at once. I would rather see a few businesses with other attractions such as street performers, etc than nothing at all. Cover the empty storefronts with banners and work hard to fill those empty spots. Give people a reason to start coming there.

Jackson needs to develop at lease a small area of the riverfront. Maybe a Riverfront Market, an assortment of restaurants and venues. Hire a firm to look at this. Offer tax breaks and other incentives for a few years for anyone willing to develop the area.

These are just thoughts off the top of my head, I don't know if any of it will work but it's a start at least.

[dwashington]

Originally Posted by jhadorn

Jackson needs to develop at lease a small area of the riverfront. Maybe a Riverfront Market, an assortment of restaurants and venues. Hire a firm to look at this. Offer tax breaks and other incentives for a few years for anyone willing to develop the area.

These are just thoughts off the top of my head, I don't know if any of it will work but it's a start at least.

Ever heard of the "One Lake" Pearl River project? I think at one time it was the "Two Lake" project maybe about 10 years ago.

Pearl River: A Development and Flood Control Saga | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS

There's articles going back to about 2008 that discuss the "Two Lake" (and now "One Lake") plan and how it's been in the work for a few decades. Maybe if we wait another 10 years we will trim it down to the "Half Lake" plan and then in ten more years we can just quit talking about it altogether.

Jackson.