Thursday, October 30, 2025

Taste Owners Get Bad Taste From Neighborhood

Overwhelming neighborhood opposition forced the Jackson Planning Board to reject Fondren Taste Bar & Grill's application for rezoning last week.  Fondren Taste owner Clifton Rogers, wants to operate hotel rooms above his restaurant.   

Clifton Rogers, co-owner of Taste with his wife Latrice, submitted an application for re-zoning on August 25.  Mr. Rogers sought to have the property reclassified from C3 to UTC (Urban Town Center) so it could have housing above the restaurant/night club.  Mr. Rogers stated in a letter attached to the application: 

We intend to convert the upstairs space into Temporary Living Quarters-short-term, Airbnb-style suites designed for visitors to our area. These accommodations will be professionally managed and maintained to ensure they contribute positively to the community.

The purpose of this project is to provide safe, attractive lodging options while strengthening our neiqhborhood and local economy.

Planning  & Development staff recommended approval of the project. (p. 13). However, the staff pointed out the key issue was the designation of North Mart Plaza as a local street, serving as a collector for Kings Highway and North State Street.  The Planning Board staff stated the C3 designation was not compatible with a local street. The staff found: 

Staff finds that the petitioned rezoning to UTC - Urban Town Center (Mixed Use) LJistrict would be consistent with the other UTC Zoning for the areas in south Fondren. The UTC Zoning would also help to mitigate some of the more intensive land uses that are permitted in the current C-3 Zoning classification. The rezoning would also support the Future Land Use Plan's designation of the area as a regional mixed use center.

Neighborhood opposition swiftly arose.  Over 50 neighbors signed a letter making their feelings known to the Planning Board:  

We, the residents of Kings Highway and surrounding neighbors have been adversely affected by the recently opened food and entertainment venues on North Mart Plaza (Parlour Room, 357 N. Mart, and Taste, 350 N. Mart}, which operate until 2AM and have regularly Invaded our residential neighborhood with loud music and car stereos, drag racing, reckless driving, yelling obscenities, end disturbing our peace and the sanctity of our own homes. We have called JPD end Capitol Police both as Individuals and through the Fondren neighborhood about these issues. We met Withrepresentatives from Taste and asked them to be good neighbors by turning down their music attar 1o PM, but nothing hes been dona. JPD in general, and officers hired as private security for Taste in marked ca,s have been dismissive of residents' complaints.

Loud music pumped into living spaces is recognized as a form of torture around the world. Many of us are unable to keep to regular sleep patterns due to this activity 3-4 nights a week, and we are desperate. Please help.

 

The Fondren North Neighborhood Association chimed in as well: 



The OurFondren Neighborhood Association and Fondren Renaissance Foundation opposed rezoning as well with similar complaints.  If anything, all opponents of rezoning made it clear they would prefer to see further restrictions placed on the Rogers' ability to be a public nuisance.  

The residents of North Fondren carried the day on October 22 as the Planning Board rejected the rezoning application.  



Mr. Rogers must file written notice of an appeal of the decision to the City Council by November 6.  


Posted below is the zoning application, decision, staff recommendation, photos, maps, and all letters of opposition.    The letters are good ones. 


32 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hoping the legislature will allow Capitol Police to enforce city ordinances this upcoming session. That will put an end to this nonsense.

Anonymous said...

For once overwhelming community opposition trumped the palm grease.

Anonymous said...

If Chowke was $till in office thi$ would have been approved. Right?

Anonymous said...

So ole dude wants to operate a brothel?

Anonymous said...

How dumb can a business owner be? Being adversarial and pompous with neighbors is always an idiotic business move, especially after you invest so much into your building and business... Either be a legitimate business owner or don't go in business. It's simple really.

Anonymous said...

If that happens, the governor will likely veto it. I believe he's said he opposes the use of state police to enforce city ordinances.

Anonymous said...

Planning and development staff recommended the request?

That means the city has employees who either don't know how to do their job, don't care about doing their job or are "easily influenced."

Anonymous said...

But can it trump...the race card?

Anonymous said...

He should file an application to shut the place down!

Anonymous said...

Goes unsaid that any units would quickly become very short term, as in hourly, rentals.

Anonymous said...

