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The Old Capitol Green project faces critical deadlines at the first of the year, but the principal developer is positive his vision of a sustainable mixed-use neighborhood will move forward.
“We are time-constrained,” Carlton Brown, principal of Full Spectrum NY, told the Friday Forum crowd at Koinonia Coffee House this morning.
Old Capitol Green covers 14 square blocks bordered by State, Jefferson, Commerce and Pearl streets. The plan includes space for offices, apartments, shops and restaurants. The deadlines Brown refers to are New Market Tax Credits, a federal program that provides incentives to investors for equity investments in low-income communities. To get those credits, Full Spectrum needs a commitment from the city and county for infrastructure improvements. Brown would like to see all the partnerships in place before February.
In October, the Jackson Redevelopment Authority considered establishing a special tax district to help finance a $27 million parking garage and adjoining commercial space in the Old Capitol Green development.
The proposed buildings will be LEED Platinum, a rating that means the structures will meet the highest standards of sustainable building and energy efficiency. Brown said the first building in the development is already 75 percent tenanted, including office space for government agencies. “The federal government has mandates to move into LEED platinum buildings,” he said.
The crowded coffee house broke into applause several times during this morning’s PowerPoint presentation. Brown, who has overseen similar sustainable architecture projects in New York City and overseas, grew up in Jackson and attended Lanier High School. He recognized an old school mate in the crowd and called out, “Go, Bulldogs!”
His firm is working on projects in Senegal and Rwanda, but bringing this project home to Jackson is important to Brown.
“I left in 1969 to go to college. We knew we could do anything because we had people working together,” he said. “It’s not difficult to do better. It takes partnerships.”
Full Spectrum has partnered with Jackson State University by inviting interns to work on research and planning aspects of the project. In return, Brown said Full Spectrum would give 2 percent of its revenues from Old Capitol Green to JSU. Again, the crowd clapped and cheered.
“How can we help?” was the common question at the end of Brown’s presentation. He again stressed the need for partnerships, saying he wanted to reach out to the faith-based community. He also encouraged those who supported his vision to contact elected city and county representatives. Brown asked for “positive encouragement.”
“The notion of beating people in the head doesn’t get us anywhere,” he said.
Previous Comments
I think there is more to the story about why city and county officials have not yet signed off on helping with financing this project. I’d be interested to hear more from JRA board members, Mayor Harvey Johnson and county supervisors on that.
#165516 | Author: Lacey McLaughlin | Date: Dec 2 2011
Lacey, thanks for your comment. This is a story about his comments at Friday Forum. As you well know, we have covered Old Capitol Green critically in the past and will again in the future.
#165517 | Author: DonnaLadd | Date: Dec 2 2011
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The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.