Greater Starkville Development Partnership officials will work with Highway 12 landowners to create a business improvement district (BID) plan 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at The Mill to fund aesthetic improvements to the heavily traveled commercial corridor.
GSDP CEO Jennifer Gregory said the BID’s formula would create a 2 cents-per-square-foot levy for commercial lots in the corridor, which would generate about $197,000 for debt relief and annual upkeep.
Tuesday’s meeting serves as a way for the public to develop and approve the plan, but the Partnership’s working goal is to create a revenue stream for landscaping, crosswalks, wayfinding signage and other aesthetic projects.
The organization previously explored the possibility of adding sidewalks along Highway 12, but Gregory said Friday that option was no longer on the table.
If the majority of property owners present Tuesday agree upon a plan, the process will move to its next phase: public hearings. The meeting will be led by Randy Wilson, who worked with the city on its previous planning charrette.
“A lot of people perceive that everything has been decided, but that’s not the case. We have a vision for what needs to happen along Highway 12, but it’s the property owners who, in the end, get to decide how we move forward,” Gregory said. “This process has generated a lot of positive input, and I look forward to getting input from our property towners.”
A recent inventory concluded Highway 12 parcels combine for about 11.17 million square feet of land, but certain tax-exempt areas and non-commercial zones are not included in the proposed BID.
The Partnership hit its petition campaign requirement – 20 percent of the roughly 160 commercial property owners – last month needed to move the process forward.
If traction for the plan holds, the board of aldermen would set a date for an election, and copies of the plan and ballots would be mailed to Highway 12 business owners. Copies of the plan and ballot would be made available at City Hall, as well.
The BID will only be approved if 60 percent of eligible property owners participating in the mail-out election support it.
A similar revenue-creating mechanism exists for downtown business owners, who pay an additional 2 mills in property taxes for landscaping, maintenance and decorations.
The Partnership’s plan for aesthetic improvements is expected to work in tandem with any safety improvements enacted from an on-going Mississippi Department of Transportation traffic study on Highway 12.
“Due to the fact that Highway 12 is the most traveled and has the most volume of commercial activity, it is of great importance to the civic life of our community. I’m pleased to see the business community leading this effort. They have a vested interest in making it better for all of us,” said Mayor Parker Wiseman this fall. “Strong communities grow and thrive when an active citizenry takes it upon themselves to push for advancement.”
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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