Developer: Farish Street Construction could begin this summer

By Jack Mazurak
jmazurak@clarionledger.com

Developers said they will be able to start construction late this summer on the anchor businesses for Farish Street’s long promised entertainment district.

Performa Entertainment Real Estate Inc., the project developer, plans a mix of bars, cafes and entertainment venues for two-block downtown district, located between Amite and Hamilton Streets. Although the buildings on the first block have been cleared and stand ready for work, construction has been blocked by a tangle of bureaucracy.

Speaking to the Jackson Redevelopment Authority on Wednesday, Cato T. Walker, Performa’s senior vice president of development, said now that environmental hazards and historic preservation issues are cleared, the next step will be securing a construction loan.

“We anticipate closing on our construction loan in the next 60 days,” he said. “We can mobilize in the next 90 days and we anticipate moving dirt by the end of the summer.”
Performa has been working with the JRA for about four years on the Farish Street project. Brent Alexander, the JRA board chairman, said he’s glad to see the schedule moving along.

“We’re doing everything we can to speed development in downtown Jackson,” he said.