@10:56AM that would be retarded. The law is the law, why does it matter who enforces it. Never understood why there has to be a disconnect. JPD has no interest (or time/resources) in enforcing the noise ordinance. Governor, if you can hear me, we want Cap PD to enforce everything!

Anonymous said...

If one can’t fall back on the race card, let’s not forget the “disrespected me” card.

Anonymous said...

But.. but.. he said they would e professionally maintained 😆😆 he wants to bring the oldest profession to his establishment Hinds county STD rate can’t get much higher, so there’s that 😎

Anonymous said...

@10:59
Ester Ainsworth is absolutely worthless and a clueless minion. I look for Horhn to replace her soon. She’s generally against the local citizens and is the one that approved the dollar general across from the country club. She’s a complete moron in all honesty

Anonymous said...

Isn't that the job of the police?

Anonymous said...

The other night, Teeuwissen said that CP CAN enforce the noise ordinance but the current ordinance is unenforceable. So now we are waiting for the legal department to draft a new ordinance and then the council will vote on it. Doesn’t sound like we will ever get one and if we ever do, doubt there’s anyone who will enforce it.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Cotton told me many years ago that George Street Grocery’s owners had at one time considered putting a brothel on the second floor but decided against it as it would have been too much fucking overhead.

Anonymous said...

These folks need to get together and fund and file a nuisance suit and obtain a court order

Anonymous said...

Or has greasy palms.

Anonymous said...

What does this guy want to charge per hour for these rooms above the brothel, I mean the bar?

Anonymous said...

Mr Rogers stated,” These accommodations will be professionally managed and maintained to ensure they contribute positively to the community”. Well Mr Rogers why are you having so many problems/ issues from the community you say you will contribute positively!
As I stated in prior posts it’s easy, turn the music way down, do not park in the surrounding residential communities, ensure parking is enforced, inform your patrons to act accordingly while in the vicinity of your establishment,! It’s too easy!! If you can’t do that Mr Rogers you don’t have control which means your shigity is out of control and I would not want your businesses no where near my community. Not trying to be mean but y’all just can’t get it together! Yes we want your business to thrive, but not, at the expense of the neighborhood! Take TASTE to the area where you reside that’s zoned and see how that works for you and yours.
Now that’s Real Talk

Anonymous said...

Perfect place for Dollar General across the street from them snooty Jackson Country Club snots.

Anonymous said...

Gentrifiers buy a house in the biggest city in the state, 85 percent black, 300 meters east of US Highway 51, and 100 m north of a main road connecting to Interstate 55, in a ghetto, and expect tranquility?

Look at the demographics. Measure things. Think. Then move. But I bet you “got a great deal…..”.
I bet you thought it was going to be just bookstores and coffee shops run by aged hippies and poetry night ending at 8pm twice a week. Little lap dogs at the dog park. Hilarious. Yet delusional thinking. Call U-Haul.

Anonymous said...

A few years ago, I saw a hotel on Hwy 49 north with a message on the marquee: "No refunds after 10 minutes." Seems appropriate here.

Anonymous said...

11:11, yes the law is the law and jurisdiction is jurisdiction. It's the same reason the FBI doesn't pull people over for traffic violations.

Anonymous said...

Certain other establishments were able to stiff-arm local residents under Lumumba, so I guess Clifton and Latrice thought they could do the same.

Anonymous said...

There isn't going to be a "No Tell Motel?" So sad.

Anonymous said...

Mr and Mrs Rogers a good advisor would tell you to work with the community to solve the issues you have at hand before you move to expand. This ain’t TV or Atlanta just people in a Community that want peace and respect for their communities.
If you don’t understand this you’re out of touch with decency and reality! Be civil and not nasty!
Y’all just need to cool your jets!

Anonymous said...

"Perfect place for Dollar General across the street from them snooty Jackson Country Club snots."

I'm guessing you voted for Lumumba three times in a row.

Anonymous said...

... inform your patrons to act accordingly while in the vicinity of your establishment

You've got to be kidding. Like he has any control over how they act.

Anonymous said...

@3:02
I m guessing you’re an idiot. I didn’t vote for Lumumba. Thankfully Maloney and Sanderson family pushed back on dollar store otherwise it could’ve been worse

Anonymous said...

Winner!!!


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