What Jackson needs to succeed

Jackson has had its issues when it comes to downtown. A city struggling to keep its tax base and cover a wide array of issues across seven wards doesn't always have time — or energy — to put a laserlike focus on development at its core.

But as surrounding capital city downtowns pull themselves back together, Jackson can learn from their successes and failures. Comparing Montgomery and Baton Rouge to Jackson, there are parallels that also hint that Mississippi's largest city has taken some of the right steps toward a downtown revival.

Waterfront property

While the successes found in the downtowns of Baton Rouge and Montgomery rely heavily on each one's riverfront access, Jackson has remained virtually landlocked with limited options for establishing businesses or other developments along sections of the Pearl River that border its downtown's eastern side.

The long-stalled One Lake project — originally billed as a two-lake development — calls for building a 1,500-acre lake to serve as an economic stimulus and flood control measure. Several metro-area players, including the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership, support this project.

In the past several years, local officials traveled to Chattanooga, Richmond, Virginia, and San Antonio, Texas, to research what those cities did to create a stronger identity for themselves.

"You see a common theme — water," said AT&T Mississippi President Mayo Flynt in 2012. "That common theme has made a big difference in those communities," he added, citing San Antonio's Riverwalk district.

When Louisiana started working with riverboat casinos, Baton Rouge used the opportunity to lure a Sheraton hotel to lodge visitors downtown, which runs directly to the Mississippi River, said Davis Rhorer, executive director of the city's Downtown Development District.

Now, more than a decade later, the Baton Rouge River Walk is a key attraction, featuring multi-use trails and a scenic view.

In Montgomery, the city began construction on its Riverwalk shortly before a minor league baseball team built a stadium on the Alabama River in downtown, the catalyst for that region's renaissance.

Now with an amphitheater, bars and restaurants and nearby hotels, the city's use of its waterfront proximity has continued to push development.

The challenge for Jackson remains to find ways to develop its existing assets. Should the One Lake project come to fruition, there's prime opportunity. However, at this point, Jackson can't count on a lakeside property to kickstart development.

Road to success

Jackson's infrastructure is seen as a roadblock to downtown development. A bill that could top $1 billion combined with a $400 million federal consent decree with the Environmental Protection Agency has put Jackson at a disadvantage from the start.

Recently, the renovations along Capitol Street have served as a visual reminder of the mess Jackson has to literally dig itself out of to succeed.

Turning the heavily traveled thoroughfare into a two-way street makes sense in the long run, said Rhorer, citing studies that show retail businesses benefit from having their store fronts viewed from both sides.

Baton Rouge has done just that, revamping some of its downtown streets into two-way avenues while totally moving Government Street to make way for a centralized Town Square.

Montgomery, meanwhile, with its roads well maintained, has been able to focus more on the development of older buildings.

When the downtown was in a rut about 10 years ago, the city's master plan included keeping the streets well lit to deter crime, said Mac McLeod, director of the city's development department.

Jackson's challenge is to improve its infrastructure, especially its roads downtown. Residents approved a 1 percent sales tax earlier this year to help fund needed improvements, and a little extra downtown could help spur more retail and tourism, which could then flow into helping the city pay for more improvements elsewhere.

Convention center

When 2009 started, Jackson had just opened the doors on its new convention center, a $65 million complex touted as the anchor to downtown revival, and plans for a convention center hotel and parking garage were in place.

But, during the 2009 recession, those plans were pushed back. The convention center outperformed expectations its first several months, bringing in an estimated 128,500 visitors by that September — 30,000 more than projected. But the hotel plans became mired in the economy's downturn and further stalled by concerns in 2011 that failure of the development by Dallas-based Transcontinental Realty Investors would risk some $90 million in city-backed financing.

Last year another company, Robinson Callen, failed to reach a deal with city leaders to be named the hotel's developer.

A convention center's role was the impetus Montgomery needed, said Dawn Hathcock, vice president of the city's Chamber of Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"We had a civic center downtown with a nice Embassy Suites next to it," she said. "It was hard for us to sell as a convention center, so plans were made to convert (it) into a convention center and build a hotel attached to that center."

Once the center was in place, the city's downtown began to form around it.

"I think a lot of cities have a big box convention center," she said. "But what we have found appealing is what's to do outside the convention center."

Jackson's challenge is to lure and retain developers to get the convention center hotel. With the approved sale of the former Mississippi Valley Title building to Capital Hotel Associates, a four-star Westin hotel is slated to occupy a spot a couple of blocks from the convention center. The move could help grow momentum to bring in a convention hotel.

Residential

Jackson was on task to recruit residents downtown, with the King Edward apartments and Standard Life flats creating buzz among young professionals. The 140 combined residential units the buildings brought downtown were along the lines of the developments in Baton Rouge and Montgomery.

Rhorer said once Baton Rouge got its hotels, the central business district became the next focus. But to convince retailers and restaurants to set up shop, it was important to bring in residents to establish a market.

Within the last five years, the city started seeing more units come in. "They were smaller at first," Rhorer said. "But now the new ones, one is 95 units, another is 68, and one is 24."

In Montgomery, the developments also started smaller, said Hathcock, adding developers put the residential units inside historic buildings keeping the integrity of the older structures.

"They can't keep them fast enough," she said of the buildings that brought in 12 apartments and then 24. "The moment word gets out that someone is renovating, there's a waiting list."

Jackson's challenge is to keep the interest growing. Downtown will have another 50 apartments once renovations to the former James O. Eastland Federal Courthouse off Capitol Street are completed. The complex will house retail space on the first floor, but for more residents to want to move to the heart of the city, more dining and shopping options must be nearby.

Entertainment district

For years, plans to revitalize Farish Street, a historic neighborhood and nightlife scene in Jackson, have stalled, most recently because of a legal dispute between former developer David Watkins and Jackson Redevelopment Authority.

While Watkins was the city's rock star in bringing the King Edward and Standard Life back to life, the oft-disputed Farish Street has put him at odds with the JRA, which fired him.

Mayor Tony Yarber has said he will not give up on Farish Street, adding its development is vital to getting the city on track.

In Montgomery, officials there agree an entertainment district — The Alley — was one of the surest ways to bring interest and visitors downtown.

And in Baton Rouge, Third Street has become an area for residents, visitors and downtown employees to grab a bite or a beer. And the city may install another entertainment area, said Mark Drennen, who helped facilitate developing downtown there years ago.

"Hopefully this fall, we'll have a $130 million entertainment district that will include entertainment and food venues all on that one space along the Mississippi River," he said.

Developing Farish Street is one of Jackson's most difficult challenges, which has become a symbol of delayed downtown development. While many have washed their hands of the effort, if city leaders are serious about making it work, this could become the greatest success story. Or it could put another nail in the coffin.

Contact Dustin Barnes at dbarnes2@gannett.com or (601) 360-4644. Follow @DustinCL on Twitter.