Starkville development to change face of city's east entrance

Proposed development to change face of city's east entrance
By BEN BOUNDS/Starkville Daily News

The Planning and Zoning Commission approved a zoning change Tuesday night that could dramatically change the face of the east entrance to the city of Starkville.

Pending final approval of the rezoning by the Starkville Board of Aldermen, construction of Phase I of the mixed use development known as Stateside will begin around the first of the year in 2007.

In what has been described as an unparalleled development, Stateside Group, LLC, in conjunction with Barranco Architecture and Interior Design, on Tuesday unveiled plans to construct a five story facility featuring commercial property on the first floor and luxury condominiums on the top four floors.

The building, which stands 75 feet tall from the ground up, will be the first phase for the 12.76 acres bordered by Collegeview Street to the north, Highway 12 to the east, University Drive to the South. A proposed site plan for the full site includes a hotel, office building, two restaurants and a bank.

Stateside will front University Drive directly across from Highway 12 from Mississippi State University and the Hunter Henry Center on the east edge of Starkville.

“The idea for Stateside was inspired by developments in other college towns along the East Coast like the University of Georgia in Athens, the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and should serve as a retirement development for older alumni wanting to return to Starkville,” developer Bill Smith of Stateside Group, LLC said.

The Phase I development will consist of over 86,000 square feet of total space, 55,000 of which will be residential condominiums and 15,000 will be commercial space for lease.

Condominiums will range from approximately 1,200 to 2,400 square-feet of living space with two or three bedrooms and two full bathrooms, and will range in price from $399,500 to $675,000. Penthouse units are located on the fifth floor and start at $675,000.

Commercial space on the ground level will include a mixture of restaurants and retail stores. There will be controlled access to basement level parking, and each residence will have one secure, deeded and covered parking space with additional parking spaces available on site. Penthouse residences will come with two deeded, covered parking spaces.

“The concept for Stateside came from the Cotton District,” Smith said. “To be honest with you, we are plagiarizing. We like the freedom the Cotton District offers to walk around from residences to restaurants to retail shops. The concept is pedestrian-family and lends itself to the retirement community.”

Smith said the group had been pushed to get the project under way by former MSU President Charles Lee in order to create a corridor from Main Street/University Drive to the university campus with sidewalk dining and bicycling that was pedestrian-friendly and could be seen as a drawing point for the university and the city.

Jamie Wier of Barranco Architecture said Stateside will serve as a gathering place where residents and public could come together.

“The Stateside development should reflect the characteristics of Downtown Starkville and compliment the university,” Wier said. “There will be a green space to separate walking pedestrians from parking and traffic. The building will have an aged look, as if it were nearly 100 years old already.”

Stateside Group, LLC will have to seek a variance on the city's current height restrictions, but outgoing City Planner George Rummel and Fire Chief William Grantham said the Fire Department already has a new $1 million fire truck on the way that will be able to put out fires up to 90-100 feet.

Smith said the group will also take into consideration the effects of the new development on the residences on what will be called Camp Avenue and drainage detention to prevent flooding of Aiken Village, Mississippi State's married student housing complex located to the north of the site off Collegeview Street.