[quote]Move would benefit developers, board says[/quote]
The Jackson Redevelopment Authority could soon have a set of guidelines in place concerning proposed development presentations and follow-through.
The standards could be voted on at JRA’s March meeting.
“We needed to have a process where the public can pitch their (project),” said JRA board member John Reeves, who introduced the proposal. “We’re trying to put methodologies in place to ensure everyone’s treated fairly.”
Under the proposal, a developer wanting to sell land to JRA or buy property from the agency would first meet with the group’s executive director to outline the plan.
If a proposal is seen as workable, it would then be reviewed by JRA’s projects committee and, if bonds or loans from the agency are involved, its finance committee.
Each decision rendered by those committees would then go before the full JRA board. If the city of Jackson makes a pitch, officials there would follow the same process as a private developer would, said JRA executive director Jason Brookins.
The idea for a set of standards came after a developer several months ago proposed selling a motel property to JRA for $300,000, Reeves said.
The developer said at the time he had hoped to redevelop the property himself, but he didn’t have the means to do so after a business partner withdrew from the project. JRA ultimately passed on buying the land.
Reeves said it’s fairly rare for a developer to show up at a meeting with such a pitch and wanted to create a way for JRA to work with developers in such instances to potentially do business.
“Anybody can bring (a project),” says Zach Taylor, JRA’s general counsel. “What they need to know is how to start.”
So documentation spelling out the proposed guidelines will be given to developers who meet with Brookins to propose projects, Taylor said.
JRA board member Beneta Burt said she hopes the guidelines will help developers fill in any blanks they might not have considered regarding project details or other information the agency would need when weighing a project.
Written by Jeff Ayres | Clarion Ledger
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