Jackson Jambalaya

When it comes to transparency the Yarber administration is no different than his predecessors. I'm sure Ashby Foote will do the right think and stay narrowly focused on downtown parking meters.

Someone please translate "Maps Jerrold Do..."
Section 8 housing?

Section 8 housing would go over great in that neighborhood! :-)

Section 8 not going to happen. Neighbors, black and white, will fight that one tooth and nail. The owners know that as well from what I understand. A grocery store such as a McDades would probably do well in that area.

Key word is redevelopment.That opens the door to government grants and things like JRA.

"Mixed Use" doesn't support the notion of a grocery store. Rather Mixed Use suggests apartments, a gasoline station, a liquor store and either a car wash or nail salon.

What ever will make the most money in the next 3- 5 years for the developer is what will go there.It will a mix of low cost housing and cheap stores. It would be another nail the the NEJackson death coffin if there room for another.

1:49 is right. I'm thinking a check cashing shop, and a pawn store. Possibly a liquor store. The nearest one of those is a few blocks down and you cant expect people to walk that far.

There is plenty of retail within walking distance of that space. Putting a grocery store off a main thoroughfare is a bad idea. A better idea is to develop single family homes with plenty of green space and have McDade's open in Colonial Mart SC.

On a side note, does anyone know how Fitness Expo has managed to stay in business for all these years? Is there that big a market for stairsteppers and treadmills, or do they make it as a repair shop?

'A better idea is to develop single family homes with plenty of green space and have McDade's open in Colonial Mart SC.'

Sorry toots, that's not where the money is. Keep wishing though.

Who else remembers when the younger members of Colonial wanted to sell the club to a developer back in the eighties and move it to Deerfield? There was a rebellion by the older members who refused to even consider the idea. They even had bumper stickers printed that said “Colonial is Not for Sale!” Sadly, this type of development would have worked 25 years ago, but it is a pipe dream now.

"Rather Mixed Use suggests apartments, a gasoline station, a liquor store and either a car wash or nail salon. "

They got gas stations already. My money is on a check cashing place or a pawn shop.

I was one of the younger members, 3:17. However, the offer to sell that I remember wasn't from a developer, but from Christ United Methodist Church, and it was unsolicited. They were going to pay enough to build another 18 holes at Deerfield(owned by Colonial at the time) and make major improvements. The old "Coots", as they referred to themselves, didn't want to make the drive. They missed the boat and Colonial died off as they did.

Jackson has got to protect it's residential tax base.

Whatever goes in there has to keep that in mind.

I would wish for nice town homes with a restaurant and some shops.

But, I don't think anyone save Mary ever thinks in terms of residential tax base in this state.

Build some nice housing and suddenly the surrounding area becomes more desirable. ( study Richmond, VA and Raleigh ,NC.

Since when does a gas station in the area preclude another? The sale of gas at most of these places is a peripheral reality. The money is in donuts, the carwash, skoal, chips and beer. And you have GOT to keep the Patels outa these damned places if you want quality.

Again OMG ... People! The plan is for single family homes, an assisted living home, and a middle school featuring a golf program! Are people in the metro area really this ignorant? Do none of you pay attention to the news anymore? Take it from someone that actually lives here and interacts in the day to day operations of NE Jackson, the Colonial residents know 110% what is being done to their neighborhood.

9:37; Please don't distract us with facts and deny us a bit of fun at your expense.

Residential- Section 8
Commercial- Wig shop, pay day loan business, tobacco store,hair braiding.

This area has deteriorated considerably in the past 15 years. It has been on a decline since the early 80s.

Sorry, but this sounds like a pipe dream unless there are some cheaply constructed homes built.

"A grocery store such as a McDades would probably do well in that area."

I think this is unlikely. The demographics in this area prefer Freds or Save-a-lot.

The homes and neighborhoods directly to the south, west and north of Colonial have been hammered with burglaries. Jackson can't even protect its existing residential tax base. The prospects for new housing there are bleak.

Starting to resemble Ellis Avenue...

"middle school featuring a golf program!"

You're kidding, right? Why would JPS build another school? They're hemorrhaging students as it is. Have you seen the areas around other JPS middle and high schools? They may have been nice at one time, but...
And when the student body gets out in the afternoon, where is the nearest commercial area they will go? Think about that for a minute.
And what good is a "golf program" going to do?
Get with it - public schools are one of two things for a majority of residents in Jackson:
1. Free babysitting with a free lunch.
2. Easy jobs for stupid people.

So Juan you're calling everyone that works within the JPS system stupid? See, that's what is wrong with people like you Juan.

The teachers aren't stupid by any means, but neither are the students either. No one is stupid.

And the nearest commercial area students could go to will be the District at Eastover, Highland Village, the Meridian at Fondren, Fondren itself!

And I don't think the middle school is gonna be your run of the mill JPS middle school. No. The point of building a middle school in that area is to rebuild Jackson's middle class which has already been on the rise for several years now.

Just as many people move in, as many that are moving out.

People leaving the 'burbs for the city, and people leaving the city for the 'burbs. No big deal! NE Jackson is still a fine place to start a family and raise children at.

