Jackson Free Press

Jacksonians are sick and tired of getting the run-around about what will become of the city's beloved Farish Street and are now demanding that the city get the lead out and take immediate action.

On Mayor Tony Yarber's second stop in his "We Are Jackson Listening Tour" at the Ice House on South Street Monday night, the topic was how to revitalize the city's entertainment district. Jacksonians proposed several solutions, from placing a larger focus on local colleges to even bringing NASCAR to Jackson.

The series of sessions is allowing the people of Jackson the opportunity to voice their ideas and solutions to the mayor and other representatives from the city.

"We all know that entertainment is absolutely Jackson's niche," Yarber said . "We have the unique opportunity to offer entertainment in ways that cannot be offered anywhere in the tri-county area, metro area or the state of Mississippi, quite frankly."

Joining Yarber were Jason Goree, the city's director of economic development; Adrian Dorsey-Kidd, director of human and cultural services; and Michael Raff, deputy director of human and cultural services.

Several community members said they want to finally get the ball rolling—again—on Farish Street once and for all. They asked the city to allow for more organic growth by letting the free market take over the district and reducing the red tape that surrounds business development.

In April 2005, Performa, a Memphis development firm, promised Jackson an entertainment district on Farish Street that would rival Beale Street in Memphis. However, Performa ran into problems with Mississippi Development Authority and a state statute that outlawed alcohol sales near the expanded Mississippi College campus, which was later resolved. However, the Farish's revitalization never happened.

David Watkins and the Farish Street Group made another attempt at revitalization three years later, with Watkins as the chief investor. However, after a legal battle ensued between Watkins, Jackson Redevelopment Authority, the Central Mississippi Planning and Development District, and the Mississippi Development Authority, Farish Street was once again left out in the cold.

A few younger voices felt that the city should cater more to college students and post-graduates. George Chuck Patterson, a local DJ and activist, said the city should attempt to lure national meetings for sororities and fraternities to create more economic development.

Valencia Robinson, executive director of Mississippi in Action, a nonprofit that advocates for sexual and reproductive health, said she would also like to see more options for the city's youth and proposed a free movie night in downtown and the possibility of bringing in a NASCAR track.

One man said that the city should capitalize on the man that the city is named after, Andrew Jackson, by letting the seventh U.S. president serve as the city's central theme.

Joseph Stodghill, owner of Martin's Restaurant & Bar, and a few other people said that the solution to enhancing entertainment is to incubate the downtown businesses that have lasted over the years in order to encourage growth around them.

Several people said that the marketing of a convention center hotel should be a top priority for encouraging arts and entertainment.

A few people offered simpler solutions to keeping the community engaged in entertainment, such as bringing Jackson its own movie theater, the development of a skate park, bringing together the neighborhood associations under one umbrella and supplying more resources for local theater and film groups.

Yarber said he would consider all of the ideas collected at the meeting and look at developing policies that will aid in more organic growth for arts and entertainment.

The next stop on the "We Are Jackson Listening Tour" will be at 6 p.m. Monday, July 7, 2014 at New Jerusalem Church.