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Officials mull long-range planning needs
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| By: THERESE APEL, DAILY LEADER Staff Writer |
April 01, 2009 |
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Brookhaven's long-range development could hinge on looking at the big picture, meaning the region as well as the city, said a city planner who met with the Comprehensive Planning Board Tuesday night.
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Slaughter and Associates' Sue Chamberlain brought a rough draft of the comprehensive plan put together by the board for officials to review and correct. She said Brookhaven is a great city in a region that is battling economically, and that officials need to look at that as a concern when they're thinking long range.
"You've got a solid infrastructure, and most of your economic development per se is inside the city limits, but you rely on a community college that's in another location, and you have to go to McComb and Jackson for advanced medical services," she said. "When you look at this community it's important to understand the region as a whole is not doing as well as the rest of Mississippi. This is not just about getting another business in the industrial park, but how to link the strengths of the region."
Tuesday night's discussion touched on a variety of topics, including liquor sales and their impact on cities similar in size to Brookhaven, Brookhaven's strong sales tax collections and the need locally for more sidewalks to accommodate pedestrian traffic.
One of Brookhaven's strengths that can be built upon, Chamberlain said, is the intellectual community that thrives on the arts and education. On the flip side, however, there are not a lot of industries or attractions that draw young educated people back to the community.
"You have a strong retail section, and you're a regional transportation hub, and while that's wonderful, those jobs are easily interchangeable," she said. "So there might not be the need to create a highly skilled educated population, which is a dichotomy with this community because you have such intellectual stimulation here."
Mayor Bob Massengill said the governor has recently put together a partnership of leaders from the southwest part of the state with the vision of helping bring industries to the area.
"We're trying to come up with something that will help stimulate the interest in a large company coming to this area," he said. "And we feel we're the place they need to be.
"Brookhaven, McComb or Natchez are the places these industries need to locate, and we're the only one of those that has the industrial park that is ready."
Another point of comparison was the issue of alcohol sales, as both McComb and Natchez sell liquor in their city limits. While monthly sales tax totals between the three cities are similar, officials believe Brookhaven's auto sales industry leads the other two.
"McComb and Natchez are about the same size and have liquor and liquor stores," said Massengill. "We're about the same size, but I would imagine their auto sales are probably less than ours."
Ward Five Alderman D.W. Maxwell asked Chamberlain if the alcohol ban could be affecting the food and beverage industry.
"If we want to look at this issue, if I could find a sister community, about the same size and also a regional hub that has alcohol sales, I could do a comparison as to what that difference might be," Chamberlain said. "You could draw a conclusion from that."
On that note, however, Chamberlain said the city's sales tax numbers were strong based on what the community has to offer. The daily population of the city when commuters and out-of-town shoppers are added in is more like 30,000 than the 14,000 estimated population after the annexation.
"The sales taxes are unbelievable, y'all are blowing and going," she said.
Another important issue for the future, Chamberlain said, and the aldermen agreed, is "walkability." More sidewalks need to be added to the infrastructure in the future, not just for aesthetic reasons but for safety reasons as well.
"By law if you live within a mile of school you have to provide your own transportation," said Alderman at Large Les Bumgarner. "So kids are walking to school in the streets because property owners don't want them in their yards. It's dangerous."
The board of aldermen and members of the planning commission discussed other issues such as affordable housing, apartments and condominiums, and historic revitalization. Design guidelines for franchise architecture will be an issue in the future, aldermen said, and considerable time will be given to land use considerations.
Meanwhile, Chamberlain said she will take the rough draft and make corrections and additions, and then will return it to the city for further consideration.
Once the final copy is ready, copies will be placed at the public library, the government complex and the chamber of commerce, as well as in a link to the city Web site. After that, a public hearing will be held for members of the community to voice their opinions and concerns.
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©The Daily Leader 2009
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