Jackson Free Press

The Jackson City Council voted to issue more than $1 million in bonds for a South Jackson development at Tuesday's council meeting. The decision, which is connected to the development of the much-disputed Timber Falls development near Forest Hill High School, means the city will spend $1.2 million to finance the completion of a road linking the new neighborhood to Raymond Road. The bond will also pay for the straightening of a sharp curve in the winding Forest Hill Road—which was once little more than an isolated ribbon of concrete twisting through a large thicket of greenery linking Cooper and Raymond Roads.

The vote will put the matter before a public hearing next week and open the possibility of a follow-up confirmation vote from the council, if the matter survives the public hearing. Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. pulled the item from the agenda at the last council meeting, back when the bond topped $3 million. The current bond proposal shares more costs with the Timber Falls developer.

Developer Clarence Chapman caught heat from the council more than two years ago after members learned of the peculiar 15-year lease of the homes. Many council members, such as former Ward 6 Councilman Marshand Crisler and former Ward 2 Councilman Leslie McLemore initially complained that the expanded lease time meant owners could pack up and move with the loss of little personal investment after many years of living there.

"The concern is that these homes could qualify as rental housing, since the owner isn't really an owner for more than a decade. They have little reason to invest in the property, or to care about their neighbors' property prices," Crisler told the Jackson Free Press in 2007.

Developers assured the council that they would take responsibility for maintaining both the homes and the new neighborhood, and keep the property marketable to any follow-up home buyers.

Crisler eventually came onboard for the project, and current Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarbor said he was also OK with the development so far.

"I'm not completely gung-ho about anything, but I'm cautiously optimistic," Yarbor told the Jackson Free Press. "Investment is a part of any kind of development. Personally, I wouldn't like to be in a situation where it takes me 15 years to have an opportunity to purchase my home, but people who would not otherwise have this opportunity might consider this a step up."

Yarbor, a south Jackson resident who attended Forest Hill High School, said the roads needed work regardless. "I've had family members involved in car accidents associated with dead man's curve on Forest Hill Road," Yarbour said. "I'm encouraged we're given the opportunity to have rooftops to add to the tax roll and commercial development. You can't get stuck on all the negatives, but you can't get carried away by all the positives, either."