The Jackson City Council has approved a new residential development despite strong objections from one member of the council.Developers have been working on the Village at Livingston Place project for more than five years. Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes is concerned about crime and said residents didn’t get to have a say on what they can expect from their new neighbor.“Don’t tell me what’s good for my people when they (are) telling me they don’t want it,” Stokes said during Tuesday’s council meeting.Stokes was fighting to stop a vote to approve what would be Jackson’s first residential development in years.“We’re going to bring 200 market-rate homes to the city. Homes valued from $200,000 to $300,000,” said developer Robert Gibbs.The development is located on Livingston Road at a long-abandoned industrial site near the Jackson Medical Mall. Gibbs, an attorney, is one of the developers who said they’ve already invested $2 million on infrastructure improvements at the site.“This is going to be a very beautiful neighborhood with brand-new homes,” Gibbs said. “We haven’t had a neighborhood market-rate brand-new homes in Jackson in over 30 years.”“As much as we talk about people leaving Jackson, as much as we talk about needing a tax base, (it’s) 200 new homeowners. We’re living in a city where the majority of the people are renters,” Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said.Stokes is adamantly opposed to the development, which will be in his ward. He said retirees who live nearby haven’t heard from developers about how the project will change their neighborhood.“How in the world are you going to tell me this is good for that community when the preachers don’t want it, and the citizens don’t want it? They have not even come to the neighborhood to talk to the citizens,” Stokes said. “We will meet with whoever wants to meet. I’ve had conversations with a number of the homeowners’ association presidents. When Councilman Stokes invited me to the public meeting he had last week, I was there,” Gibbs said. Stokes also raised concerns about crime. He believes residents of the new development could vandalize or steal cars from the medical mall or other vehicles stored at a nearby business.“Well, that’s not the type of residents we think are going to buy $200,000 to $300,000 homes, so we just think his thoughts are misplaced,” Gibbs said. Gibbs said developers will be working with a construction company to close on the project. He said the first homes could be under construction, weather permitting, in the next two months.
The Jackson City Council has approved a new residential development despite strong objections from one member of the council.
Developers have been working on the Village at Livingston Place project for more than five years. Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes is concerned about crime and said residents didn’t get to have a say on what they can expect from their new neighbor.
“Don’t tell me what’s good for my people when they (are) telling me they don’t want it,” Stokes said during Tuesday’s council meeting.
Stokes was fighting to stop a vote to approve what would be Jackson’s first residential development in years.
“We’re going to bring 200 market-rate homes to the city. Homes valued from $200,000 to $300,000,” said developer Robert Gibbs.
The development is located on Livingston Road at a long-abandoned industrial site near the Jackson Medical Mall. Gibbs, an attorney, is one of the developers who said they’ve already invested $2 million on infrastructure improvements at the site.
“This is going to be a very beautiful neighborhood with brand-new homes,” Gibbs said. “We haven’t had a neighborhood market-rate brand-new homes in Jackson in over 30 years.”
“As much as we talk about people leaving Jackson, as much as we talk about needing a tax base, (it’s) 200 new homeowners. We’re living in a city where the majority of the people are renters,” Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said.
Stokes is adamantly opposed to the development, which will be in his ward. He said retirees who live nearby haven’t heard from developers about how the project will change their neighborhood.
“How in the world are you going to tell me this is good for that community when the preachers don’t want it and the citizens don’t want it. They have not even come to the neighborhood to talk to the citizens,” Stokes said.
“We will meet with whoever wants to meet. I’ve had conversations with a number of the homeowners’ association presidents. When Councilman Stokes invited me to the public meeting he had last week, I was there,” Gibbs said.
Stokes also raised concerns about crime. He believes residents of the new development could vandalize or steal cars from the medical mall, or other vehicles stored at a nearby business.
“Well, that’s not the type of residents we think are going to buy $200,000 to $300,000 homes, so we just think his thoughts are misplaced,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs said developers will be working with a construction company to close on the project. He said the first homes could be under construction, weather permitting, in the next two months.