I've just never seen so much negativity before. Everytime progress or good news comes out of Jackson, people descend like vultures and pick the crap out of it. It's disgusting!

"that's what is wrong with people like you."
- There is not one thing wrong with telling a painful truth.

"No one is stupid."
- Oh, my, that is a naïve statement. Take a good look around the city.

"District at Eastover, Highland Village, the Meridian at Fondren, Fondren itself!"
- These would be areas best avoided between 3 and 5 p.m.

"rebuild Jackson's middle class"
- It is Gone Pecan, as we say, and will not return. Crime and the middle class do not mix.

"Just as many people move in"
- ...that are looking for hand-outs...

"People leaving the 'burbs for the city, and people leaving the city for the 'burbs."
- Not at a rate to replace the taxpayers which flee. As well, northeast Jackson was referred to as the suburbs when it was developed and still fits the definition.

"and raise children at."
- Never end a sentence with a preposition.

"I've just never seen so much negativity before."
- Refer to my first comment.

"And I don't think the middle school is gonna be your run of the mill JPS middle school. No. The point of building a middle school in that area is to rebuild Jackson's middle class which has already been on the rise for several years now."

Apart from the comedic value of your illiterate ramble, this paragraph needs to be addressed, since its theme seems central to the POINTLESSNESS of the whole project. What measures will be implemented, to ensure that primarily "Middle Class" students are enrolled at this school? Wishes? Prayers? Magic? PRETENDING? The courts have ruled most other measures to be unconstitutional/illegal/discriminatory.

Have you ever heard of 'Discrimination'? Have you never heard of 'Disparate Impact'? Those terms, among others, would be trumpeted, in the lawsuits which would follow any attempt to create a 'Middle Class' student body within the proposed school.

Across the nation, elite public schools have been under attack, for decades, from various entities.

Those attacks have been fairly successful. That's one reason why people have stopped fleeing merely to suburbs, and have instead been fleeing to distant EXURBS.

There is no reason at all, to expect that this REDUNDANT school will be peopled by 'Middle Class' youngsters.

THANK YOU 4:27. I GET SO TIRED OF THESE BORING ASS, JEALOUS PEOPLE THAT OBSESS ON MY CITY.

I GET SO TIRED OF THESE BORING ASS, JEALOUS PEOPLE THAT OBSESS ON MY CITY.

Then why do you keep reading here?

8:20 really cute. I do so to defend the city I love from asshole negative pricks. How about you? Why do you contribute?

Why? Does being a negative prick give you a woodie?

I am in agreement with 4:27 & 6:01! Get a life & quit nosing around things you DON'T KNOW ABOUT.

9:21 no worries. We in Jackson are well aware of the reason the Rankin County and Madison County people obsess on THEIR Capital City. Simply put, they are attempting to validate their choice to abandon the rebirth of our city, and tearing down our efforts, in their midget minds, enforces their chicken shit decision to quit.

8:56 PM = Ben Allen

8:56, If yous are so concerned, you should sign on with JPD and defend the city you love from the asshole negative pricks who are really tearing it apart.

"I GET SO TIRED OF THESE BORING ASS, JEALOUS PEOPLE THAT OBSESS ON MY CITY."

- Boring ass jealous? I'm not going to make an attempt to translate that, but if you are bored, I suggest getting a hobby. Also, do you mean "who are obsessed with"? I don't like to play grammar cop, but I also don't like to read sloppy writing. And, good Lord, stop yelling, please.

"Get a life & quit nosing around things you DON'T KNOW ABOUT."

- When a drug, alcohol, or gambling addict has a problem, the first step to recovery is admitting there is a problem. The life most of us have involves the city of Jackson and the money that supports it. Call it an investment, one that must be kept in check and monitored extensively.

"tearing down our efforts, in their midget minds, enforces their chicken shit decision to quit.

- Who is "our"? You don't speak for me.
- "Midget" is an offensive term to some people.
- Who quit what? Explain. If you mean moving outside the city limits, that's not quitting.
- "Chicken shit"? Do you curse like that all the time? In public places? In front of children and your elders? Bad language is a sign of ignorance, a lack of grasp of the common vernacular, and, worst of all, laziness.

9:35 not a chance but what is your point???

9:04, the city has been in "labor" for quite a while on this "rebirth" you speak of. Might be time to go the c-section route and get things moving.

@ 9:04 - Bless your heart.

"Obsess on my city"...Obsess = verb. Duh. JPS grad clearly.

Yes, 11:31, it is a verb that can be used in the present or past tense. One can "obsess over" but not "obsess on". The latter does not make sense and is not a proper use of the term.

For example; "I obsess over making my car payment on time."

I'm still waiting for an explanation of "Maps Jerrold Do".

"9:04, the city has been in "labor" for quite a while on this "rebirth" you speak of. Might be time to go the c-section route and get things moving." January 7, 2015 at 10:38 AM

Personally, I think it's too late for even a C-section. Too bad Jacktown can't be sent to the Hot Pink Stucco Building for its "Rebirth"

Golf Courses make mighty nice cemeteries-cemeteries make quiet neighbors

A new jail or a community garden tops on my list, followed closely by a blues club and a basketball arena.

In that neighborhood, I think a Dollar Tree would do well