Downtown Business District Reauthorized | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS

Downtown Business District Reauthorized

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In developing a long-range plan, Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership wants input from a broad base of residents who live in all parts of the metro area.

Also see: Measuring Progress: The Evolution of Downtown Jackson Partners

Downtown Jackson Partners has received enough votes to reauthorize its 66-block Business Improvement District.

The city clerk's office certified the votes yesterday and reported that the BID received 88.5 percent votes in favor of the reauthorization. The BID needed 70 percent to pass. Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. must now review the results before they are official.

In 1996, the Mississippi Legislature passed a bill that created Business Improvement Districts and allowed cities to levy an assessment on all taxable property in those districts. The law allows for DJP to collect 10 cents on each square foot of buildings and "unimproved" real estate on properties located within the district. The district must go undergo a reauthorization process every five years. 


The BID will now include the second block of the Farish Street Entertainment District, which includes Peaches Restaurant, the Alamo Theater and F. Jones Corner. The Jackson Redevelopment Authority owns the majority of the property, and Watkins Partners holds a 45-year lease on the property to develop the entertainment district.

"We are humbled and grateful beyond words," Downtown Jackson Partners President Ben Allen wrote in an email to downtown residents yesterday.

Previous Comments

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164625
Comment

This is excellent news.

Author
Jeff Lucas
Date
2011-08-18T08:45:39-06:00

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