Jackson Free Press

The West Jackson Master Plan, which started a year a and a half ago, is complete. Planners hope the end product—the West Jackson Planning Guidebook—will act as a kind of living document that residents can use to spur growth.

Roy Decker, one of the principals at Duvall Decker Architects PA in Jackson, which coordinated the effort, described the 109-page guidebook as less in the spirit of an authoritative "here's what you do" and more an informative primer for locals on "here's where you're living."

The book begins with a snapshot of so-called liabilities, or challenges to development, such as the fact that some 41 percent of lots in the study area between Gallatin Street and Ellis Avenue and Fortification Street and U.S. 80 are vacant, with much of the land belonging to either the City of Jackson or the State of Mississippi.

To get over some of the hurdles involved in developing vacant lots, the report recommends implementing a land bank, through which attorneys, Internal Revenue Service officials and others sort all the legal details so the land can be developed for housing, recreation or commerce in the future.

Another large section of the report deals with homelessness and includes a profile of the Jackson's homeless population on one night in early 2014, when counters tallied 456 people living in shelters and on the streets. Some 80 percent of people surveyed had some experience with incarceration, and 53 percent had a history of substance abuse.

The plan also highlights success stories, such as the presence of several active neighborhood associations and the high-performing Barr Elementary School.

Decker, who also worked on the master plan for Jackson's midtown neighborhood, said the effort is focused on changing the economic circumstances of a community, which is closely tied to its challenges and assets.

The architect stressed that no single authority is responsible for implementing the recommendations, but the hope is that residents, developers and policymakers consult the guidebook in making future planning decisions.

Find the guidebook at westjxn.com.